Patna, Dec 4 : The central government, which is trying to expand its renewable energy capabilities, Friday unveiled plans to generate 200 MW electricity from paddy husk in Bihar.

"The new and renewable energy ministry is seriously working on it and is ready to go ahead with the project to generate 200 MW electricity from paddy husk in Bihar," Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary Deepak Gupta said.

Gupta, who was in Rohtas district, some 150 km from here, to attend a meeting on promotion of biomass gassifier projects, said Bihar has the potential to generate 200 MW electricity from paddy husk.

"It could be possible soon," he said.

About 100 MW could be generated soon by installing 40 to 500-KW capacity paddy husk-based gassifier plants in 2,500 rice mills, Kumar said.

It will cost between Rs. 500,000 and Rs. 22 lakh, 50 percent less than the cost of generating 100 MW from traditional sources.

Impressed by the central government's plans, Bihar Principal Energy Secretary Ravikant told reporters here that the project "will do wonders" in rural areas.

"It is an innovative project to generate electricity at less cost and provide it to people at cheaper rates."

According to Ravikant, the project, once materialised, will help the state's rice mills be self sufficient in power consumption and generate additional employment opportunities.

Over 50 villages in West Champaran district are already getting electricity generated from rice husk.

Husk Power Systems (HPS), a rural electrification company, supplies power to 50 off-grid villages. Each village has a population between 2,000 and 4,000. By 2012, HPS plans to cover 2,000 villages in the state.

Shell Foundation, a Britain-based non-governmental organisation, has provided financial and technical aid to HPS to produce power from rice husk.

For the last few days, major parts of Bihar are facing acute power crisis following the shutdown of NTPC's generation plants at Kahalgaon and Farakka due to coal shortage.

Besides, the state government's Kanti plant in Muzaffarpur district has developed a technical snag.

According to state energy department officials, Bihar does not produce even 100 MW power a day, while it needs 1,600-1,800 MW.

The state is almost totally dependent on the central grid for power. But gets only 800 to 900 MW from the central pool.

"In view of power shortage, BSEB has decided to buy additional 150 MW power at higher rates to meet the demand," said Hare Ram Pandey, an official of the Bihar State Electricity Board
(BSEB).

According to a report by the NGO Greenpeace India, Bihar's per capita energy consumption is the lowest in the country and the government's rural electrification campaign is a "failure".

"Bihar's per capita energy consumption, at 75 kWh, is the lowest in India and far below the national average of 613 kWh," said the report, titled Energy Injustice.(IANS)