Centre Plans Nuclear Power Plant in Bihar: Union Minister

• The Centre has agreed to set up Bihar’s first nuclear power plant.
• Small Modular Reactors will be used, known for being quicker, cheaper, and safer.
• Bihar will receive an additional 500 MW of power for three months.

In Patna, the Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently announced that the Centre was ready to establish the nuclear power plant in Bihar, for the first time in the State. The project is the government's larger plan to set up six Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) across India in energy security.

The declaration was made in the fifth meeting of Energy Ministers from the eastern states like Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand. The Minister went on to say that the nuclear plants are in great demand in India and that the intent is that each state will have at least one nuclear plant.

Minister Manohar Lal Khattar stated, "If the Bihar government wants to set up a nuclear power plant, the central government is fully prepared to provide support".

He added, "While agreeing to the demand of Bihar government to set up a nuclear power plant in the State, we also agreed on a proposal to provide additional 500 MW power to the State for three months... At the meeting we reviewed the power situation in eastern States, their problems and also discussed the vision for power sector in the country till 2035".

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If implemented, the plant in Bihar will provide a steady supply of clean energy and shall attract investments, employment, and technology developments in the region. Calling this a historic opportunity for Bihar, the Minister urged that the State government should take it forward at the earliest.

SMRs have innumerable advantages over a conventional nuclear reactor—they are faster to be built, cheaper, and smarter in safety features. These small plants are appropriate for states with moderate energy needs and lack of space, making them an ideal option for decentralized generation.

The Union Energy Minister said, "The State was said to be backward in power sector, but today it has come forward. Today, Bihar has demanded that a nuclear power plant be set up in the State,1 and the central government has agreed to support Bihar in setting up the plant".

"Earlier, the country was known as a power deficit one…in the year 2013-14 there was power deficit of 4.50% in the country, but today we’re not only fulfilling our power needs by generating it but also exporting it to the countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal. The country is becoming self-sufficient in power sector", he added.