Bihar’s Energy Sector Achieves Milestones in 2024: Affordable Electricity, Renewable Energy Projects, and Infrastructure Growth

Energy Minister of Bihar Government, Mr. Bijendra Prasad Yadav said that in the year 2024, many important achievements were achieved in the energy sector of the state and work was done towards providing better electricity services and facilities to the people of the state.

He told that under the Chief Minister's Electricity Consumer Assistance Scheme, very cheap electricity is being provided to the people of the state. Under this scheme, a total grant amount of Rs 15343 crore was approved for the financial year 2024-2025. The Energy Minister said that as a result of the state government giving 92% subsidy in the electricity rate fixed for agricultural work, now farmers have to spend only 55 paise per unit of electricity, due to which now irrigation with electricity is more than ten times cheaper than diesel.

Under the Chief Minister Krishi Vidyut Sambandh Yojana, free electricity connections are being given to the farmers of the state. In the financial year 2024-2025, the target of a total of 1.50 lakh agricultural electricity connections has been completed in the month of December 2024 itself. He said that our top priority is to provide irrigation water to every farm. Therefore, a strategy has been made to achieve the target of providing free agricultural connection to the farmers before time. Along with this, construction of separate agricultural feeders is also to be done rapidly. Along with this, solarization work of agricultural feeders is also one of the important targets of the year 2025.

The Honorable Minister told that last year the construction work of 254 MW battery and 185 MW solar project and the country's largest battery storage project (254 MW hour) was started in Kajra (Lakhisarai). Along with this, work was started on the construction of a 02 MW project on the canal bank in Vikram, Patna and a 10 MW floating solar power project in Phulwaria reservoir of Nawada district.

Under Jal Jeevan Hariyali Abhiyan, grid connected rooftop solar project is being installed on government buildings of the state. Under which, till December 2024, solar plants of 94.34 MW capacity have been installed on a total of 10433 government buildings and 21 MW capacity solar plants have been installed on a total of 5683 private buildings. Under the Feeder Solarization Scheme for Agriculture (PM Kusum), the process of solarization of 3681 agricultural feeders from 1121 power substations of the state has started.

The Honorable Minister said that the target is to complete the 254 MW battery storage project along with 185 MW in Kajra (Lakhisarai) by 2025 itself. He also said that the floating solar project in Phulwaria (Nawada) and the canal bank project in Vikram (Patna) have been targeted to be completed this year itself.

The Hon'ble Minister informed that under the Jal Jeevan Hariyali Yojana, grid connected solar plants will be installed on the roofs of government buildings as well as private buildings as per the target this year. Under the Chief Minister Rural Solar Street Light, 4.60 lakh solar street lights have been installed in all the panchayats in the year 2024 and a target has been set to install a total of 11.00 lakh solar street lights this year.

The Hon'ble Minister informed that last year under the 2024 Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (DSS) scheme, a total of 465 dedicated agricultural feeders were made and 31,320 circuit kilometer distribution line was reconductored. For the first time in the financial year 2023-2024, both the distribution companies of the state have become financially self-reliant, under which for the first time the distribution companies have collected record revenue with financial profit. It was informed that with the distribution companies becoming self-reliant, consumers will get electricity 15 paise cheaper. The maximum power supply of the state so far in the year 2024 has been up to 8005 MW. In the last year, the commercial and technical loss (C&T) of the distribution companies has reached 19.91 percent, which was 59 percent in the year 2005.

The Honorable Energy Minister informed that a total of 07 grid substations were energized in the year 2024, now the number of grid substations in the state has become 170. For the first time, the state's transmission company energized three grid substations (Digha New, Mithapur and Board Colony) in Patna based on Gas Insulated Switchgear (GSI) technology. With the completion of the transmission system strengthening and expansion schemes, the transmission power evacuation in the year 2024 has become 14928 MW. The Hon'ble Minister informed that next year the target is to energize the first 400 kV level grid substation of the state's transmission company, Bakhtiyarpur.

The Hon'ble Energy Minister informed that in the Bihar Business Connect 2024 held in Patna last year, the highest investment agreements in the state were made for the new and renewable energy sector. He expressed hope that new projects would be set up this year in the field of pump storage power system and green hydrogen energy. He said that the Energy Department is committed to provide all necessary support to the investors for this work.