Minerals And Energy Resources Of Bihar

The greatest gift from nature is minerals, which support a nation’s development in all areas. Different kinds of minerals, which come from rocks or other sources, are found in nature. The mineral base of Bihar, basically the Chotanagpur plateau is very rich in minerals fields, with extensive and high-quality coal deposits. 

Bihar, which controls 95% of the nation’s pyrite reserves, is the main producer of these resources. Bauxite is found in abundance in the Jamui district of Bihar, along with cement mortar in Bhabhua, mica in Muzaffarpur, Nawada, Jamui, and Gaya, and salt in Gaya and Jamui. Additionally, Bihar produces copper and iron ore.

The topic is significant and holds value for all aspirants preparing for the state PCS or government exams. Such questions are often seen in all competitive exams. To simplify the preparation of such topics, here, in this article, we have extensively covered all the energy and mineral resources of the state of Bihar. The article will be helpful for the aspirants of BPSC exams.

Find details about the exam notification, syllabus and exam pattern of the BPSC Exam, by visiting the linked article.

Complement your preparation for the BPSC Exam with the links given below:

About Minerals And Energy Deposits of State

The Gangetic Plains make up the majority of Bihar, and the state’s economy is mostly dependent on agriculture. Bihar state was one of the top producers of minerals before it split in 2000. However, after the state was divided, only a small amount of rich mineral deposits remain in the state, with the majority moving to Jharkhand. As a result, the state’s mining and quarrying industry is highly underdeveloped.

Pyrite is only extensively produced (to the tune of 94% of total production) in Bihar, India. The southern and southern-eastern regions of the state are home to archean rocks. These rocks are primarily composed of metallic minerals, such as gold and bauxite. The districts of Jamui, Nawada, Munger, Banka, Bhagalpur and Gaya have archean rocks. 

There are non-metallic minerals in the Vindhyan rock group, which is located in southwestern Bihar. These minerals include slate, quartz, pyrite, mica and china clay. The Aurangabad, Nawada, Jamui and Rohtas districts all include Vindhyan rocks.

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Major Minerals In Bihar

The foundation for a state’s industrialisation and development is its mineral resources. The following is a discussion of the principal minerals found in Bihar:

