Bengal industry minister Nirupam Sen (right) with industry secretary Sabyasachi Sen in Calcutta on Tuesday. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury

Calcutta, April 29: A German company may gift Bengal its first semiconductor chip fabrication unit.

Centrotherm Photovoltaics had earlier proposed to build a plant in Haldia to make photo voltaic cells in partnership with homegrown Srei Infrastructure and two other companies.

In his recent visit to Centrotherm’s factory at Blaubeuren in Germany, state industry minister Nirupam Sen had requested the company to explore the possibility of setting up a semiconductor chip facility as well.

“We have requested them to consider. They are reworking the plan,” he said at a press meet in Calcutta today.

The minister was accompanied by industry secretary Sabyasachi Sen and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation managing director M.V. Rao among others.

Sabyasachi Sen said Centrotherm might also pick up a stake in the project.

The proposed Rs 4,000-crore project will manufacture solar photo voltaic cells capable of producing 500 mega watt of power. The government has so far allotted 200 acres for the project.

Football academy

Bayern Munich, the soccer club of Germany, may help set up a football academy in the state. Bengal Peerless plans to build a stadium and an academy in Burdwan district.

A team from the club, led by chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, may visit the state next month to look at the proposed site. Bayern Munich has agreed to coach five boys from the state every year in Germany.