WB CM calls for national iron ore policy

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the central government needs to frame an iron-ore policy which will benefit the states.

“For coal, there is a national policy but for iron-ore there is none,” she said in the presence of union Coal and New and Renewable Energy Minister.

“If you can set up an iron-ore policy then states will be benefited,” she told the union minister.

WB CM was attending the inauguration of coal behemoth Coal India Ltd’s (CIL) new corporate headquarters at Rajarhat.

“Coal and iron are very important,” she said.

According to the Chief Minister, with the modernisation of the steel industry picking up pace in the state, the potential for steel plants is good.

“The industry potential is very good,” she said.

She also assured the union minister of all possible help and assistance for projects in the energy, coal and power sectors.

“Whatever help you need for renewable energy project or coal project or power project, we will always extend our cooperation,” she said.

State Government buildings to go green with solar power

The West Bengal Government has decided to install rooftop solar panels in as many government buildings as possible across the state so that at least one fourth of the total power demand of these buildings can be met through the alternative route.

To begin with, 50KW solar panels have already been set up in two government buildings ­ Nagarayan Bhavan and Nirman Bhavan in Salt Lake.While Nagarayan Bhavan houses the State Urban Development, Nirman Bhavan, which was earlier known as Sech Bhavan, is the office of the State Irrigation Department. Solar panels have also been installed in the New Town Kolkata Development Authority building in New Town.

Focus on alternative energy

Solar energy that will be generated from the panel will be converted into electrical energy and put into the grid. The power that will be generated will be measured through a special net-meter and thereby there will be a reduction in the total electricity bill.

Installation of roof-top solar panels will make government buildings energy intelligent and the use of conventional electricity will be reduced considerably. Regulators will be fixed and the panels will be net-metered so that the tariff rate could be fixed for using solar power.

Rajarhat follows suit

In Rajarhat New Town, NKDA authorities had already made it mandatory for all commercial and residential high-rises to install solar rooftop systems to meet at least 2% of the buildings’ total electric load.

The State Environment Department and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) are jointly working to set up solar photo voltaic panels in 80 schools and 20 primary health centres across the state. The project is being executed by the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation to generate solar power from the panels and to put it on the grid.