Re 1 hike in kerosene will save Rs 700 cr for system: ONGC
In the light of the government hiking kerosene prices by 25 paise a litre, upstream companies like ONGC are likely to benefit. AK Srinivasan of ONGC said the upstream revenue sharing burden will come down as the prices keep going up. “Any one rupee increase in the price will bring about a reduction of Rs 700 crore to the total system,”he said. About Rs 1096 crore subsidy was met by the company in FY16, he said. Currently, the company has a capital expenditure plans of about Rs 30,000 crore. He sees the net average realisation of USD 45-47 a barrel. As regards crude production, he said, the company has been able to maintain decline rates of 3-4 percent. He also spoke about operating costs, which was Rs 4200 crore in the quarter gone by. He said the company had to carry out somer repair work. Dre Kirkpatrick Authentic Jersey
‘No LPG subsidy without Aadhaar’
For the past one week, LPG consumers who do not posses Aadhaar cards have not received subsidy in their bank accounts. Stating that they were acting as per the directive of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, distributors say consumers should provide Aadhaar details before September 30 for subsidy could be credited. Though Aadhaar compliance has been quite high in the State at 87 per cent (of the 7.21 crore population 6.30 crore have cards), in Chennai and surroundings it is only 70 per cent. Sources in Census Directorate said biometric details of 6.85 crore persons in the State have been recorded. Consumer activist T. Sadagopan said in several cases distributors misplaced know your customer forms and details. Distributors make it clear that details of Aadhaar have to be submitted before September 30 James Daniels Jersey
Govt mulls for fresh mining lease license to OIL
The state government has decided to initiate fresh mining lease to Oil India Ltd, for execution of 10 MW Gas based Power Project at Kumchai. The decision was taken in a meeting attended by Minister Power, NCER & Research, T.N. Thongdok, Minister Mines Kamlung Mossang, Parliamentary Secretary, Mines, T. Taku, Commissioner (Power) and other senior officers of Geology & Mining, Oil India Ltd., DGM & HoP, A. K. Baruah at the conference hall of Minister Power on July 7. The meeting discussed the execution of 10MW Gas based Power Project at Kumchai and Thermal Power Plant at Kharsang. The Oil India was directed to take up for issuance of fresh Forest Clearance with the PCCF on priority. Minister Power, Thongdok pointing out that since the two projects were declared as CSR schemes of Oil India Ltd to Arunachal Pradesh, the schemes should have been owned by the State Govt, and therefore the question of purchase of power does not arise. Also the royalty of the gas to be utilized for the power plant should be paid to the State, he added. Thongdok suggested that the State Govt may take up the issue with the Ministry of Coal & Mines for awarding the project under CSR scheme to Arunachal Pradesh as declared by the then Union Minister (P&NG), and likewise the Oil India Ltd. should take it up at their own level. Stating that the recruitment of technical/non-technical staff is being conducted in Assam, Minister Mines, Kamlung Mossang called for conducting such recruitments in the state to benefit the local unemployed youths. The DGM, Oil India Ltd. was requested to consider this in future recruitments. On the establishment of a coal based thermal power plant at Kharsang, Minister Power stated that the state government should propose a coal-pit thermal power plant at Kharsang and accordingly the proposal should be submitted to the Ministry of Coal and Mines urgently. It was informed that the Commissioner (Power) has already been informed to prepare DPR in consultation with the Department of Geology & Mines. The foundation stone of the proposed 10 MW gas based power project at Kumchai and Nursing School at Namsai was laid at Itanagar by the then Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Veerappa Moily as a CSR scheme. However the Oil India Ltd desired for signing of the MoU with the state government for purchase of power from the Project. There was no provision for employment of local people of Arunachal and royalty to the State Govt in the MoU proposed by Oil India Ltd. Earlier, officials from Oil India Ltd informed that the available gas from the existing well presently is about 30,000 SCMD whereas the required amount is 55,000 SCMD for the proposed 10 MW project. The construction period of the proposed project will be one year and will require drilling of three more wells to supplement the present availability of gas by another 25,000 SCMD, which is the actual requirement for the project. As the mining lease permission and forest clearance issued by the State Govt for the present wells have expired, the OIL officials requested for issuing of fresh mining lease permission and forest clearance. Marc Gasol Jersey
Reverse e-auction for power projects in the pipeline
