The West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (WBSETCL) is a state-owned electricity transmission utility headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is responsible for the transmission of bulk electrical power across the state of West Bengal through a network of extra-high-voltage substations and transmission lines, and functions as the State Transmission Utility (STU) for the state.
| Name | West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Limited |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | WBSETCL |
| Type | State government-owned public sector undertaking |
| Industry | Electric power transmission |
| Headquarters | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Area served | West Bengal |
| Owner | Government of West Bengal |
| Role | State Transmission Utility (STU) |
WBSETCL was created as part of the restructuring of the erstwhile West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB), undertaken by the Government of West Bengal in line with the framework of the Electricity Act, 2003. Under this reform, the integrated functions of the WBSEB were unbundled into separate entities for generation, transmission and distribution, with WBSETCL taking up the transmission function. The distribution business was placed under the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL), while generation activities continued under the West Bengal Power Development Corporation and other entities.
As the designated State Transmission Utility, WBSETCL is tasked with:
The tariffs, transmission charges and operational norms applicable to WBSETCL are determined by the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC), which regulates the electricity sector in the state. The company also functions within the broader framework set by the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission for matters of grid standards and inter-state transmission.
WBSETCL plays a central role in ensuring the reliable evacuation of power from generating stations within and outside West Bengal to load centres across the state, including the Kolkata metropolitan region, industrial belts in Howrah, Hooghly, Bardhaman and Durgapur–Asansol, and rural distribution networks. Its transmission backbone supports both the state-owned distribution utility WBSEDCL and the licensed area of the CESC Limited in Kolkata.