Title: Bihar's First Nuclear Power Plant & India's Nuclear Energy Mission (2025)

• Bihar's Milestone: Bihar will be among the first six states to get an atomic power plant, using Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.
• Approval Context: Announced at the 5th Eastern Region Power Ministers' meeting in Patna (Attended by Bihar, WB, Odisha, Jharkhand, A&N Islands).
• Significance for Bihar: Expected to provide stable electricity (addressing historical deficit), attract industry, generate employment, and drive technological advancement.
• Nuclear Energy Mission Goal: Increase India's nuclear capacity from 8,180 MW (Jan 2025) to 100 GW by 2047.
• Mission Focus: Indigenous SMR development (₹20,000 crore allocation), target of 5 indigenous SMRs by 2033, and one nuclear plant per state.
• Private Sector Role: Planned amendments to Atomic Energy Act, 1962 & Civil Liability Act, 2010 to enable private investment (land, capital) while NPCIL operates reactors.
• SMR Technology: Advanced reactors (≤300 MW), cost-effective, safer, suitable for moderate demand/constrained sites. BARC developing SMRs for retiring coal plants & remote areas. DAE working on thorium utilization reactors.