PATNA, June 24 : Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced today that a nuclear power plant would be set up in Bihar and assured the Centre’s full support for the project.
After addressing the Regional Power Ministers Conference (Eastern Region) in Patna, attended by the Energy Ministers of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha, Khattar told the media here on Tuesday that the Centre has given its nod for the installation of the nuclear power plant in Bihar.
Khattar said that during the meeting, Bihar proposed installing the same, which was agreed upon. In view of the demand for 1000 MW of electricity for energy storage, the Centre has agreed to supply an additional 500 MW of electricity to the state during the next six months.
He said various issues related to the energy sector were discussed in the meeting, during which it was planned to set up at least one nuclear power plant in every state.
A vision paper- 2035 was also prepared for the power sector, the Minister said, adding that the country was already extensively working on Thermal Power, Solar Energy, wind power, and projects related to the storage of energy.
Appreciating the progress of Bihar in the energy sector, the Minister said that it has improved a lot. He also lauded the installation of 80 lakh smart prepaid metres across the state, which was a record.
The minister said that India, which was known as a power-deficient country, has now surplus energy and is supplying electricity to Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal in addition to catering to the requirements of its people.
Against a target of supplying 270 gigawatt energy during peak hours, 242 gigawat energy was being supplied during the peak hours.
Earlier, addressing the conference, the Minister urged the states to accelerate key reforms in the power sector from prepaid smart meters rollout to timely capacity tie-ups, intra-state transmission via Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding, and finalisation of Green Energy Corridors.
He also stressed the need to focus on operational efficiencies and improving the financial viability, optimise power procurement, and leverage the Centre’s 50-year interest-free loan to strengthen the power infrastructure.
The minister said that collaborative policymaking has been given top priority for building a reliable, secure, and future-ready power ecosystem for the Eastern region.
He further said that for innovative and sustainable solutions to the growing energy demands, the Centre was planning to set up small modular reactors across the country and has approved one of six proposed small modular nuclear reactors in Bihar.
He said in addition to enhancing the state’s power generation capacity, nuclear power will also generate employment in Bihar, which would emerge as a future hub for clean and advanced energy infrastructure.
()UNI)
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