Patna, March 17: Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yad-av today unveiled his government’s plan to generate 8,200MW on its own and make power-starved Bihar a power-sufficient state by 2016-17.

“We are making serious efforts to put the state on the fast track of development in the energy sector,” he said.

Replying to a debate in the Assembly on the energy department’s budgetary demand of more than Rs 4,200 crore, Yadav said: “The state government is taking every possible step to augment the generation, transmission and distribution capacities. Bihar’s power generation would be around 8,200MW by 2016-17. This would bring the state into the league of power-surplus states.”

The state government is heavily dependent on the central sector allocation of 1,772MW to meet its requirement of 2,500MW, he said.

The Assembly passed the energy department’s budgetary demand for Rs 4,200 crore for 2012-13 by a voice vote amid boycott by the opposition RJD, led by its leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, who said the government has failed to give reply as how it plans to check electricity theft and replace burnt transformers.

The state, which is getting barely 800-900MW from the Centre, against the scheduled allocation of 1,772MW, started purchasing 500MW from the open market under short- and medium-term plans.

The government has signed power purchase agreements with power companies that would supply 1,000MW, the minister said, adding that the supply of 1,000MW under long-term agreement plan would start from July 2014 for the next 25 years.

“The government is also making serious efforts to strengthen its own power generation and for which it has taken up umpteen power projects both on its own and under joint venture with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC),” he said.

“Work is going on for the 2,000MW Nabinagar power project that is being developed in a joint venture with NTPC and would be commissioned by the end of 2015-16. Work on each of two power projects in Muzaffarpur (195X2) and Barauni (250X2) would be completed by 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. Besides, a number of agreements have been signed with other companies for supply of power to the state,” he added.

Renovation and modernisation work for two each of 110MW plants in Muzaffarpur and Barauni was on, Yadav said, adding that Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd, the only company that manufactures power equipment, has pledged to ready all the four units of 110MW between 2012 and 2013.

The minister announced setting up of a joint venture company with Power Grid Corporation of India to stren-gthen the transmission system over a period of 25 years.