Patna, March 10: Among the many power projects scheduled to start functioning in Bihar, the thermal project at Barauni would soon see the light of the day.
Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) would award a contract to Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) by the end of March to install two units of 250MW at Barauni thermal power station (BTPS) as part of government’s expansion plan. “The installation of two units will be completed by BHEL in three years from now. Both these units will generate 500MW of power,” Ajay Naik, the principal secretary of the energy department, told The Telegraph. The first unit of 250MW would be completed in 37 months after the installation work begins whereas the second unit of the same capacity would start power generation three months later i.e. 40 months, a board official said.
The project cost is estimated at Rs 3,600 crore for which the government would arrange funds through loan, sources said adding that the government is exploring the possibility of taking loans from financial institutions or power finance corporation.
This would be in addition to the renovation and modernisation (R&M) work of the two units (2x110MW) at Kanti in Muzaffarpur and (2x110MW) at Barauni in Begusarai district being carried out by the BHEL that would be completed by June 2012 giving the state 440MW of electricity by then. In the last week of January, state energy minister Vijendra Prasad Yadav had held a review meeting with the top officials of the board, and BHEL chairman-cum-managing director, who was asked to expedite the R&M work so that these units could be started by June 2012.
Once these plants start functioning after R&M work (440MW) and expansion plan , the state would add 940MW of electricity in its kitty, which was crucial for the state’s industrial and agricultural development. With the addition of 940MW, of which 440MW would be added by June 2012 and 60MW of hydro-electricity power being currently generated, the state would be able to meet one-third of its total energy requirement of 3,000MW.
