JSW Energy launches INR 16,000 Cr 1600 MW Power Plant in Salboni,WB
KOLKATA : JSW Energy has officially begun construction on its 1,600 MW (2×800 MW) ultra-supercritical thermal power plant in Salboni, West Bengal, marking its largest greenfield initiative to date. With an estimated investment of INR 16,000 crore, the project is set to reshape not only the energy landscape of eastern India but also catalyze industrial growth in the region.
Speaking to reporters after the laying of foundation stones for its 1600-MW power plant and an industrial park by Chief Minister Smt.Mamata Banerjee at Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district, JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal said there is potential to bring companies operating in sectors like electronics, electrical, refrigerator, transformers, cell phone batteries and chemicals, among others.
“We are trying to attract Japanese and Korean companies to set up units in the industrial park here. In the wake of the ongoing US-China spat (tariff issues), many Korean and Japanese industries, which are in China and export to the US, are looking for a home (to relocate) for themselves. We are going to attract them here,” he said.
These companies cannot relocate to their expensive home countries, as that will not be viable option, he said.
The proposed park would provide plug-and-play facilities to industries, along with water and electricity at a discounted price, besides highway and railway connectivity, Jindal said. He was optimistic that the park would be a model one in the country.
This power plant, backed by a 25-year power purchase agreement with the West Bengal state electricity distribution company limited (WBSEDCL), will run on domestic coal allocated under the SHAKTI B (IV) policy. It reflects a push by JSW Energy to solidify its presence in the eastern market, a region traditionally underserved by large-scale private energy infrastructure.
The Salboni project was initially part of a 10 million tonne integrated steel and power complex envisioned during the Left Front regime under Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Land was acquired in 2008, but political unrest and the subsequent deallocation of coal blocks stalled the steel plant’s progress. As Jindal recounted, “Back in 2008 when the land was acquired by Buddhababu for us, it was in the middle of the Singur problem. And then Nandigram also happened. But everything went off well here.”
Though the steel plant never materialized, JSW did establish a cement plant in Salboni in 2018, inaugurated by CM Banerjee. With the power plant now underway and the industrial park on the horizon, Salboni is poised for a long-awaited transformation.
JSW Energy plans to hit 14 GW of installed capacity by June 2025 and has already locked in over 30 GW. It also has a footprint in energy storage, with 16.3 GWh of projects in the pipeline, including a 12 GWh pumped hydro storage project, one of the largest in India. The company aims to scale up to 40 GWh of storage by 2030