West Bengal is poised to give incentives to green energy projects under a regulatory mechanism and has engaged West Bengal Green Energy Development Corp Ltd (WBGEDCL) to recommend policies.

The corporation will also provide technical assistance to various projects as a consultant and is open to equity participation. SP Gon Chaudhuri, director of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA), and also the special secretary of the state power department, heads WBGEDCL.

Gon Chaudhuri said though both the Central and state electricity regulatory commissions have made preferential tariff recommendations for grid interactive green power, there were no such incentives for independent green power producers and developers of green buildings.

The West Bengal Power Development Corp, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd and WBREDA have formed WBGEDCL, with each of them having a 33.3% stake. It will make policy recommendations, which have to be approved by the state Cabinet.

WBGEDCL, with the help of the Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management, Kolkata, is currently preparing a policy on independent green power projects, green buildings and bio fuels, and aims to come out with it within a year, Gon Chaudhuri said. The policy will aim to encourage real estate developers, civic administration and common people to use green energy.

With prices of petrol and diesel soar to an abnormal high, the state is now laying stress on bio fuels and wants a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework in place for jatropha cultivation.

Gon Chaudhuri said there has to be a road map for promoting jatropha cultivation and the government, besides giving incentives for it, should ensure availability of seeds, technology and linkage to the market. “Jatropha cultivation should come under a regulatory framework and WBGEDCL is working on it,” Gon Chaudhuri said.

He said that WBGEDCL is also working as a consultant for other states like Mizoram and the Union territory of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in preparing similar policies. The Tripura government also wants to rope in WBGEDCL as a consultant.