Patna, Jun 24: Heaping praise on Bihar government for reducing AT&C losses, installing 80 lakh smart meters besides carrying out power sector reforms, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said that a nuclear power plant and a 1000 MW battery storage capacity unit will be set up in Bihar.
Bihar has demanded for a nuclear power plant besides allocation of additional power to it to tide with the situation in summers.
“We have asked states to set up at least one nuclear power plant in their respective states… Bihar has demanded a nuclear power plant and we have said that we will help Bihar in setting up a nuclear plant in the state,” Khattar said.
Though, he did not divulge the details as which part of the state the plant will be set up and what will be its capacity in terms of megawatt.
Khattar was talking to reporters here after a one-day eastern region power ministers’ conference where different aspects and problems relating to power sector being faced by states of eastern region that included- Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Andman & Nicobar.
He was accompanied by Union Minister for State Power Shripad Yesso Naik, Bihar energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and others.
Khattar also said that a 1000 MW battery storage capacity unit will be set up in Bihar for which the central government will provide a VGF of Rs 18 lakh per MW.
“We have given in principle approval to the proposal,” the minister said adding that it will depend on the generation of renewable energy.
Lauding the reforms carried out by Bihar government in power sector, Union minister said that “Bihar has done a tremendous work in improving distribution system. Bihar deserves kudos for carrying out power sector reforms especially for reducing AT&C losses (Aggregate Technical & Commercial), besides installing a record 80 lakh smart meters.”
Bihar was lagging behind in power sector but it has done a considerably good job, he added.
The union power ministry has agreed to Bihar government’s demand for supply of additional 500 MW for next six months, the minister said while assuring adequate supply of power to states from central quota if they face power shortage.
Stating that cyber security has become a big issue, Khattar said that nefarious design to thwart power supply system was failed during “Operation Sindoor” and “our system remained intact.”
Giving slogan of “power for all at all times’, the union minister said that “we have become a power surplus country. We are not meeting only our requirements but also exporting surplus power to countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and we export and import power from Nepal.”
Last year, the peak power demand was 250 GW in the country and it was expected that it will increase to 270 GW this year but so far the peak power demand has reached upto 242 GW, he said adding that it is expected that the power may increase further by September next.
“Today, we are meeting the demand of power supply in the country as we have surplus power. But 10 years ago, in 2013-14, there was power deficiency in the country. There was 4.5 per cent power shortage in the country,” Khattar said while asserting that it was, then, known as “power deficient” country.
