Nuclear Power Plant To Be Set Up In Bihar, Says Union Minister

Union Power Minister Manohar Lal on Tuesday said that a nuclear power plant and a 1,000 MW battery storage capacity unit would be set up in Bihar.

He praised the Bihar government's initiatives in the power sector such as reducing aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses, installing 80 lakh smart meters and carrying out reforms in the sector.

"Bihar had demanded a nuclear power plant besides allocation of additional power to it to tide it over the situation in summer. We have asked states to set up at least one nuclear power plant in their respective states... We will help Bihar in setting up a nuclear plant in the state," he said.

He, however, did not divulge the details as to where in the state the plant would be set up and what will be its capacity in terms of megawatt.

Mr Lal was speaking to reporters here after a one-day Eastern Region Power Ministers' Conference where different aspects and problems relating to the power sector were discussed by states in the region.

He said that a 1,000 MW battery storage capacity unit will be set up in Bihar.

"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 the Bihar government in the power sector, the Union minister said, "Bihar has done a tremendous work in improving the distribution system. It deserves kudos for carrying out power sector reforms especially for reducing AT&C (aggregate technical & commercial) losses, besides installing a record 80 lakh smart meters." Bihar was lagging behind in the power sector but it has done a considerably good job, he added.

The Union Power Ministry has agreed to the Bihar government's demand for the supply of an additional 500 MW for the next six months, the minister said, while assuring adequate supply of power to states from the central quota if they face power shortage.

Stating that cyber security has become a big issue, the minister said that nefarious designs to thwart power supply systems failed during 'Operation Sindoor' and "our system remained intact".

Giving the slogan of 'power for all at all times', the Union minister said, "We have become a power surplus country. We are not only meeting our requirements but also exporting surplus power to other countries."

Last year, the peak power demand was 250 GW in the country and it was expected to increase to 270 GW this year but so far, the peak power demand has reached 242 GW, he said, adding that it is expected that the power may increase further by September.

"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 a power deficiency in the country. There was 4.5 per cent power shortage in the country," he said, while stating that India was, then, known as "power deficient" country.

The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik, Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Bihar Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and Jharkhand Urban Development and Housing Minister Sudivya Kumar, among others.

Mr Lal also underscored the importance of cybersecurity in the power sector and spoke about 'islanding schemes' as effective measures to prevent power outages owing to cyber incidents and enable resilience of the grid.

He assured the states of continuous support of the central government to further strengthen the power sector. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)