BIHAR’S FIRST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WILL BE BUILT IN BANKA

BIHAR’S FIRST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WILL BE BUILT IN BANKA

2-JULY-ENG 5

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------Nitish government has sent a proposal of 500 MW capacity to the Center. This district has been chosen due to the availability of Ganga water. Know the complete plan and what is its importance.

A historic step is going to be taken in Bihar's power sector. The state's first nuclear power plant will be set up in Banka district. The Nitish Kumar government has sent the proposal of this project to the Center and soon a team of the central government will also visit the project site in Banka. This announcement was made by Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the conference of Energy Ministers of Eastern India held in Patna last week, in which he talked about setting up small modular reactor based nuclear power plants in six states of the country. Bihar is among the six states which will be a part of this revolutionary step.

This project has been started on the demand of Bihar's Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, who had urged the Center to set up a nuclear power plant in the state. Earlier there was a proposal for a 4,000 MW ultra megawatt power project in Banka, which could not be implemented due to some reason. Now a decision has been taken to build a nuclear power plant in the same district. Continuous availability of water is necessary for a nuclear power plant and the water of the Ganga river is available throughout the year in Banka. That is why this place was considered more suitable than Rajauli in Nawada, where water shortage was a challenge.

The central government had initially approved a 200 MW nuclear power plant in Bihar, but the Bihar government has demanded a 500 MW capacity. The state government will provide the necessary land and other resources for this. Based on small modular reactor technology, this plant is more secure, cost-effective and suitable for small grids than conventional nuclear plants. This project will not only overcome the power shortage of Bihar, but will also play an important role in industrial development and employment generation.

This project is a big step towards making Bihar self-reliant in the field of energy. Nuclear power plants produce electricity using uranium or other radioactive elements, in which special attention is paid to nuclear reactors, cooling systems, control systems and safety features. The central government has also approved a 1,000 MW battery storage project for Bihar, which will enhance grid stability.