The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) organized the Forum of Eastern States Regulators (FORES) meeting on Saturday. At the meeting, Energy Minister Pankaj Kumar Pal gave a detailed presentation on the progress made in Bihar’s power sector. He was invited to speak about Bihar’s achievements in the energy sector.
Pankaj Kumar Pal said that Bihar has made great achievements in the energy field in recent years. He told Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that he had a vision to overhaul the power system in Bihar. A roadmap has been prepared and implemented under the supervision of Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav.
“Transformers are installed in houses, streets and places”
The chief minister has decided to provide power to every village and every hamlet and provide power to “every household” in the state, the energy department secretary said. Its success became a model for the country, and the central government decided to implement Yojana on this basis. The Chief Minister expressed concern over accidents due to broken wires and laid the foundation for a rewiring plan to replace them.
He said plans have been drawn up to strengthen the distribution and transmission system in view of the increasing demand for electricity in the state. Over the past few years, the number of grid equipment has increased from 45 to 168. Likewise, there has been an unexpected increase in the length of transmission lines. An extensive network of substations has been established in the state. Transformers are installed in houses, streets and places. The faulty transformer was replaced within 24 hours.
Electricity demand increased from 1,000 MW to 8,005 MW
Pal said the state’s maximum power demand has increased from 1,000 MW to 8,005 MW due to good power distribution and transmission system. Likewise, energy consumption also increased by 70 units annually to 363 units. In his speech, he also mentioned that farmers get irrigation water at low prices.
He said that under the chief minister’s leadership, farmers in the state started getting irrigation water easily at cheap prices. For this purpose, agricultural linkages are being provided on a large scale under the Chief Minister’s Agriculture Relations Scheme. Agricultural electricity price subsidies are 92%. Pal said people in Bihar today have access to electricity 22-24 hours.
Pal: Bihar’s power utilities are becoming self-reliant
The Energy Minister said the Chief Minister has taken many initiatives to promote solar energy in the state and described it as a major source of renewable energy. Floating solar, canal-side solar plants and rooftop solar projects are being built in Bihar. A 185 MW solar power plant is being constructed at Kajra in Lakhisarai. Among them is the largest battery solar system project in the country being installed.
Pal said the state’s power companies are becoming self-reliant under the guidance of the energy secretary. Last year, the distribution company turned a profit for the first time. This is a desirable achievement for the entire country. Meanwhile, the meeting discussed in detail the achievements of Bihar and appreciated the achievements.
Also Read – Nitish Kumar will use women as his trump card, has a foolproof plan for victory in Bihar!
BERC Chairman Amir Subhani, North Bihar Electricity Distribution Company Managing Director Dr Nilesh Devre, Tata Power Sanjay Kumar Banga, PricewaterhouseCoopers Padam Mishra and others attended the meeting. All ERC presidents and members were also present.
