Patna: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited has offered to establish two nuclear power reactors in Nawada district in Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs 70,000 crore.

The state government has earmarked 1,000 acres of land for the central government enterprise.

"We have demarcated 1,000 acres of land for two nuclear reactors of 670MW each in Nawada district. The land is in our possession. The energy department is currently examining the proposal and is expected to take a decision soon," industries minister Jai Kumar Singh said.

Sources in the energy department said "officials are assessing the proposal and are expected to give their green signal to it".

The proposal is an outcome of Atomic Energy Commission chairman Sekhar Basu's visit to Bihar in May last year and his meeting with chief minister Nitish Kumar over various collaborations, including a cancer hospital at Muzaffarpur and nuclear irradiation facilities for horticulture crops.

Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (Biada) managing director R.S. Srivastav said the nuclear power plant will not create any danger as Nawada is a part of the Deccan plateau and is a stable region, unlike the earthquake-prone Gangetic plains.

"The nuclear power project will be a boon for south Bihar as the vast amount of water used as coolant will be further utilised to irrigate crops in Nawada, Gaya and adjoining districts that suffer from a scarcity of water," Srivastav said.

The Biada boss pointed out that the Centre has already waived off the condition that mandates Bihar to compulsorily buy power produced from the nuclear power plant. The energy produced at the Nawada facility will be sent to the central grid.

Biada, meanwhile, has allotted land to 81 industrial units in 2017-18 through which investments worth Rs 720 crore will come to the state and around 3,300 people will get direct employment.

Hydro power major NHPC Limited is planning to set up a 600MW solar power plant at Guraru in Gaya and a 10MW floating solar power plant in Khagaria.

ITC has already agreed to set up a Rs 550-crore unit in Muzaffarpur to make confectionary products, wheat flour and noodles. Biada is facilitating land for it in the district.