A hydel power station under construction. Telegraph picture

Patna, Aug. 24: Power production in Bihar would soon get a boost. Eight small hydel power projects, which would be commissioned in the next six months, are all set to add six mega watt power to the existing 54 MW of hydel power generation in the state. Another nine MW would be added in due course of time.

Those plants which would be completed in the next six months are: Tejpura (in Aurangabad) with an installed generation capacity of 1.5 MW, Belsar (Arwal district) 1 MW, Paharma (Rohtas) 1 MW, Rajpur (Supaul) 0.70 MW, Arwal (Arwal) 0.50 MW, Amethi (Rohtas) 0.50 MW, Rampur (Rohtas) 0.25 MW, Natwar (Rohtas) 0.25 MW, official sources said.

Another seven projects with a generation capacity of nine MW would be commissioned in next one year, sources in Bihar Hydroelectric Power Corporation (BHPC) said.

Any hydel power plant with a generation capacity of up to 25 MW is considered as small power project, he said adding that the corporation has identified 42 such projects with an installed capacity of 133.85 MW.

Asked why the BHPC has not taken up the big projects yet, the official, on condition of anonymity said: “Our aim is to add power generation and we can’t sit for big projects. However, we are working on achieving it and have sent detailed project reports but since these big plants require huge funds, technical support, environmental clearance it would takes some time.”

The big hydel plants included Dagmara (126 MW) in Supaul, Indrapuri (450 MW) in Rohtas, Hathiadah and Durgawati (1,600 MW) Kaimur, Sinafdar (345 MW) Kaimur and others. However, not a single one has made any headway except the Rs 1,700 crore Dagmara project for which France has shown interest in funding the project.

The BHPC has also prepared detailed project report for it. The state’s thermal power generation is less than 40 MW since only one unit at Barauni thermal power station is functioning and the other one has been shut down for quite some time for modernisation work.

Similarly, Kanti thermal power stations’ both units, having installed capacity of 110 MW, has been closed for renovation and modernisation work.

The state government’s stake in both these units was reduced to 50 per cent after it entered into a joint venture with the NTPC.

high voltage

• Plants, which would be completed in the next six months are: Tejpura, Belsar, Paharma, Rajpur, Arwal, Amethi, Rampur

• Another seven projects with a generation capacity of nine MW would be commissioned in next one year

• State's thermal power generation is less than 40 MW since only one unit of Barauni thermal power station is functioning