Decks cleared for Birsa Munda airport expansion
The expansion of Birsa Munda airport for vehicle parking, which was on hold because the land was occupied by the defence, is all set to get clearance from ministry of civil aviation. Minister of state for civil aviation and Lok Sabha MP from Hazaribag Jayant Sinha, while addressing media persons in the state capital on Tuesday, said he recently met the Union minister and there was an agreement with the ministry of defence (MoD) in this regard. “We are planning to expand the airport area for parking,” Sinha, who was here to inaugurate Air India-Star Alliance regular flight service for Kolkata-Ranchi-Kolkata route and a stall of the Jharkhand Khadi Gramodyog Board, said. Morning and evening flight services by Jet Airways between Kolkata-Ranchi were stopped last year in October, causing inconvenience to passengers. While the new Air India evening service was inaugurated today, the minister assured connectivity with Bhubaneswar and Raipur as well. Cameron Meredith Womens Jersey
With big airlines in, smaller cities start flying
As regional airlines are struggling to sustain their services, low cost carriers like Indigo and SpiceJet and full service carriers like Jet Airways and Air India have started to connect smaller cities in a bid to make the most of the new market. Civil aviation ministry is aggressively pushing regional connectivity across the country. Coimbatore, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Port Blair now have better frequency at affordable fare from Chennai as low cost carriers have added more flights in the last two months. Varanasi, Vadodara, Bagdogra and Dehradun have also been linked to Delhi. Air India extended a Delhi-Chennai flight to Coimbatore recently and has plans to connect more smaller towns in the coming months. Unused airports at Puducherry and Vellore are expected to benefit from the new trend. The ministry is also aiming to develop small airports at Salem and Thanjavur. Though the ministry of civil aviation is encouraging regional carriers, new airlines are not able to sustain the services. Air Pegasus has run into trouble while Air Costa had to suspend services briefly a few months ago because of operational reasons. SpiceJet in a statement said, “With regional connectivity as the macro theme, the airline has been constantly focusing on the agenda while undertaking network expansions and has most recently introduced three new flights to northeast.” Aaron Nola Jersey
India Wavers on Emissions as Power Plants Balk at Price Tag
ndia may ease a deadline to cut pollution from coal-fired power plants blamed for causing the world’s worst air quality amid pressure from generators who say it’s too difficult to implement the $37 billion reforms. The deadline to meet all the new standards may be pushed back beyond the original December 2017 target, said S.D. Dubey, chairman of the Central Electricity Authority and head of the panel drafting the road map for power producers to meet the new guidelines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government proposed the limits on toxic emissions in December 2015. The delay highlights the challenge facing Modi’s administration to provide cleaner air alongside affordable and reliable power to all of the country’s 1.3 billion people. Limiting emissions would take longer than the government’s original two-year deadline and cost as much as 2.5 trillion rupees ($37.4 billion), the Association of Power Producers, a lobby group of non-state generators, said in March. The new goals may be implemented “in a phased manner,” Dubey said in a phone interview. “Particulate matter emissions should be addressed in the first phase. The next step would be sulfur dioxide emissions and later on oxides of nitrogen. That’s the direction we are moving in.” The office of Federal Environment Secretary A.N. Jha, whose ministry originally proposed the standards, didn’t respond to e-mails seeking comment. India’s 187 gigawatts of coal-fired power capacity, which generate more than 75 percent of the nation’s electricity, contribute to the air pollution that makes India home to what the World Health Organization has determined are 11 of the top 20 cities on the planet with the worst air quality. The plants account for 61 percent of its generation capacity, according to the Central Electricity Authority. India must first establish monitoring systems at all plants to establish an emissions baseline, determine what technologies will be appropriate and then install them at the plants, said Leslie Sloss, an analyst with the IEA Clean Coal Centre, a technology cooperation program of the Paris-based International Energy Agency. “The time frame for the new norms is extremely challenging and probably not possible in practice,” Sloss said. “The new norms equate to India complying with emissions standards within a few years that Western economies have worked up to over decades. ” Coal-fired power plants contribute to the release of about 60 percent of India’s industrial particulate matter, as much as half of the sulfur dioxide and 30 percent of oxides of nitrogen, the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment said in a report in December, weeks after the new standards were announced. “The emission norms require capital expenditure, which will lead to an increase in tariffs and burden the already weak financials of state power retailers,” said Sachin Mehta, an analyst at Mumbai-based Centrum Broking Ltd. “The plan is fraught with challenges. It is impossible to meet the current deadline.” NTPC Ltd., India’s biggest power producer, rose 1 percent to 156.50 rupees as of 12:59 p.m. in Mumbai. Non-state generators Reliance Power Ltd. and Adani Power Ltd. fell 1.5 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Kyle Rudolph Jersey