The government plans to invite bids from private and public companies for interstate power transmission projects through reverse electronic auction on build-operate-own (BOO) basis for 35 years. The power ministry and state-run auctioneer MSTC will soon launch a bidding platform to shift from the present manual auction process to determine the lowest bidder. The transparent reverse auction process will enable bidders to revise their bids during the live bidding process, a government official said. The auction process will begin with bid process coordinators – the transmission wings of state-run Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Power Finance Corporation(PFC) – to float tenders. The coordinating agencies will call for technical bids and initial price offers, and later prune half of the technically qualified bidders, subject to a minimum of four, for the final reverse eauction. Companies that claim lowest levelised tariffs for electricity transmission will bag the projects. REC Transmission Projects has identified two big transmission projects – transmission system connecting phase-I power generation projects in Arunachal Pradesh and NER system Strengthening Scheme-II and V — for immediate auction on the proposed bidding platform. While a committee is likely to soon determine the estimated project cost of the two transmission projects, industry experts said the projects are expected to cost about.`700 crore each. The power ministry has approached the Union cabinet for separation of central transmission utility function related to transmission planning and grant of open access in the interstate transmission system from state-run Power Grid CorporationBSE 0.86 %. The proposal for separation of planning function from Power Grid was mooted amid rising concerns on conflict of interest and level playing field for private companies as the state-run company is involved in planning the transmission system and participates in the bidding as well. After the separation, an independent non-profit organisation will carry out the transmission planning and also organise bidding process for projects under tariffbased bidding. Eric Berry Womens Jersey
Evolving mechanism to avert cyber attacks on power infra: Piyush Goyal
To safeguard country’s power plants from any possible cyber attack, government is trying to evolve a mechanism and has entrusted the task to a retired IPS officer to come out with a framework, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said today. “I have just engaged an IPS officer who just retired to help us create an architecture against cyber attacks on the power infrastructure,” Power, Coal and Mines Minister Goyal said at Infocom 2016 here. Terming cyber attacks as “clearly a very serious issue”, the Minister acknowledged that “we don’t have as robust a technological framework or a backbone to protect against the kind of hackers we have today.” Goyal said that unfortunately the hackers these days are a step ahead and even the most developed nations faced the problems in this regard. “Today, the situation is that even the most developed Western countries are finding a lot of problems. They have gone to hack I am told even the records of the Pentagon …So clearly at the end of it we all have to worry about that and I am particularly concerned about it …We are looking at what can be done,” he said. He added that if there is a hacker then somebody is there who can detect the hacker. The Minister stressed that these kinds of technological challenges will keep coming on and ways have to be evolved to tackle them. Terming technology as a tool to progress, the Minister said from 20 to 30 years from now things would completely change lives with digital disruption impacting lives in a big way and cited example of companies like Uber and Airbnb who progressed without owning assets. He said even his ministries have plans to cut travel costs by 50 per cent by holding meetings through video conferencing. “In my own Ministries, we have a target to cut travel bills by 50 per cent. Video conferencing is more efficient,” the Minister said. He said Internet of things (IOT) promises digital realm and said a focused approach was needed towards encouraging the IOT. “We are using cloud technology more and more now. Earlier the fear used to be that if you are putting the data into cloud, there will be compromise on security. People are realising that putting in cloud does not compromise, one can have fireballs…As a nation one should look at more focused Internet usage to able to leverage IOT to impact the various programmes of the government of India,” he said. He added that technology was used in a big way to prevent collapse of grids and cited example of Hudhud cyclone in Visakhapatnam in 2012 when its progress on ocean was monitored until it came close enough and entire grid was shut down in phases as it progressed. The Minister added that within three to four days the grid had resumed operations without any catastrophic losses of life due to technology. Demar Dotson Jersey
India can achieve 1.65 billion units of electricity next year: Piyush Goyal
