West Bengal Distribution System Strengthening Program

Approved

The RDSS program is the overall government program for the proposed result-based lending (RBL) program. In 2022, the Government of India and Government of West Bengal approved the RDSS program for WBSEDCL with a financial outlay of 197.39 billion for an implementation between 2022 and 2026. The RDSS program is aligned with the Government of West Bengal's priority to improve quality and reliability of electricity supply and achieve financial sustainability of WBSEDCL while meeting a growing power demand. Upon successful completion of the RDSS program by 2026, WBSEDCL aims to (i) eliminate ACS-ARR gap (on subsidy receipt basis), (ii) reduce SAIFI to 130.0 interruptions per customer, and (iii) reduce AT&C loss to 12.11%, which will result in 4,700 gigawatt-hour of annual electricity savings, thereby avoiding 3.36 million tons of annual GHG emission. The proposed RBL program aims to comprehensively support reducing AT&C loss, eliminating ACS-ARR gap (on subsidy receipt basis), improving SAIFI to supply quality and reliable power supply, with particular attention on gender equality, social inclusiveness, and occupational health, while supporting institutional strengthening to sustain the results and to scale up integration of renewable energy and create an enabling environment for private sector involvement.