Centre sanctions Rs 30 crore for solar cities programme
Funds worth over Rs 30 crore have been sanctioned to 21 states and union territories under the solar cities development programme, the government said today. These funds were sanctioned during the last three years till November 30 this year. Out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 30.36 crore under the ‘Development of Solar Cities Programme’ for 21 states and union territories, around Rs 12.98 crore have been released, Power and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha. In a written reply, he said 60 places have been included in the solar cities programme. It includes Gaya (Bihar), Mysore (Karnataka), Kochi (Kerala), Pune (Maharashtra), Panaji City (Goa), Howrah (West Bengal), Imphal (Manipur), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland), Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh). Goyal said at least one city in each state would be included in the solar cities programme. Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of up to Rs 50 lakh is extended for each solar city. “Financial support up to Rs 9.50 crore is available to eight model solar cities and up to Rs 2.50 crore to 15 pilot solar cities for setting up of renewable energy projects/ systems/ devices…,” Goyal said. The money would be given provided that an equal amount is made available by the concerned municipal corporation, city administration, state or from any other resources. Mark Bavaro Jersey
Akhilesh Yadav writes to PM to expedite road projects in UP
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to direct officials concerned to speed up certain road projects in Lucknow and Varanasi. The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to direct officials to give working permission for a proposed bridge, a flyover and broadening of a road in Lucknow, according to an official release. Akhilesh also requested for release of Rs 396.54 crores for four laning of Shivpur-Lahartara road in Varanasi at the earliest, it said. The CM stated that the proposed Pipraghat bridge on Gomti has been stopped because of the objections raised by Army for which letters have been sent to the defence minister in the past. Draymond Green Womens Jersey
Land acquisition hurdle for proposed state highway
The opening of the proposed Thuravoor-Pamba state highway which will connect NH47 with Sabarimala will be delayed further as authorities failed to begin land acquisition for Makkekadavu bridge. To open this much-awaited highway, the construction of the 800-metre bridge connecting Alappuzha and Kottayam districts should be completed. “The total length of the bridge is 800 metre, and 720 metre of this bridge will be constructed across the Vembanad lake. The remaining 80 metre of the bridge can be constructed only after acquiring private land from Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. We need land of only 25 families for constructing the bridge. However, four families were not ready to accept the land value we offered to them. We have offered Rs 5.17 lakh per cent to them. We have approached the district-level purchase committee led by district collector to convene a meeting of the families to settle the issue,” said PWD executive engineer Deepthi Bhanu. “The total cost for the construction of Makkekadavu bridge is Rs 100 crore. The construction work of the bridge has been entrusted with Cherian Varkey Construction Company. They have agreed to construct the bridge for Rs 78 crore. The state government has allotted Rs 4.3 crore for acquisition of the private land for the project. We have started piling works of the bridge at the lake portion. However, the construction of the bridge can be completed only after getting the private land,” said officials of PWD (bridge). It was on February 2, 2013, the construction work of Thuravoor-Pamba state highway was inaugurated by the then chief minister Oommen Chandy. The construction of Thykkattuserry bridge was first started under this project. Once the Thuravoor-Pamba state highway is opened, the transportation facilities, especially cargo movement between coastal areas of Alappuzha and high range areas will be improved. People living in high range areas will also get an easy access to Kochi via Alappuzha once this state highway is opened for traffic. The road will also become the main entrance to Kochi from Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts. It was on May 27, 2015, the then chief minister Oommen Chandy had opened the first bridge, Thykkattuserry, of this state highway. Then he announced that the second bridge – Makkekadavu -would be opened in 2017. However, the land acquisition for the second bridge has not been started so far owing to strong opposition from landowners. Frank Clark Jersey
84 infra projects report cost overrun of Rs. 1.14 lakh crore