The country can achieve as high as 50 per cent growth in electricity production up to 1.65 trillion units next year, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said today. “We need to double our power production. Given the infrastructure and generating capacity we have today…we have the ability to double our power production. If tomorrow we need to add 50 per cent power to our system I am ready for that. We are making about 1.1 trillion units of electricity annually now …We can go up to 1.65 next year,” Power, Coal and Mines Minister Goyal said at INFOCOM 2016 here. The minister termed power shortages cited by the states as “technical” arising out of mismanagement. “Very often states don’t buy and show shortage…there is a mismatch between availability of power and capacity of states to purchase and distribute to last mile connectivity.,” he said. The minister said there was surplus production of coal now unlike in the past when two-third of India’s power plants were left with only critical coal stocks. “We have brought in enough coal into the system. Today in the entire country not one power plant has critical coal stock against 2/3rd of the when I became the Minister… As a nation for 55 days if not a single kilo of coal is produced you will have power,” he said. The minister said Rs 1.11 lakh crore would be pumped in for technological upgradation of power infrastructure through various schemes for rural and urban India. He added that the government was trying to ensure 24×7 power supply to each household by 2019, three years ahead of the target. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced providing power to the last household by 2022. Goyal said renewable energy has received unprecedented thrust in India and he has handpicked a joint secretary level official from Prime Minister’s office to focus on solar rooftop for which a target to reach 40,000 MW by 2022 has been fixed from a mere 200 MW when he assumed charge fo the Ministry. About the entire solar energy, he said the government wants to take it to 100,000 MW from a mere 2,400 MW when he assumed office. He said technology was used in augmenting solar power capacity in the country. Kolton Miller Womens Jersey
Solar power at Rs 2.2 per unit: Possible in Dubai, not in India
Dubai set a global record last month by announcing that an 800 MW solar power project would generate electricity at Rs 2.2 per unit (2.99 cents). However, there’s no case for achieving such low prices in India, at least not with the current set of technologies, mainly due to the high cost of finance and expectations of higher returns from investment. The lowest bid that India has attracted for a solar project was Rs 4.34 per unit by Finnish company Fortum Energy in January for a 70 MW project in Rajasthan. Although experts said prices may drop by a few notches, they are unlikely to reach levels of Rs 2.2 per unit. Tariffs for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority project cannot be compared like-for-like with projects in India because the risk factors and costs are completely different for the two locations, according to Sujoy Ghosh, country head of India at First Solar. “The dirham is pegged to the US dollar and hence eliminates the need to hedge dollar-denominated investments into the project.Land and evacuation infrastructure has been provided by DEWA who seek a 10% return on their investment which is relatively low compared to India,” Ghosh said. B Bandopadhyay, former advisor to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said: “Indian businesses seek returns ranging from 18% to 20%, while foreign businesses seek a much lower returns. This plays a pivotal role in reducing the cost of generation of such solar power plants.” According to Ghosh, the cost of long-term debt is lower for projects in Dubai, given the low credit risk. Project investments in the United Arab Emirates enjoy a long-term income tax holiday, which is not available in India, with exemptions under Section 80-AI slated to be withdrawn from April 2017. All these contribute to lower cost of capital at a lower risk profile, resulting in a lower tariff. “Cost of finance in India has been hovering around 12%, while cost of finance in Dubai is just half, at 6%,” Bandopadhyay said. SP Gon Choudhury, Chairman of Renewable Energy College in Kolkata, said: “The sun’s rays are far more intense in Dubai. A 1 MW solar plant can generate 20 lakh units of power in Dubai, which on an average in India is about 16 lakh units. Lower generation leads to lower capacity utilisation and higher cost of generation.” “We may be able to generate 20 lakh units from 1 MW in the deserts of Rajasthan, but lack of evacuation facilities would lead to increased costs again,” he said. Jannik Hansen Jersey
Staggered power supply may soon be a thing of the past
Power outages in the city may soon be a thing of the past. The Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL) has planned for high ampacity power supply around Nashik city connecting seven of its 132 kv power stations to deliver quality power to the citizens. The company has successfully tested the use of the high ampacity cables for transmission of 1,32,000 volt (132 kv) power lines between Eklahara (Nashik Thermal Power Station) and Ozhar sub-stations. After that, it has been updating its transmission lines using the technology. Nashik city has seven 132 kv sub-stations from where the power is drawn to the 33 kv power sub-stations of the electricity distribution company, which provides water to residential, commercial and industrial consumers. “There is no chance the company will lay new extra high voltage transmission lines given the lack of availability of space. This is the reason that MSETCL has now decided set up high ampacity power lines in Nashik at a cost of around Rs 42 crore,” a senior MSETCL officer said. The company has prepared the plan for substituting the conventional power cables across the entire stretch of around 125km of power lines in the city with high ampacity cables. “Recently, there was a huge failure in the vicinity of Nashik when even the generation plant was tripped due to snapping of the power cables due to technical reason. Three other power cables had also snapped because of overheating. The cables could not