Question : Power Plants in Bihar

(a) whether the Government proposes to set up power plants in Bihar and if so, the details thereof along with its present status of construction;

(b) whether the construction of the above plants has been delayed thereby increasing its estimated cost significantly;

(c) if so, the details thereof including the original estimated cost of the said plants and the time by which they were supposed to be completed;

(d) the details of the estimated cost as on date and the revised completion schedule of the above plants; and

(e) the steps taken by the Government to find out a solution of the above reasons so as to complete the future plans on time?

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

( SHRI R.K. SINGH)

(a) to (d) : As per section 7 of Electricity Act 2003, any generating company may establish, operate and maintain a generating station without obtaining a license under this act, if it complies with the technical standards relating to connectivity with the grid. Therefore, any corporate body or individual can invest in thermal power generation without seeking permission from the government. However, for setting up of hydroelectric power projects, the detailed project reports (DPRs) are required to be submitted for concurrence of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

The details of under construction power plants in the state of Bihar along with present status, reason of delay, original estimated cost, estimated cost as on date, original completion schedule and revised completion schedule are enclosed as Annexure.

(e) : The developers of these projects have taken up the matter with concerned agencies for resolving project specific issues which were leading to delay, and have also made suitable amendments in the contracts for resolving the contractual issues. Besides, following steps have been taken by the Government for ensuring the timely completion of the power projects:

? CEA monitors the progress of under construction power projects through frequent site visits and interaction with the developers, equipment suppliers and other stakeholders to identify the issues critical for commissioning of projects and help in resolving them.

? Ministry of Power also reviews the progress of ongoing power projects regularly with the concerned officers of CEA, equipment manufacturers, State Utilities/ CPSUs/ Project developers, etc.

? Issues are also raised in PRAGATI, for proactive governance and timely implementation, as and when required.

? The Project Monitoring Group (PMG) also reviews the issues relating to pending projects. The developers of the projects can raise the project specific issues on PMG portal for their resolution with the concerned agencies/ departments.


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