Russian firm Technopromexport (TPE) was awarded a contract to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for stage one development in May 2005.

NTPC awarded a £205m ($294m) contract to Korean firm Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction to design, produce and install three 660MW boilers for stage one in January 2016.

[5][6][7] The main power plant and the township is spread over an area of 1,186 acres (480 ha) of land, which includes 12 villages.

The then PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had laid the foundation stone of the main plant of stage-1 of NTPC Barh on March 6, 1999.

[12] The boiler balance work of Stage-I (3 x 660 MW)(BSTPP) was allotted to Doosan Power Systems India Ltd, (Korea) Company in January 2016.