(TOI)
West Bengal Power Development Corporation has posted highest-ever operating profit of Rs 1,000 crore in 2024-25, breaking the earlier record of Rs 812 crore (set in 2023-24). The company also hopes to achieve the highest net profit so far.
WBPDCL chairman and MD PB Salim pointed out the company had adopted a tenfold strategy that has led to a turnaround. This came after the power utility was placed as a topper as a generation entity in India with a Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 88.9% in FY 2024-25. Four WBPDCL thermal power plants were among the top ten coal-based thermal power stations across India.The company posted a net profit of Rs 324 crore. “We gave a dividend of Rs 104 crore to the govt and gave incentives to employees,” Salim said.
The CMD noted that while the price at which it sold power to WBSEDCL has remained the same for 14 years, WBPDCL has adopted the path of improving efficiency to achieve a better margin. Speaking on captive mines, Salim pointed out that while in 2015 WBPDCL produced only 20% of its coal requirement, 100% of the company’s requirement now is supplied by captive sources. “We are saving money per ton of coal as our cost is less than the price of coal from Coal India,” Salim said.
Salim added that WBPDCL had recorded its highest-ever generation of 33, 200 crore units in FY 2024-25. Commenting on human resources, he added that the company was taking employees into confidence through transparency in promotion, transfer and redressal mechanisms.