UP GOVT NOT UTILIZED ELECTRIFICATION FUNDS PROPERLY: CENTRAL GOVT
Replying to the letters sent by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav demanding more funds for rural electrification in the state, the Centre has replied that despite all-around support from Central Government, the power situation in Uttar Pradesh continues to remain a matter of concern. According to an official release from the Union power ministry says out of Rs 22,533 crore sanctioned to the state in about 10 years for electrification, only 34 per cent has been utilised by UP government. UP has been asking for additional funds while it is not been able to utilise the existing ones, the statement claimed while added that the Power Ministry has now started a detailed monthly progress review of the all power project in UP with State Power Secretaries and officials. The statement claimed that only three new villages were electrified in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Electrification has reached 1,364 villages during 2014-15 and 2015-16. Further, mere 22 per cent of the 92,323 villages identified for intensive electrification are reported to be energized. The Central Government, through Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is working in this direction by putting pressure on the state government for taking up works. Under the rural electrification scheme called Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna, state governments identify and implement village projects and REC sanctions funds after vetting them. REC’s had last year appointed 309 young local rural electrification engineers at block and district level to monitor the progress of rural electrification in various states. REC Power Distribution will relocate some GVAs from other states to complete assessment of the 1,450 villages in UP by end of this month, it said. In fact, Uttar Pradesh gets top priority in all power projects and that the state has been allotted the maximum of Rs 6,946 crore under the Deendayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. In other projects too, Uttar Pradesh is being given special emphasis by the Central Government. The efforts are on to provide power to all the villages of the state by 2019 and the number of DVAs in the state will be increased. In fact, the progress of ongoing electrification process on a real time basis can be tracked by all the users and stakeholders on GARV mobile app. Earlier UP CM had wrote several letters to the Central power ministry for granting more funds for the projects in the state. Manu Ginobili Jersey
Kerala trans-grid project to be implemented: Govt
The Kerala government today said it plans to implement a trans-grid project that will strengthen the transmission and distribution system of electricity and bring down transmission losses in the State. “Trans-grid Project-2′ would be implemented to strengthen the transmission system. The estimated cost of the first phase of the project was Rs 4,745.77 crore and Rs 1,629.60 crore for the second phase,” Power Minister Kadakampally Surendran said during the question hour in the Assembly. He said that the State incurs transmission losses to the tune of 14.32 per cent. He also said that work has begun on laying Aerial Bundled Cables (ABC) and Under Ground (UG) cables in urban areas to improve the Transmission and Distribution system. “But this is a very expensive project,” he said. Kerala State Electricity Board has a total liability of Rs 6,400 crore which makes it difficult to implement the ABC and UG cable projects immediately. But, it would be implemented in due course, he said. The Minister said that the government plans to set up thermal power stations in the State or in areas where the required fuel was available. The government would approach the Centre to make available natural gas at USD 5 per unit, he said. All under construction power projects, including six hydel ones, would be completed in a time bound manner, he said. On the controversial proposed Aithirappilly hydel power project at Chalakudy river basin in Thrissur district, he said the clearance by the Environment Ministry was valid till July next year. “There is opposition to the project,” he said, replying to a question from P T Thomas (Congress). However, the government would move ahead with the project only after arriving at a consensus among all, he added. Besides environmentalists, the Congress-led UDF is opposed to the project. Alexander Nylander Jersey
CAG finds energy savings worth Rs 570 cr lost to delay