S.No. Mineral Properties
1. Asbestos
  • It is a fibrous mineral made up of water, silica, and magnesium. 
  • Its two primary types are chrysotile and amphibolite.
  • Due to its excellent fire and electricity resistance, it is employed in goods that are both fireproof and electricity-proof.
  • Asbestos is used to make the fire-proof gear used by firefighters.
  • It is used in both trains and aeroplanes.
  • It is mostly present in the Bihar district of Munger.
2. Bauxite
  • It is a significant mineral that is used to produce aluminium.
  • It is a rock made primarily of hydrated aluminium oxides rather than a particular mineral.
  • It is found in the Kharagpur hills of Munger district and Rohtas.
  • The resources of high-quality bauxite in this area are thought to be 1.5 million tonnes.
3. Beryllium
  • It is primarily employed as a moderator in nuclear reactors for the production of atomic power, in the spring industry, in the manufacture of fluorescent lights, in ship carburettors, in cyclotrons, and other devices.
  • It is found in the igneous rocks in the Gaya district.
4. China Clay (Kaolinite)
  • China clay or Kaolinite is formed by the erosion of feldspar in granite rocks.
  • The absence of soda and potash increases fire resistance significantly.
  • It is mostly used in cement, ceramics, fertilisers, textile, paper, paint and blast furnace sectors.
  • The districts of Bhagalpur, Munger, Banka, and Vaishali contain their deposits.
5. Coal
  • The state of Bihar is home to 160 million tonnes of coal resources, according to the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
  • It is found in the Rajmahal Hills region’s neighbouring districts of Bhagalpur and Munger (Jharkhand).
6. Feldspar
  • It can be found in pegmatite rocks alongside quartz. 
  • It is used in the refractory, glass and ceramic industries. 
  • Gaya, Jamui, and Munger districts are where feldspar can be found.
  • It is also employed as moonstones and sunstones.
7. Fire Clay
  • Below the coal deposits, it can be found in sedimentary rocks. 
  • It is a refractory clay with lower concentrations of potash and soda.
  • It is mostly utilised in blast furnaces, chimneys and boiler buildings to melt minerals in companies. 
  • In industries, fire clay is used to make fire bricks.
  • The districts of Bhagalpur, Munger and Purnea are the main locations for fire clay.
8. Galena
  • It is an ore of lead. 
  • In addition to other chemical-based sectors, it is employed in nuclear energy and paint.
  • It is primarily found in the Banka district’s Abrakha region.
9. Gold
  • It is a precious mineral that is used to make decorations and as a kind of money around the world. 
  • Additionally, it is employed for carving and dentistry.
  • Bihar is home to around 57% of India’s gold resources, according to the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
  • The districts of Gaya, Nalanda, and Jamui contain the gold reserves.
  • Some of the auriferous lodes can be discovered in the river sand.
  • Gold deposits have been confirmed by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in the Kabutra and Nakia hill regions of Rajgir and Karmatia, Rani hill, Badmaria, and Marhi hill in Sono block in Jamui district.
10. Granite
  • It belongs to the granular, phaneritic class of crystalline intrusive igneous rocks.
  • Quartz and feldspar are two of its key constituents.
  • It is primarily found in Bhagalpur, Nawada, Banka, and Munger districts of Bhagalpur, Nawada, Banka, and Munger as decorative black and coloured granite.
11. Iron-ore
  • The districts of Gaya, Bhagalpur and Jamui contain deposits of iron ore.
  • Gaya and Jamui are home to magnetite iron ore, while Bhagalpur district is home to haematite iron ore.
12. Limestone
  • Limestone deposits are primarily found in the Vindhyan rocks group and are of sedimentary origin (Western part of Bihar).
  • It is made of either calcium carbonate or double constituents of calcium and magnesium.
  • It also contains silica, alumina, iron oxides, phosphorus, and sulphur, in addition to these.
  • The majority of the state’s limestone deposits are located in the Rohtas district, specifically in Rohtasgarh, Ramdihra, Banjari, and Dehri-on-Son.
  • Rohtas Hills, Kaimur Plateau and Munger are the locations of good quality limestone.
  • Cement manufacturing uses limestones of high grade, while iron, sugar, and building construction employ limestones of lower quality.
  • Annual production of limestone is about 4,78,000 tonne/year.
13. Manganese
  • The sedimentary strata from the Dharwar period contain manganese as a metal supplement in the form of natural ash.
  • The Bihar districts of Patna, Gaya and Munger are where its deposits can be discovered. 
  • It does not occur naturally as a free element but is frequently present in minerals along with iron in combination.
  • Iron and steel are made with manganese, which is also used as a raw material to produce alloys. 
  • Additionally, it is used to manufacture pesticides, paint, batteries, and bleaching powder.
  • Pyrolusite and bornite are alloys of manganese.
  • India is the world’s fifth-largest producer and has the ninth-largest reserves.
14. Mica
  • It does not carry heat or electricity well.
  • Prior to the bifurcation, Bihar was a leader in mica production.
  • In Bihar, a 3400 square kilometre (sq km) wide mica belt extends throughout the country. 
  • It reaches the state of Jharkhand from the eastern portion of Nawada.
  • In the Bihar districts of Jamui and Nawada, this belt is situated in Chakai, Batia and Charka Pathar.
  • The best ruby mica in the world is found in Bihar and Jharkhand.
  • The districts of Munger, Bhagalpur and Gaya are significant locations where mica is found.
  • India is home to Muscovite, Phlogopite, and Biotite, three types of mica.
  • It is mostly employed in the production of items with high electrical resistance and in the heat-related sectors.
  • Mica is utilised in the semiconductor, paint, and rubber industries.
15. Monazite
  • It is a mixture of the elements thorium, uranium, cerium, and tantalum. 
  • It is primarily found in the pegmatite rocks of the Gaya and Munger districts.
16. Pyrite
  • It is a sulphide of iron. 
  • The primary deposits are located in Bihar’s Rohtas district’s Amjhor Sone valley. Deposits containing 47% sulphur are present here.
  • Pyrite is also found in the upper Vindhyan rocks group and Kurari, Manda and Kariria.
  • It is more frequently needed to produce sulphuric acid than to produce iron. 
  • Sulfur is harmful to the iron-making process because of its high concentration.
  • As per the report of the Indian Bureau of Mines, 2017, Bihar has about 95% pyrite resources of India.
  • Numerous businesses, including those that produce fertiliser, chemicals, rayon, steel and petroleum, require sulfuric acid. Making explosives, matches, pesticides, fungicides, and vulcanizing rubber all benefit from the usage of elemental sulphur.
  • The production of pyrite is almost 9539 tonnes/year.
17. Quartz
  • It is mostly used in the cement, refractory, iron-and-steel (in furnaces), electronic, and power industries.
  • It is located in the districts of Jamui, Gaya, and Nawada.
18. Quartzite
  • It is a hard non-foliated metamorphic rock. It is a converted form of sandstone.
  • In the industrial sector, it is primarily utilised as a building construction material and to produce heat resistants.
  • The hills of Munger district’s Kharagpur district and Jamui district’s Chakai area are where its significant deposits can be found. Jamalpur, Lakhisarai, and Nalanda are other important sites.
19. Saltpetre
  • It is present as sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate. The principal applications for it include fertilisers, the disposal of tree stumps, rock propellants, fireworks, glass, and the softening of steel.
  • Saraiya Pahari (Gopalganj) and Manjhi (Saran) are its primary producers.
  • Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, Saran, Darbhanga, Bhojpur, Gaya, and Munger districts are other significant producers.
20. Sand Stone
  • The Kaimur hills, which have significant silica contents, are where it is primarily found.
  • It is mostly utilised in the glass industry and as decorative building materials.
21. Slate
  • Slate stone is used in decorative items and for industrial purposes.
  • The Kharagpur hill region in the Munger district is believed to contain quantities of black and coloured slate stones totalling about 2.53 million tonnes.
  • Dharhara and Kajra in the town of Jamalpur, Munger district, are additional significant regions.
22. Steatite
  • It is mostly employed in the paint industries and beauty products.
  • It is primarily found in Bihar’s Shankarpur area of the Jamui district.
  • Steatite production in the state is about 945 tonnes per year.
23. Uranium
  • It is a radioactive element that can be found in igneous rocks. 
  • It can be found in pegmatite, pitchblende (uranite), and uranium compounds.
  • It can be located in the pegmatite pores of the Nawada districts and the mica mines of the Akbari Hills in the Gaya district.
  • Additionally, the Magadha division’s boundary fault has a substantial deposit.
24. Zinc and lead
  • These minerals are found in Banka and Rohtas districts.
  • Lead is used in the iron and steel industry and it is a bad conductor of electricity.

