Preparing West Bengal Floating Solar Project (ADB-56334-002)

Regions
  • South Asia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • India
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Bakreshwar, West Bengal
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
U
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Aug 16, 2024
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of India
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Technical Cooperation
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 1.06 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 1.06 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 1.58 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ ADB website

Updated in EWS Sep 30, 2024

Disclosed by Bank Aug 16, 2024

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

As stated by the ADB, the GOWB has requested a project readiness financing (PRF) for the preparation of a floating solar power plant on the Bakreshwar dam reservoir. Although West Bengal has experience in solar PV development, this project will be the first of its kind and magnitude floating on a reservoir. The project will support the state in reaching their RPO targets and decarbonize the power sector. The scope of the PRF will specifically focus on environmental and social safeguards related to projects impacting water bodies. The Department of Power, Government of West Bengal will be the executing agency and West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) will be the implementing agency. The PRF will support WBPDCL to prepare the floating solar project and improve procurement readiness and compliance with ADB's safeguard policies for the ensuing project.

The PRF and the ensuing floating solar project are aligned with the country partnership strategy for India, 2023-2027 by catalyzing climate resilient green growth and supporting the country's plans for its energy transition. It is in ADB's indicative country pipeline and monitoring (ICPM) and expected to be approved in 2024/2025.

Output 1: Due Diligence, technical studies and safeguard assessments completed. Output 1 will be achieved by (i) undertaking necessary environmental and social surveys, studies and assessments, as per ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) and ADB's Social Protection Strategy (2001), (ii) conducting due diligence to cover the technical, economic, financial and climate change and disaster risk aspects of the ensuing project, (iii) complete detailed engineering, and (vi) undertaking a strategic procurement planning study and a project procurement risk assessment to identify contract packaging, contract modalities, procurement plans and bid documents, and supporting the bidding process.

Output 2: Institutional Capacity improved. Output 2 will be delivered by (i) capacity training activities for the employees of the implementing agency in the field of floating solar technology, design and project preparation of floating solar projects, and environmental and social safeguards. The training will be delivered in form workshops and classroom training.

Ensuing project. The project developed under the PRF will be the innovative floating solar power plant project, constructed on the Bakreshwar dam reservoir in West Bengal. The final installed capacity of the powerplant will be subject to the outcome of the detail studies produced under the PRF and through WBPDCL. The project has an indicative ADB financing amount of $193 million and is scheduled for approval in 2024/2025.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

As stated by the ADB, the project is estimated to cost $1.58 million. The government has requested a regular loan of $1.06 million from ADB’s ordinary capital resources to help finance project preparation and design activities. The State of West Bengal will finance the equivalent of $0.52 million for taxes and duties, technical studies, PMU cost, and interest during implementation.

Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

As stated on the company's website, the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) is a company wholly owned by the Government of West Bengal with the goal to carry on interalia the business of electric power generation and supply in the state of West Bengal, India. The thermal power plants under WBPDCL are in Kolaghat, Bakreswar, Sagardighi, Santaldih and Bandel.

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
- - - - West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) Contractor Energy

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

ADB Team Leaders:

Mr. Samrat Ray - Senior Project Officer (Energy), India Resident Mission
Phone: +91-7702520404
Email: sray@adb.org

Christoph Meindl - Energy Specialist
Phone: +63-286325498
Email: cmeindl@adb.org

Executing Agency - Department of Power, Government of West Bengal:

Mr. Santanu Basu - Secretary
Phone: +91-33-2335-1269
Email: powersecy@wb.gov.in
Address: Bidyut Unnayan Bhavan, 3/C, LA Block, 5th Floor, Sector-III, Salt Lake City, Kolkata- 700 106

Implementing Agency - West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited:

Mr. Asit Kumar Mukherjee - Director (Projects)
Phone: +91-75-960-56390
Email: akmukherjee@wbpdcl.co.in

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.

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