Bihar is likely to get a big boost in the energy sector following the Centre's decision to explore the possibility of a 4,000 MW power project in the state.

A high-level central team of experts from the ministry of power on Friday reached here to assess the possibility of a mega power plant in the state. The team held a meeting with CM Nitish Kumar on Friday evening in which it was decided to look for 2,400 acres of land with availability of 120 cusecs of water. The team also explored probable geographical locations through satellite. Sources said the team has identified couple of sites in the state for setting up the plant.
An official said big chunks of land are available in districts like Bhagalpur and Banka for this purpose. The state will take a big leap in the energy sector in five years if the mega power plant is set up in the state. It is likely to attract major investment proposals in various sectors, said the official.
The Bihar Power Infrastructure company (BPIC) has been asked to coordinate with allied departments like water resources development, land revenue, energy and Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) for finalizing the site for the plant.
The central expert team also asked the BPIC to submit a detailed report including nearest coal linkage site and adequate water availability within a month. "The team is expected to visit Bihar again after receiving the detailed project report (DPR) from the state government," said BSEB spokesperson Hare Ram Pandey.
The central team was represented by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) director PD Shoval, CEA secretary MS Puri, CEA chief engineer Arun Kumar Jain, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Vice-President Rajesh K Shahi and PFC adviser DK Gilhotra.
Besides CM Nitish Kumar, energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, principal secretary (energy) Ajay V Nayak and BSEB chairman P K Rai participated in the meeting.











Source : TOI.indiatimes.com