Heavily dependent on the Centre for supply of electricity and facing acute power shortage, Bihar has taken steps for setting up 25 hydel power projects for generating about 800 MW with the proposals at various stages of approval, official sources said.
Bihar State Hydel Power Coporation Limited managing director AK Pandey said that the state had at present 54 MW capacity hydel power plant and work was on at various stages for construction of different hydel power projects with generation capacity of 33 MW.
“Apart from these projects, the proposals for setting up 25 other hydel power projects with generation capacity of around 800 mw are at various stages and levels for according sanction”, Pandey said.
Pandey informed that the state government had sent a proposal to the Centre with Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the long-cherished 130 mw Dagmara Hydel Power Project over River Kosi in Bihar’s flood-prone Supaul district.
“We will be starting work on the project soon after receiving the go-ahead from the Centre”, he said.
The Dagmara Hydel Power Project’s fate hung in balance previously as the Central Electricity Authority had not given its nod to it keeping in view submergence of vast areas in bordering Nepal, he said.
“Now the project is proposed to be set up in the downstream of river Kosi and in keeping with the suggestions to the Centre about it, MS Wapkose prepared a revised Detailed Project Report and sent it the Central Electricity Authority for endorsement”, Pandey said.
The World Bank and Asian Development Bank and Japanese financial institution JAICA too have evinced interest in the project, he said.