Bihar to buy 200 MW electricity

Power-starved Bihar will buy 200 MW of electricity from the open market to meet demands in the summer season, an official Thursday said.

The Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) has invited a request for proposals (RFP) from companies across the country for this.

“It was a short-term tender to purchase 200 MW of electricity this year itself,” a BSEB official told IANS here.

Bihar is facing an acute power crisis. In the last 24 hours, there have been street protests against power outages in Gaya, Vaishali, Patna, Saran, Motihari, Bhojpur and Kishanganj districts.

Bihar receives 800-1,000 MW from the central pool despite an allocation of 1,646 MW per day. Its daily demand is 2,500 to 3,000 MW while it generates about 85-125 MW.

“Keeping this ground reality in view, BSEB had no option but to purchase electricity from the open market,” the official said.

According to environmental group Greenpeace India, Bihar’s per capita energy consumption is the lowest in the country.

Only 30 percent of rural households in the state have been electrified, it says.