CM approves 350 acres for CESC’s Rs 12,000-crore battery storage unit
Times of India | 19 December 2025
Kolkata: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she would allot 350 acres of land to CESC for its battery storage unit in the state. "We have 350 acres of land available at Uttarpara, which can be allotted to them," she said at the Business & Industry Conclave in the city. The CM also asked company officials to place a proposal for land at the next cabinet meeting and said that CESC had sought 600 acres for the unit.
This comes after RPSG Group and CESC chairman Sanjiv Goenka claimed Kolkata could soon become the first metro to have at least 50% of its power demand be fed by renewable energy sources. For this, CESC was planning a 5,000-megawatt battery storage unit in the state, at an investment of Rs 12,000 crore, he said. The battery storage unit would be linked with the power plants of CESC, which supplies power to Kolkata and adjacent areas.
Later, Goenka told TOI that it would take five years to complete the project if things go as planned. "Once the project starts working, we can supply 50% of power to Kolkata from renewable sources. It would be the first of its kind for any metro city in the country," he added.
Battery storage units work as per peak and off-peak demand principles. In the off-peak hours, the extra power is used to charge the batteries, which are used during peak hours without burning extra fossil fuel. According to the RPSG Group chairman, CESC had already applied for land for the proposed project.
CESC has a peak demand of around 2,500 MW during summer, while in winter, it is around 1,500 MW. The power utility has four plants in Haldia, Budge Budge, Titagarh and Southern Generating Station.
Later, elaborating on plans about other investments in the state, Goenka said RPSG would put an incremental Rs 15,800 crore investment in Bengal, which would include schools and hospitals along with power. Goenka said that so far, the group has invested Rs 26,500 crore in the state.