For aspirants who are preparing for the upcoming civil services exam, the following links will be very helpful:

Daily Current Affairs Comprehensive News Analysis
GK and Current Affairs Quiz Gist of Yojana magazine
Gist of Kurukshetra magazine Current Affairs Questions & Answers for UPSC
AIR Spotlight for UPSC Gist of RSTV 

Gas And Mineral Oil In Bihar

Mineral oil and gas resources exist in the Katihar and Purnea districts in the north-western region of Bihar. 

The mineral-based industries in Bihar are given below:

Mineral-Based Industries
Industries Location
Uranium Gaya, Nawada
Tin Deoraj and Kurkhand (Gaya)
Soap Stone Gaya, Munger, Nawada
Slate Bhagalpur, Gaya, Jamui
Saltpetre Siwan, Gopalganj, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Begusarai, Saran, Samastipur, Gaya and Munger, Darbhanga, Bhojpur
Quartz Munger
Pyrites Amjhor (Rohtas), Son valley, Banjari, Kuriari
Porcelain Munger
Petroleum Purnea, Katihar and nearby regions
Oil Refinery Barauni (Begusarai)
Nirman Cements Limted Bihta (Patna)
Mineral oil Munger, Rajgir
Mineral Location
Mica Gaya, Nawada, Munger, Jamui
Manganese Patna, Gaya, Munger
Magnetite Gaya, Jamui
Limestone Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhagalpur, Banka, Nawada, Gaya, Jamui
Kalyanpur Cements Limited Banjari(Rohtas)
Harabhara Fertilizers Dhutkagra (Sitamarhi)
Gold Sono (Jamui), Munger, Gaya, Nalanda
Glass stone Bhagalpur
Fire Clay Purnea, Munger, Bhagalpur
Feldspar Gaya, Jamui, Munger
Dolomite Rohtas
Decorative Stones Banka, Jamui, Gaya
Beryllium Gaya
Bauxite Munger, Rohtas
Asbestos Munger

Energy Resources Of Bihar

Bihar consumes 327.7 kWh of electricity per person, compared to India’s 1030.25 kWh. However, Bihar has consistently experienced a power shortage. For economic growth to occur and be sustained, adequate, dependable, inexpensive, and high-quality power must be available. It creates jobs, which contribute to the elimination of poverty and the advancement of civilisation.

According to the Electricity Supply Act, the Bihar State Electricity Board was established in April 1958. Fossil fuels are the primary source of energy in Bihar. In November 2012, the BSEB was split into the following firms under the new Bihar State Electricity Reforms Transfer Scheme 2012:

  • Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited (BSPHCL): 

The parent company of the four newly reorganised corporations, BSPGCL, BSPTCL, NBPDCL, and SBPDCL, is the former BSEB, which also holds a majority stake in those companies. In essence, it is an investment firm that organises events, resolves conflicts, and gives these businesses the assistance they require.

  • Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited (BSPGCL): 

This company’s key responsibilities include coordinating other power-producing firms, obtaining fuel, transporting it and resolving any outstanding problems.

  • Bihar State Power Transgression Company Limited (BSPTCL):

This company’s primary duties include transmitting electricity throughout the state and creating an effective system of intra-state transmission lines for electricity that links load centres with generating units.

  • North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) and South Bihar Power Distribution Companies Limited (SBPDCL):

These two organizations are in charge of distributing power to all consumers and carrying out programmes for rural electrification.

Thermal Power Stations In Bihar

Coal is the primary energy source for thermal power. Bihar’s significant thermal power plants:

    • Barauni Thermal Power Station (BTPS):
      • This project/scheme was developed in the Bihar district of Begusarai’s Barauni.
      • This thermal power station was built in conjunction with Russian assistance. 
      • It started running in 1962.
      • It obtains its fuel and raw materials from the Barauni Oil Refinery.
      • On 15th May 2018, Bihar Government signed an MoU to hand over Barauni Thermal Power Station to National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
    • Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL):
      • It is located at Kanti block of Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.  
      • It was established in 1985. 
      • The coal used in this coal-fired power plant comes from Jharkhand’s coal mines.
      • The Northern Bihar regions receive power from this station. 
      • It has two units, each for 110 MW. 
      • On May 15, 2018, Kanti Thermal Power Station was handed over to NTPC.
    • Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station:
      • It was commissioned in the year 1979.
      • It came into operation in the year 1992. 
      • This power station gets its coal from Jharkhand. 
      • The total installed capacity of this power station is up to 2340 MW.
    • Buxar Thermal Power Project:
      • An agreement for the development of two 660MW-each Greenfield power projects at Chausa in Buxar was signed in November 2015 with Saluj Hydroelectric Corporation (i.e. 1320 MW).
  • Patna Thermal Power Plant:
    • It is situated in the Patna district’s Karbigahiya. 
    • The power plant is quite small yet very old. 
    • At the moment, it is managed by the Bihar Rajya Vidyut Parishad.
  • Barh Super Thermal Power Station:
    • It is located in Barh in Patna district.
    • It was commissioned in October 2013.
    • The Commercial operation started in November 2014.
    • National Thermal Power Corporation owns and developed this station.
    • It has a 3300 MW installed capacity overall.

New Thermal Projects

    • Nabinagar Stage-1 Thermal Power Project:
      • It is situated in the district of Aurangabad.
      • In the year 2018, the production process officially began.
      • The Nabinagar Thermal Power Project has a 1980 MW of generation capacity (660 MW3). On May 15, 2018, the Nabinagar Thermal Power Station was transferred to NTPC for a 33-year lease.
  • Ultra Mega Power Project (Banka): It is a proposed thermal power plant with an installed capacity of 4000 MW.
  • Kajara Power Plant:
      • It will be constructed by NTPC.
      • The project will be constructed at Lakhisarai.
  • Pirpainti Power Plant
    • It will be constructed by NHPC.
    • The project will be constructed at Bhagalpur.

Related Links:

Geography of Bihar History of Bihar
National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Bihar Firsts in Bihar
Agriculture, Industries and Transportation in Bihar Tourism Sector in Bihar

Hydro Power Projects In Bihar

Some of the hydropower projects of Bihar are given below:

    • Arwal Hydroelectric Project 
      • It is located in Arwal district. 
      • It was commissioned during 2011-12.
    • Belsar Hydroelectric Project 
      • It is located in the Arwal district. 
      • It was commissioned during 2011-12.
  • Shirkhinda Hydroelectric Project 
      • It is located in Rohtas district. 
      • It was commissioned during 2009-10.
  • Sebari Hydroelectric Project 
    • It is located in Rohtas district. 
    • It was commissioned during 2008-09.

In order to promote renewable energy, the Bihar government established the Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA). Bihar has an untapped renewable energy potential of more than 12.559 GW. The renewable energy sector is being proposed to receive investments over the next few years. This project seeks to provide the state with around 3433 MW of clean energy. This renewable energy will consist of 220 MW of modest hydroelectric power, 244 MW of biomass, and 2969 MW of solar energy.

UPSC 2023

For other PSC Exam notifications, check the linked articles mentioned in the table below:

KPSC KAS Recruitment UPPSC Notification
MPSC Notification TNPSC Group 1 Notification
APPSC Group 1 Notification WBCS Notification
JPSC Notification GPSC Notification
MPPSC Notification Kerala PSC KAS Notification

 

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