By Neeraj Kumar
Patna, May 22: A review meeting of solar energy projects was held in the auditorium of Vidyut Bhawan in Patna on Tuesday. During the meeting, Energy Department Principal Secretary Sanjeev Hans emphasized the need to accelerate the pace of construction for energy projects, particularly highlighting Bihar’s largest 50 MW capacity solar energy power project in Banka.
Principal Secretary Sanjeev Hans underscored the importance of continuous development of renewable energy in Bihar. He pointed out the necessity to focus on solar energy projects with battery storage in villages near forests, mountains, and rivers. Hans instructed the officials of the Energy Department and power companies to develop a simplified standard operating procedure for various processes related to the establishment of renewable energy plants in the state.
Hans congratulated Avaada Group on the successful commissioning of the 50 MW solar plant, Bihar’s largest solar energy project, in Banka. The progress report of this project was presented by Avaada Group, who also suggested potential locations for new solar energy projects. Additionally, Avaada Group had successfully commissioned a 1.8 MW floating solar power plant in Darbhanga in March 2022.
Hans directed officials of SJVN Limited to expedite the establishment of new solar plants in Banka and Jamui. He also instructed the officials overseeing the under-construction SJVN Buxar Thermal Plant to speed up their work and provide regular updates on the progress.
Hans mentioned, “21000 families have been identified at 202 locations in the river bank areas, who are being provided off-grid electricity. Their total electricity consumption is about 3 MW. Efforts are being made to meet their electricity needs through solar power plants. There is a need to work on alternatives and also provide them with on-grid electricity service.”
The review meeting with Avaada Group, SJVN Limited, and Buxar STPL (SJVN) was chaired by Principal Secretary Sanjeev Hans. Senior officials from various power companies and BREDA, including Dr. Aditya Prakash, Managing Director of North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited and Bihar State Power Transmission Company Limited, were also present at the meeting.
The author, Neeraj Kumar, is a journalist based in Patna
