Centre ready to set up first nuclear power plant in Bihar
Patna, 24 June (UNI) Taking a major step towards promoting nuclear energy across the country, the central government today approved the Bihar government's proposal to set up a nuclear power plant in the state.
Union Power Minister Manohar Lal made this announcement at the Power Ministers' Conference here.
The Minister said: 'If the Bihar government sets up a nuclear power plant, the Central Government is fully prepared to provide support. We aim to set up a nuclear power plant in every state to ensure the country's energy security.'
He added: 'There is also a request from Bihar government for a 1,000 MW battery storage project under Viability Gap Funding (VGF), and we have given in-principle approval for that as well.'
He said India is fulfilling whatever power requirement is there in the country. Until a few years ago, India was known as a power-deficient country. However, today, India is not only fulfilling its needs but also exporting power to countries like Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
He noted that India successfully met a peak power demand of 250 GW in May 2024 and 242 GW thus far in 2025. But the peak demand is projected to rise further, reaching approximately 270 GW later this year.
He said: 'India's peak electricity demand is projected to reach 446 GW by 2034–35 and meeting this sustainably requires proactive planning and continued coordination between the centre, states, and other stakeholders.'
The Minister laid emphasis on ensuring Resource Adequacy and necessary power generation capacity tie-ups and advised states to ensure a balanced and diversified power generation mix. This should include the addition of nuclear generation capacity, with an aim to establish at least one nuclear power project in each state.
The minister remarked that states should promote renewable energy coupled with energy storage systems in order to ensure reliability of supply of power. He mentioned India is moving towards having an increased share of renewable energy and the same has increased from 32% in 2014 to 49% in April 2025.
He also highlighted the national ambition to achieve 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047. He urged the states for reinforced implementation of Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mandates and called upon them to form dedicated teams for these critical planning.
A vision paper- 2035 was also prepared for the power sector, the Minister said adding that the country was already extensively working on Thermal Power, Solar Energy, wind power and projects related to storage of energy. UNI XC RS SSP
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