Pact signed to supply solar energy to Patna, Bodh Gaya & Rajgir towns

PATNA: State energy minister on Saturday said an agreement has been signed to power tourist destinations with solar energy in Bihar, including Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and some parts of Patna.
He was speaking at a function organised on the occasion of grand finale of weeklong ‘Ujjwal Bharat, Ujjwal Bhavishya-Bijli Mahotsav’ coinciding with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav held here on Saturday.
The grand finale marked the culmination of weeklong Bijli Mahotsav held across the country by Union ministry of power.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the participants and beneficiaries from over 100 districts across the country through virtual mode, including Patna, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Supaul and Muzaffarpur districts in Bihar. He also dedicated and laid foundation stone for various green energy projects of NTPC worth over Rs5200 crore in the country.
During the event at Patna, state energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said: “We are also taking steps to increase our capacity for generation of green energy. As a novel experiment, an agreement has been signed to power tourist destinations with solar energy, like Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and some parts of Patna. Besides, solar power plant would be set up at Kajra (Lakhisarai) and Pirpainty (Bhagalpur) of 200 to 250 MW capacity.”
Chairman-cum-managing director of Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited (BSPHCL), Sanjeev Hans, said: “Bihar is the first state to install smart prepaid meter. Bihar till date has installed more than 8 lakh smart prepaid meters. It is now starting its installation in rural areas of five districts of north Bihar. Massive investment has been made to set up robust infrastructure. Steps are being taken to reduce dependency on coal-based power plants.”
He said Bihar would have sufficient power as the plant being constructed at Chausa in Buxar by SJVN Ltd is expected to be completed by 2023-24. Bihar would get 85% of the power generated from this unit, he said.
Deliberating on the progress made in energy sector in Bihar, Yadav said: “In 2005, Bihar consumed 700MW electricity, which has increased to 6627MW. In 2005-2006, the per capita power consumption was 70 units (KWh). It has now increased to 350 unit (KWh). Average power supply in rural areas in 2005 was 5-6 hours, while it is 18-22 hours now. The average power supply in urban areas in 2005 was 10-12 hours. Now it is 22-24 hours.”