Bihar power minister invites investors, highlights solar plan

Bihar Power Minister Shailesh Kumar alias Bulo Mandal on Tuesday invited national and global investors to partner in the State’s rapid economic and energy growth, assuring them of full administrative support and an enabling environment.

Addressing the inaugural session of ‘Bharat Electricity 2026’ on the theme Energy Sovereignty for a Climate-Resilient Viksit Bharat, the Minister showcased Bihar’s modernised power sector. He inaugurated the Bihar Power Pavilion, highlighting the State’s strides in clean energy, storage systems, and digital grid transformation.

Kumar revealed that Bihar has installed over 94 lakh smart prepaid meters, successfully reducing Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses from around 60 per cent to 11.54 per cent. He added that the State recently met a record peak demand of 9,475 MW, with projections expected to touch 19,033 MW by FY 2037.

Outlining upcoming initiatives, the Minister announced a scheme to provide free 1.1 kW rooftop solar systems to 2.5 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the coming months. Key future projects highlighted at the pavilion included a 1,200 MW Pumped Storage Plant at Nawada, major solar-plus-storage setups in Lakhisarai, and initial discussions on nuclear energy options.

“Come to Bihar not merely as investors, but as our partners. Our goal is to ensure every consumer becomes energy sovereign,” Kumar stated, emphasising the need for climate-resilient infrastructure to withstand natural calamities like floods and storms.

Senior officials, including Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood and Central Electricity Authority Chairman Ghanshyam Prasad, attended the event.