NDA aims to enhance power supply in Bihar to 5300 MW by 2015

Battling acute power crisis, the NDA government in Bihar today said it intends to augment electricity supply in the state to 5300 MW by 2015.
Divulging the future roadmap of power scenario in Bihar at the end of a discussion on grant in aid of energy department in the legislative assembly, Power minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said that the government wish to lift the power supply to 17,000 MW by 2020.
The term of the present JD(U)-BJP government under Nitish Kumar will end in 2015. The Chief Minister has made public announcement that he would not seek vote from citizens in 2015 if he fails to augment power availability in the state by then.

Bihar at present has an installed power capacity of 494.3 MW, in which 440 MW is thermal and 54.3 MW hydel.
The dismal condition could be understood from the fact that per capita energy consumption in Bihar presently is 117 units in comparison to national average of 813 units.
Giving details of future availability of power, the minister said the state is expected to get 1,800 MW power from Central pool, 1,200 MW from NTPC plant, 100 MW from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), 800 MW from two units of NTPC and 1,000 MW from NTPC unit at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district.

In addition the state plans to purchase 200 MW from Adani group and tap power through non-conventional sources like solar, Yadav said.
Seeking to score political points, he said while the previous RJD government spent only Rs 20 crore for power purchase the present regime enhanced it to Rs 200 crore.