Srei to invest Rs 40,000-mn at Haldia

Kolkata: Srei, along with American firm Persius, will invest Rs 4,000 crore to build a photovoltaic factory and a 100-MW captive power plant at Haldia.

German chip manufacturer Centrotherm will provide technological know-how in the factory to produce solar panels from raw silica.

“There are only three to four factories in the world which single-handedly manufacture solar panels from raw silica. This will be the first such factory in India,” Mr Nirupam Sen, West Bengal Minister for Commerce and Industries, said.

The factory, expected to be operational in the next two years, will be the first such factory to be set up in the country, he said.

“We have already given them 200 acres in Haldia and will hand over another 600 acres soon,” the Minister said.

The factory will initially produce 5,000 tonnes of polysilicon a year in phase I, which will be scaled up to 10,000 tonnes in phase II. The photovoltaic cells made from it will produce 500 MW power, he told reporters at the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation.

The factory will also manufacture computer chips by further refining the photovoltaic cells at a later stage, he added.

Technology provider Centrotherm will hold approximately 10-15 per cent stake in the project, while Enviro-energy, the solar power arm of Srei, will provide local market knowledge, Mr Sabyasachi Sen, State Commerce and Industry Secretary, said.

A delegation from the State led by the Minister had recently visited the Centrotherm factory in Germany.

The delegation had also visited the Bayern Oil Refinery in Ingolstadt, which is being transplanted by the Cals Refinery in Haldia.

“The refinery will produce 5 million tonnes oil in the first phase.“The dismantling of the plant will start next month,” the minister said.

The team had also discussed with BMW and DaimlerChrysler the possibilities of bringing their component suppliers to the State.