Patna: Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary, on Tuesday announced the approval of the draft Bihar Pump Storage Project Promotion Policy-2025, aimed at accelerating the state’s clean energy ambitions and bolstering grid stability through energy storage solutions.
In a statement, Choudhary said that as Bihar increases its reliance on renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and biomass, maintaining grid stability has emerged as a critical challenge. Pumped storage technology, which stores excess energy by pumping water to a higher elevation for release during peak demand, has been identified as a viable solution to this problem.
“This policy is a strategic step toward attracting private investment and enhancing the state’s energy self-sufficiency,” Choudhary said. He also noted that the initiative aligns with the National Electricity Plan (2022–32) laid out by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), which highlights the importance of energy storage in integrating renewable energy into the national grid.
Highlighting Bihar’s commitment to sustainable development and India’s broader net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2070, Choudhary said the state has undertaken several initiatives to expand clean energy use. The pumped storage policy is seen as a significant addition to the Bihar Renewable Energy Policy 2017 and is likely to be integrated into its forthcoming updated version in 2025.
“This new policy will not only help meet the rising energy demands of Bihar in an eco-friendly manner, but also position the state as an attractive destination for private sector investment in energy infrastructure,” Choudhary added.
Pumped storage projects, he explained, operate by storing water during times of surplus electricity and releasing it to generate power when demand peaks, offering both reliability and flexibility to the energy grid.
