Patna: Bihar will soon make electricity from city waste. The Urban Development and Housing Minister, Jibesh Kumar Mishra, said on Sunday that 15 MW electricity will be produced from the waste of 11 municipal bodies, including Patna. He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Bihar Renewable Energy Expo 2025 in Patna. The minister said the project will cost Rs 513 crore and will run on PPP mode. The central government has already given 33 percent of the money and the rest will come from private companies.
This new plant will also produce ethanol and fertilisers along with electricity. The waste left after this process will be used as landfill. The minister said public representatives should help in making government schemes like PM Surya Ghar successful. He also said that different departments need to work together to make such projects successful.
At the event, Chairman of Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission, Amir Subhani, said the commission will consider suggestions from industry groups when making rules. Rahul Kumar, Managing Director of North Bihar Power Distribution Company, said electricity demand in Bihar will reach 18,000 MW by 2034-35, so renewable energy production must increase. He said solar panels have already been installed on 11,700 government buildings in the state.
During the expo, experts discussed the use of solar energy in farming and cold storage. Horticulture Director Avishek Kumar said a new Cold Storage Policy has been sent for approval to build cold storage in every block. Dr Anant Kumar from Bihar Council on Science and Technology said many farmers do not know about solar energy schemes, so awareness camps should be organised in engineering colleges across Bihar. The expo ended with a vote of thanks by the association’s general secretary Amarnath Jaiswal, with many dignitaries present.
