Patna, Jan. 27: The state government has asked the Centre to allocate 50 per cent of the power generated by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)’s existing projects in the state to meet its energy requirement.

The central government has recently brought an amendment to the rules, permitting 50 per cent of allocation of power to the state from NTPC’s new plants located in the state but it would get 40 per cent from the existing thermal plants located in the state.

“We had earlier asked for 40 per cent quota from NTPC’s existing plants but the state was deprived of its share as it was getting less than 40 per cent quota but now we have again written to the Centre that the state should get 50 per cent quota even from the existing thermal plants as well,” principal secretary (energy) Ravikant said.

He said the government would request the Centre to allocate 50 per cent quota from both stage I and II projects of Barh.

NTPC’s Barh super thermal power station would generate 3300MW electricity that would be completed in two stages.

Stage I consists of 3x660MW, which is under implementation, and Unit I will start operations in a year’s time. However, stage II consists of 2x660MW and it would take some more time for commissioning.

If the Centre fulfils the state government’s demand, it would get a major power boost from Barh project alone, whose stage I was all set to start generation in a year’s time, as the state government has planned other power projects in collaboration with Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB).

On January 5, the board had signed a purchase power agreement with Nabinagar Power Generating Company Private Limited (NPGC), a joint venture unit of NTPC and BSEB, to set up two units of 660MW of power plants at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district.

These two super thermal power plants would be in addition to three units of 660MW whose work is under progress at Nabinagar to be built by NPGC taking the total power generation to 3300MW electricity by the end of 2015.

Of 3300MW, Bihar would get 75 per cent of the power generated from the Nabinagar super thermal plant as its share, which means that the state would get 2475MW of electricity from these plants.

Bihar’s peak demand is, at present, around 2500 MW of electricity but it has to largely depend upon the central sector allocation under which it gets 1792MW apart from its own thermal generation of 60-70MW from Kanti, 50-60MW from Barauni and 58MW from hydel power projects.

Key to crisis

● Bihar earlier held 40 per cent allocation of electricity generated by thermal plants in the state

● Central government recently introduced an amendment to the rules, permitting 50 per cent allocation of power to the state from NTPC’s new power plants

● Bihar government is now demanding that the Centre allocate 50 per cent power generated by NTPC’s existing projects in the state