With summer not so far away and another power crisis looming large on Karnataka, Niranthara Jyothi Yojana (NJP), an ambitious project to provide 24/7 power for domestic users, remains a pipe dream thanks to deficient planning, inadequate funding and design flaws in transformers leading to a delay in implementation. The 2016 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which found several drawbacks in implementation of the project conceived in 2009-10, says: “Planned to be completed by 2012, it is lingering for the last three years with 543 of the 1,748 feeders yet to be completed, resulting in loss of energy savings of 1,128.70 MUs valued at Rs 569.63 crore.” The report points out that the implementation was affected “owing to delays in finalisation of tenders, delays by contractors, delays in completion of load bifurcation works and instances of clubbing of NJY feeders with non-NJY feeders.” Before it was conceived, power supply to both agricultural (IP set) users and non-agricultural (domestic lighting, commercial supply, et al) was through a common 11-kV feeder (rural/mixed feeder). Electricity companies (Escoms), as they still do in many districts, provided a three-phase power supply for a limited number of hours (about 10 hours) and single phase for a few more hours (about 4 hours) with power cuts for the remaining hours (about 10 hours) in a day. The project was to segregate agricultural load and non-agricultural load by bifurcation of feeders (11 kV) at the sub-stations. This was to be achieved by drawing a new independent line (11kV) feeder, called a NJY feeder and shifting the non-agricultural load to this feeder. Design flaws; T&D losses The CAG noted that the Special Design Transformer (SDT) intended to provide power to farmhouses on agricultural feeders “had design deficiencies due to failure to include overload protection.” Two major objectives — reduction in interruption of power supply and reduction of losses — weren’t met. “ESCOMs were able to provide about 20 hours of three-phase power supply to NJY feeders, but the quality of power supply had not improved with the interruptions continuing unabated,” the audit revealed, adding that 40% of test check feeders showed an adverse trend in transmission and distribution losses. “Though there was increase in number of hours of supply of three phase from 10 hours (pre-NJY) to 20 hours (post-NJY), the increased hours of supply was partly owing to increased purchase of power, which was necessitated as the envisaged reduction of distribution losses did not materialise,” the audit points out. Jakub Voracek Jersey
Kerala reports transmission loss of 14.32 percent
The state has reported a transmission loss of 14.32%, minister for power Kadakampally Surendran told the assembly on Wednesday. To strengthen the transmission sector, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has initiated the laying of underground cables in urban areas, he said. But KSEB cannot immediately take up the project to cover the entire state. KSEB has a liability of Rs 6,400 crore, which has been preventing the board from laying underground cables throughout the state, Surendran said. He said the implementation of the trans-grid project was initiated with the support of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. The project’s first phase would cost an estimated Rs 4745.77 crore, and the second, Rs 1629.60 crore. A feasibility study for setting up a thermal plant–either inside or outside the state–depending on the availability of fuel, would be considered, the minister said. He added power projects would be completed in a time-bound manner. At present, six hydroelectric projects were nearing completion and the government has decided to restart the work of three stalled projects. On the contentious Athirappally power project, the minister said a consensus would be reached before rolling it out. Though the project has environmental sanction till July 2017, its work was yet to commence due to opposition. Max Garcia Authentic Jersey
Exclusive: Oil majors join forces in climate push with renewable energy fund
Top oil companies including Saudi Aramco and Shell are joining forces to create an investment fund to develop technologies to promote renewable energy, as they seek an active role in the fight against global warming, sources said. The chief executives of seven oil and gas companies – BP, Eni, Repsol, Saudi Aramco, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Total — will announce details of the fund and other steps to reduce greenhouse gases in London on Friday. The sector faces mounting pressure to take an active role in the fight against global warming, and Friday’s event will coincide with the formal entry into force of the 2015 Paris Agreement to phase out man-made greenhouse gases in the second half of the century. The group is part of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), which was created with the backing of the United Nations in 2014 and includes 11 companies representing 20 percent of global oil and gas production. The company leaders are expected to detail plans to create an investment vehicle that will focus on developing technologies to lower emissions and increase car engine and fuel efficiency, according to the sources involved in the talks who declined to be named. The size and structure of the fund were unclear. The fund will also focus on ways to reduce costs of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions produced from fossil fuel burning plants and re-injecting