Sagardighi Thermal Power Station

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Sagardighi Thermal Power Station is an operating power station of at least 1600-megawatts (MW) in Manigram, Sagardighi, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Sagardighi St. III U-1 (Stage III Unit 5).

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Sagardighi Thermal Power Station	Manigram, Sagardighi, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India	24.3688141, 88.1040001 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Stage II Unit 3, Stage II Unit 4, Stage III Unit 5, Stage III Unit 6, Unit 1, Unit 2: 24.3688141, 88.1040001

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Stage II Unit 3	operating	coal - unknown	500	subcritical	2015	–
Stage II Unit 4	operating	coal - unknown	500	subcritical	2016	–
Stage III Unit 5	construction	coal - unknown	660	supercritical	2025	–
Stage III Unit 6	cancelled	coal - unknown	660	supercritical	–	–
Unit 1	operating	coal - unknown	300	subcritical	2007	–
Unit 2	operating	coal - unknown	300	subcritical	2008	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner
Stage II Unit 3	The West Bengal Power Development Corp Ltd (WBPDCL) [100.0%]
Stage II Unit 4	The West Bengal Power Development Corp Ltd (WBPDCL) [100.0%]
Stage III Unit 5	The West Bengal Power Development Corp Ltd (WBPDCL) [100.0%]
Stage III Unit 6	The West Bengal Power Development Corp Ltd (WBPDCL) [100.0%]
Unit 1	The West Bengal Power Development Corp Ltd (WBPDCL) [100.0%]
Unit 2	The West Bengal Power Development Corp Ltd (WBPDCL) [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Permit(s): March 24, 2020 – Environmental Clearance; Terms of Reference: 2019-03-26; Terms of Reference: 2015-01-15, May 18, 2011 – Environmental Clearance

Background

The power station began as two units of 300 MW each, commissioned in 2007 and 2008.

Expansion

Units 3-4

West Bengal Power Development Corporation reports the following status items for the proposed units 3 and 4:

• Go ahead clearance received from Govt. of West Bengal for implementation of 2x500 MW Thermal Power Unit at Sagardighi.
• Chimney Clearance has already been received from Ministry of Civil and Aviation.
• Water Clearance has been received from Port Trust. But clearance from Irrigation & Water Department is still pending.
• Railway Transportation Clearance has already been received.
• Financial Tie up has already been made with PFC for funding up to 70% of the Project Cost.
• Coal Linkage is made with Captive Coal Mines Pachawar North and East of Damagaria Coal Mines.
• In principle clearance from the Hon’ble State Electricity Regulatory Commission is still pending as well as Environmental Clearance is also pending.

In 2012, Units 3 and 4 had a planned commissioning date of 2014.

As of February 2015, units 3 and 4 are planned for completion by FY2017.

Unit 3 was commissioned December 2015 and began commercial operation in July 2016. Unit 4 was commissioned in December 2016.

Units 5-6

The company is also planning a unit 5 and 6 of 500 MW each.

Unit 5 received a terms of reference in January 2015.

In April 2016, the company applied for unit 5 to be 660 MW, to meet the Ministry of Power requirement that the 13th Plan Capacity Additions only be through supercritical units.

Unit 5 as 660 MW received a terms of reference on March 26, 2019, and environmental clearance on March 24, 2020.

Construction on unit 5 began in 2021. Commissioning was planned for 2024.

Unit 6 has received no permits and appeared to be abandoned.

The May 2023 Broad Status report stated that Unit 5 (or Unit 1 of Stage III) was expected to be commissioned in October 2024. The November 2023 Broad Status report indicated planned commissioning in January 2025.

Financing for Unit 5

In March 2017, a financing agreement for Unit 5 was closed. The Power Finance Corporation agreed to provide a US$405 million loan. West Bengal Power Development Corporation is expected to provide US$179.57 million in equity.

Coal supply

In December 2021, Mongabay published a story titled "In anticipation of India’s largest coal mining project." The story noted the Sagardighi plant:

"Sprawling across 3,400 acres (approximately 13.7 square kilometres), the mining area is made of two coal blocks – the Deocha-Pachami coal block spread over 9.7 square kilometres and the Dewanganj-Harinsinga coal block spread over 2.6 sq. km. The project, which would be implemented in a public-private partnership model, has the potential to draw investment to the tune of USD 3 billion (approximately Rs. 22,500 crore or Rs. 225 billion), according to a state government publication. There will be five end-users of the coal extracts – the thermal plants are Sagardighi Phase II, Sagardighi Phase III, Santaldih, Bakreswar and the pit head of Deocha-Pachami coal block."

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.