take the additional load transported on them. The high ampacity cables will be able to withhold exta load and would not lead to such a situation,” the officer said. “Tthe Aluminum Conductor Composite Core (ACCC) wires tend to carry more amount of current when they are heated. So the current being carried almost doubles. Nashik showcases the best situation where new cables can be used for improving services. In the current scenario the load handled by the cables is at optimal levels but considering the expansion of the city in the future, we need to raise more towers to bring in more power. Since there is no space to raise towers and draw additional lines in the city, the only solution remains is to replace the cables,” the officer said. The new cables will be raised at a cost of Rs 6 crore per 18km totaling up to Rs 42 crore. The proposal has been sent to the central office and also has been approved in principle. “There are several queries that have to be answered after which the central office will approve it,” the officer said.– Aluminum Conductor Composite Core (ACCC) (wire) is 1.5 times costlier than conventional wire — Core of cables is made of carbon — Cables are lighter than conventional cables — Can carry double the amount of current carrying capacity of conventional wires — Reduces line losses by up to 40% — At 90 degrees, conventional wires give way, but ACCC wires carry more current in such case — Reduces maintenance costs and time Max Domi Authentic Jersey
Privatisation of power distribution in Gurgaon yet to become a reality
The proposal to privatise power distribution in Gurgaon has been mooted several times, but could not materialise due to various reasons, including opposition from some quarters. In 2013, two private companies, Essar Projects and India Powers, had applied to the Haryana electricity regulatory commission (HERC) for grant of distribution licence to supply power in the municipal areas of Gurgaon for 25 years. The HERC had issued a public notice inviting objections from public, but the applications were rejected. The two companies then approached the Appellate tribunal for electricity (Aptel) and the matter is pending there, said DHBVN managing director Arun Kumar Verma. The same year, the All India Power Engineers’ Federation too opposed the proposal for privatisation of electricity distribution in different states, stating it to be a bailout package. In 2013, an HT-C fore survey had recorded 61% of the respondents feeling the need for power distribution in Gurgaon to be privatised on the lines of Delhi. However, official sources said since Gurgaon alone counts for 45% of DHBVN’s total revenue, privatisation will have serious financial implications for the discom. Haryana’s electricity department had also planned in 2011 to privatise power distribution in colonies developed by builders in Gurgaon. However, that too didn’t materialise as developers were required to construct their own powerhouses or provide land to DHBVN to develop infrastructure, at a cost. Under the present system, DHBVN supplies connections to building societies and gated communities in bulk. The developer or RWAs are responsible for further distribution and collecting the bills. “To streamline power distribution, there is an immediate need to privatise the operational part of distribution. In private gated colonies, developers have not constructed the required infrastructure, due to which residents suffer. Developers’ responsibility has to be fixed,” said Sunil Yadav, president, Palam Vihar RWA. Howard Wilson Authentic Jersey
Waste to wealth: Railways to sell garbage collected at stations
Eager to generate non-fare revenue from various sources, the Railways is firming up proposals to sell the garbage generated at stations across the country. “We are examining a proposal from a waste management group which has offered ?1.50 a kg for garbage to be collected at railway stations,” said a senior railway official involved in exploring various avenues for generating non-tariff revenues. The Railways has created a separate Non-Fare Revenue Directorate to find ways for generating substantial revenue from sources other than passenger fares and freight. The waste management company will collect the garbage from stations round-the-clock. “The collection and disposal of garbage will be the company’s responsibility. It can be utilised for generating energy and manure,” the official said. Risk insurance cover for workers involved in garbage collection, provisions of black plastic bags for carrying it from dustbins at stations will be the responsibility of the waste management company, according to the proposal. The company has offered to take up garbage collection at 12 stations, including Amritsar, Ambala, Haridwar, Jammu, Katra, Dehradun, Moradabad, Saharanpur, CST, Mumbai Central and Dadar. It will serve the dual purpose of maintaining cleanliness at stations and also generate revenue for railways, he said. A substantial amount of solid waste is generated by passengers, visitors, vendors and staff. The solid waste consists of biodegradable as well as non-biodegradable materials. At present solid waste generated at the stations is transferred to the nearest designated location of municipality and, in this process, a considerable effort and physical transportation is required. The delay in transfer also causes early degradation leading to unhygienic conditions within the railway premises. Jeff Samardzija Womens Jersey