them into underground caverns. OGCI, Shell, Total and BP declined to comment. The CEOs are also expected to announce the next phase of their plan to reduce the oil sector’s emissions, primarily by reducing flaring of excess gas at fields, increasing the use of CCS and limiting the release of methane, a highly polluting gas often emitted through pipe leaks. OGCI leaders called on governments last year to set a price on carbon emissions to encourage the use of cleaner technologies, although some companies including Exxon Mobil have resisted the idea. They now hope to show they can play an active role. The drive to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century poses a threat to oil and gas companies as transport and power sectors gradually shift towards renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind. Oil majors including Norway’s Statoil, France’s Total and Italy’s Eni, have increased their investments in renewable energy in recent years, although it is still dwarfed by the main fossil fuel business. Oil producers have also lobbied for the phasing out of coal in favor of the less pollutant natural gas in the power sector. Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne said last month that OGCI leaders will announce plans “to work collectively to develop technologies which will be needed to face climate change issues.” Delegates from signatory nations meet in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh on Nov. 7-18 to start turning their many promises into action and draw up a “rule book” for the sometimes fuzzily worded Paris Agreement on climate change, reached last December. Kevin Johnson Authentic Jersey
DGH reviews poor bidding response to oil & gas fields: Sources
India’s first oil and gas fields’ auction in over 4 years is in deep trouble. CNBC-TV18 reports initial bidding has not met government expectations despite several exploration incentives and market-linked pricing, forcing an extension in auction deadline. The government had already extended the deadline for bidding from October 31 to November 21. Sources say investors have conveyed to the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) their concerns on the size of the marginal fields as well as the data available and that they would prefer to wait for some issues to be addressed before bidding. They have also suggested the adjoining areas be made available for exploration and the Oil Ministry is considering a follow-up auction for these areas. Oil Ministry is reportedly also considering clubbing of more blocks to attract bids by the November 21 deadline. Delino DeShields Jersey
State government gives nod for 1,864 crore petrochemical park in Kochi
The state government has issued an order granting in-principle nod for Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) to set up a petrochemical park in Kochi. “The next step is to procure 600 acres from FACT complex at Ambalamugal in Kochi for the project. The decision regarding this is pending for Union ccabinet approval,” said M Beena, managing director of Kinfra. The estimated project cost is Rs 1,864 crore, including the cost of land and internal infrastructure, which will be provided by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIFB) in loan, Kinfra officials said. Kochi already has a large refinery, fertiliser and chemical factories, a bulk terminal and International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), besides the LNG Terminal & Gas Pipeline Network being established. The project assumes significance in view of the proposed expansion of BPCL, and proximity to port and natural gas infrastructure. “The detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed petrochemical park will be sent to the state government for final approval,” said Kinfra official KN Srekumar. The corporation would also explore the possibility of getting central funding for the project, he added. Infrastructure facilities required to be created include internal roads, drainages, water treatment plants, internal water supply system, internal electrification, common sewage treatment plants, common effluent treatment plants, rain water harvesting and solid waste management. BPCL refinery is set for expansion of its refining capacity from 9.5 MMTPA to 15.5 MMTPA. With increased crude capacity of 15.5 MMTPA, the refinery will produce 5 lakh TPA propylene. This is in addition to production of various fuels like LPG, Kerosene, Coke and Bitumen. Utilizing 5 lakh TPA propylene, BPCL plans to establish a joint venture for production of various base materials that would boost manufacturing, augment exports and generate employment. Petrochemicals currently contribute about 30% of India’s $120 billion-worth chemical industry, which is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% over the next few years and touch $250 billion by 2020. India stands a good chance, as petrochemicals market has shifted from the West to Middle-East and Asia. Future outlook for the industry is bright in various chemical sub sectors. While petroleum sector meets energy requirement, chemicals and petrochemical sector caters to various industries, including fertilizers, construction sector, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textiles. Ryan Switzer Authentic Jersey