West Bengal checks tidal pulse

The Indian state of West Bengal has reportedly engaged the team from the University of Edinburgh to conduct a survey on the feasibility of tidal energy projects in the Bay of Bengal.

The meeting, held on January 18, 2018, facilitated the discussion between West Bengal’s Minister of Power Sovandeb Chattopadhyay and A.R. Wallace from the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Energy Systems on the possibilities of using tidal power for electricity generation in this eastern Indian state.

It was arranged that the team from the University of Edinburgh will conduct a survey on the feasibility of tidal energy projects in West Bengal, after which the findings will be summarized in a report for West Bengal’s energy department, according to the Indian news publisher Millennium Post.

“They will conduct the survey in the Sunderbans to find out whether tidal energy can be developed at a cheaper rate and can be implemented for commercial purposes. If it is found to be successful, small units with a capacity of 50kW may be set up to produce tidal energy,” Chattopadhyay was quoted as saying by Millennium Post.

The Sundarbans are a network of marine streams, mud shores and mangrove forests located in the eastern India in the Bay of Bengal.