Websol Energy System Ltd has announced that the Government of West Bengal has allotted a parcel of land measuring about 54.20 acres to the company at Falta Industrial Park, Kolkata, for its planned greenfield solar manufacturing facility.
The new facility is planned with 4 GW of solar cell capacity and 4 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity, to be developed in two phases of 2 GW each, a release by Websol Energy said.
The land allotment follows Websol’s evaluation of locations close to its existing manufacturing operations at the Falta Special Economic Zone in West Bengal. The decision to expand in West Bengal allows Websol to build on more than three decades of operating experience in the state. Its existing presence provides access to a readily available base of skilled manpower, established supplier relationships, and deep familiarity with the local ecosystem – factors expected to support faster execution than a facility built in an entirely new location.
Commenting on the allotment, Sohan Lal Agarwal, Chairman & Managing Director, Websol Energy System Ltd, said: ” “When Websol entered solar manufacturing in the mid-1990s, the industry in India was still at a very early stage. Today, solar is becoming an increasingly important part of the country’s energy infrastructure, and the need for strong domestic manufacturing has never been clearer. For us, this land allotment represents the next phase of a journey that began more than three decades ago in West Bengal. It allows us to build at a significantly larger scale while remaining close to an ecosystem, workforce and operating base we know well. As India expands its solar capacity, we believe manufacturing must grow alongside it, across regions and closer to demand. This project is Websol’s contribution to building that deeper domestic manufacturing base.”
The proposed facility will also create a larger integrated manufacturing base for Websol in eastern India at a time when domestic solar manufacturing capacity is expanding to support India’s growing renewable energy requirements, the release added.