The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL) has invited expressions of interest for setting up electric vehicle charging infrastructure in public-private partnership (PPP) to boost e-mobility in the state, an official said on Sunday.

"The state-run utility has sought bids from interested operators to build 205 charging or battery-swapping stations for different types of vehicles", he said.

WBSEDCL, the state nodal agency for establishing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, said the stations would be installed on its land but maintained by operators who will offer a share of the revenue.

"In this tranche of the deal, we will provide land for the installation of 205 EV charging/swapping stations in our sub-stations. The investment, operation and maintenance will be done by private concessionaires. The floor value of revenue share for the auction is Re 1 per unit of electricity," the official said.

A bidder who will offer the highest revenue share will be awarded the contract for a specific site.

"Of the 205 stations, 40 will be set up along national highways and the remaining 165 will be built elsewhere, he said, adding that the initial contract period will be of 10 years, with extension clauses", he said.

The state power sector regulator - West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) - has set a tariff of Rs 6.98 per unit for EV charging stations throughout the year.

According to the state EV policy, West Bengal intends to be one of the best states in terms of electric mobility penetration by 2030 with a target of one million e-vehicles.

The government has envisaged an installation base of 10,000 EV charging or battery-swapping stations in the state.

"Already, some charging station operators have shown interest in participating in the bidding", the company official said.

The central government schemes are also helping the adoption of e-vehicles in the two-wheeler and four-wheeler segments.

Other agencies of the state are also installing EV charging stations at bus depots in the city.

The administration of New Town on the outskirts of Kolkata has installed 30 charging points and is in the process of setting up more such facilities for buses and private vehicles.

Notably, the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) will procure 1,180 electric buses by the end of 2023.

However, CESC Ltd which provides power to Kolkata and part of Howrah district has not disclosed any plan for substantial EV charging infrastructure, after having erected one on a trial basis.