Adani Power
Bihar government has awarded the contract of 2,400 MW Bhagalpur thermal power plant to Adani Power Limited after a competitive tender process. This company had bid the lowest electricity rate compared to three other contenders. Sources have given this information. Sources associated with the tender process said Adani Power had bid Rs 6.075 per unit for the project, which is the lowest compared to the bids of Torrent Power, JSW Energy and Lalitpur Power Generation.
This rate includes fixed charge of Rs 4.165 per unit and fuel charge of Rs 1.91 per unit. Describing this as a ‘very competitive rate’, the Bihar government said that in a recent bid for a similar project in Madhya Pradesh, the fixed tariff was Rs 4.222 to Rs 4.298 per unit. The state government had issued this open tender to meet the increasing electricity demand of the state. It is estimated that by 2034-35 the state’s electricity demand will double to more than 17,000 MW.
These companies also bid
Torrent Power had bid Rs 6.145 per unit, Lalitpur Power had bid Rs 6.165 per unit and JSW Energy had bid Rs 6.205 per unit. Sources said that all the proposals were evaluated through e-bidding system so that the entire process remains transparent. This project is likely to involve an investment of approximately Rs 30,000 crore, which will lead to a significant increase in industrial activity and employment in the state.
The land identified for the project is owned by the state government and has been given on lease under the Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Policy, 2025. After completion of the project period, that land will again be given to the state government. Officials said that no special exemption has been given to Adani Power and the company itself will have to develop and operate this power plant. The Bhagalpur project was first proposed by Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited in 2012, but due to lack of sufficient investors, it was started afresh in 2024.