In a double bonanza for the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar, the Power Ministry decided to send a team to select a site and prepare a feasibility and viability report for a nuclear power plant in the state while the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry selected Bihar’s Ganga basin for oil and gas exploration.

State officials said the Ganga basin has been selected for oil and gas exploration under the Centre’s new exploration policy. Contract for the exploration project in Bihar has already been awarded to Cairn Petroleum India Ltd and Cairn Energy Search Ltd.

Bihar is among the 24 new sites selected by the Centre for exploration. An area of 15,550 sq km, spread over 13 districts, has been awarded to the two companies for exploration.

Meanwhile, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd raised hopes of a 2,000 MW nuclear plant in the power-starved state. Announcing that the state had been told a team of engineers would be visiting soon to carry out preliminary work, Bihar’s Energy Minister Bijeyndra Yadav claimed the Centre had given an in-principle okay to the state demand for a nuclear power plant.

“A team of engineers will reach the state soon. The team will visit different sites and prepare a feasibility and viability report for a nuclear power plant in the state. This is a historic achievement of the Nitish Kumar government,” Yadav said.

“We have already selected Rajouli in Nawada district as a site for the project. But we are not rigid about the site. The engineers will be taken to other possible sites in Gaya, Aurangabad,” he said.