Bihar has signed industrial agreements worth approximately ₹51,600 crore — over six billion dollars — with private groups from across India. The largest single allocation, ₹22,500 crore, goes to one project: a nuclear power plant backed by Global Renewable Advanced Clean Energy, known by its acronym GRACE. Nuclear is not just one sector among many in this package — it accounts for nearly half the entire deal on its own.
The agreements were signed in the presence of state Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who has been championing Bihar under the banner of “Build and Believe in Bihar.” The investment spans multiple sectors — steel, textiles, agri-food, and pharmaceuticals — but it is the energy component that sets the tone for the entire initiative. The state government has stated that the agreements are aimed at generating large-scale employment and accelerating the industrialization of one of India’s historically underdeveloped regions.
The national context provides crucial background. Bihar’s move fits into a strategy driven from New Delhi. The Union Budget 2025-26 had already announced a Nuclear Energy Mission, allocating ₹20,000 crore for the research and development of small modular reactors. The 2026-27 budget extended customs duty exemptions on nuclear components through 2035, with the stated goal of attracting private capital into the sector. Against this backdrop, Bihar is positioning itself as one of the territories where India’s nuclear ambitions take concrete shape. NTPC had previously launched a feasibility study for two 700 MW units in the Banka district, with an estimated investment of ₹25,000 crore. The momentum, in other words, was already building.
The policy signal carries real weight. The SHANTI Act — Strategic Harnessing of Atomic energy for National Transformation of India — passed in 2025, opened the nuclear sector to private capital, ending two decades of state monopoly. Companies such as Adani Power have already announced the creation of dedicated nuclear energy subsidiaries. Bihar’s MoUs add an operational layer to a reform that, until recently, existed largely on paper.
What happens next depends on how quickly these projects move from signature to construction site. India’s nuclear approval process remains complex, and the gap between a memorandum of understanding and an operating reactor is measured in years. But the direction is clear. A state that has historically relied on imported power is now positioning itself as a future energy producer. If even a portion of the signed investments translates into real infrastructure, Bihar will redraw its energy map — and with it, the role of nuclear power in the India that is taking shape.