As many as 84 infrastructure projects with a cost of Rs. 150 crore or above each, including those delayed due to issues like fund constraints, have reported a cost overrun of Rs. 1.14 lakh crore, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. “There are 84 projects showing cost overruns accompanied with delays with respect to their original schedules. The original cost of the 84 projects was Rs. 1,12,623.98 crore and the anticipated cost is Rs. 2,27,149.87 crore, implying a cost overrun of Rs. 1,14,525.89 crore,” Statistics Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation monitors ongoing central infrastructure projects costing Rs. 150 crore and above on time and cost overruns through its online computerisation monitoring system (OCMS) on the basis of information provided by project implementation agencies. According to the statement, as on September 30, 2016, 1,174 projects costing Rs. 150 crore and above were on the watch of this Ministry. Of these 1,174 projects, 333 were delayed with respect to their original schedules. The reasons for delay are project-specific. However, it said the major reported reasons for delay in timely completion of the projects are law and order problems, delay in land acquisition, environment and forest clearances, fund constraints, rehabilitation and resettlement issues, local body and municipal permission, utility shifting, contractual issues and the like. Jussi Jokinen Womens Jersey
Install solar panels at your home, save on bills
Aiming to promote renewable energy, a Vizag-based startup – RED Solar Private Limited – is working towards promoting the use of solar energy and installing solar panels in residential and commercial buildings in the city. Founded by Venkatesh Majji and Rajesh Varma Bhupatiraju who did their masters in the US and returned to the city after gaining experience there, RED Solar has already installed five solar energy systems in the current financial year. The company intends to complete 20 such installations in the city by the end of this fiscal. Speaking to TOI, RED Solar co-founder Venkatesh Majji said, “Both of us (Venkatesh and Rajesh) have worked in the US and are passionate about renewable energy sources. We realised that there is a huge potential for solar energy in India. At the same time, we believe that by investing in solar energy, we can also provide employment to students from core branches such as civil and electrical engineering.” Furthermore, he said, “Until now, we have set up solar energy systems in two colleges and three residential houses. In addition to reaching out to individual customers, we are reaching out to many EPC contractors and be a sub contractor for them. There are lot of people who are interested in such solar energy systems in Vizag.” Co-founder Rajesh Varma Bhupatiraju said installing solar energy systems helps reduce the cost of electricity for customers. “The smallest system starts at Rs 85,000 generating about 180 units per month, which is approximately equal to a bill of around Rs 1,000 per month and it goes up to Rs 2 lakh generating 600 units, which is equal to a bill of around Rs 5,000 per month. Apart from installing the systems, we also provide maintenance for a period of five years,” he said. Elaborating on the advantages, he said, “We provide a complete system based on the grid concept. So, we provide net meter by collaborating with EPDCL. Whatever excess power is generated can be sold to the discom. During the day, people can use the solar energy to meet their requirements and at night power can be drawn from the discom. So customers will be charged only for what they use and the remaining is sold to the discom.” Mentioning that the startup wants to first focus on the Vizag market, he said eventually they want to set up their presence in other states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. “We are targeting a revenue of around Rs 10-20 crore in the next three years and also intend to hire around 30 people for our company.” Nicklas Lidstrom Jersey
‘Time to adopt renewable energy sources’
The programmes organised by the Society for Energy Engineers and Managers (SEEM) across the State as part of observance of the Energy Conservation Month concluded on Wednesday, which is observed as the World Energy Conservation Day. Delivering a lecture at the concluding ceremony of the programme here, Mayor Soumini Jain said it was high time the entire humanity switched to renewable energy sources. “The demand for clean energy is increasing, while supply is declining. We need to shift to cleaner energy sources like solar power for achieving energy efficiency and reducing pollution,” said Jain. Under the campaign, which was launched in Thrissur on November 14, various schools, colleges, industries and residential areas were covered. The campaign was marked by awareness classes, distribution of LED lamps at discounted prices, and magic shows on the theme of ‘energy conservation.’ The Energy Conservation Month is observed for creating awareness on the use of all forms of energy and ways and means to reduce energy usage. The theme of the campaign was set as ‘Energy Conservation in Daily Life,’ as the major energy consumer in Kerala is the domestic sector,” said SEEM chairman P S Antony Joseph. Devin Hester Authentic Jersey
CEA’s power plan sounds death knell for thermal capacities
The draft national electricity plan of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) sounds the death knell for thermal power capacity addition. Given the massive capacity addition plans in the renewable sector, CEA estimates there is no requirement for new coal plants in 2017-22. Based on demand projections, CEA estimates new coal-based capacity requirement of 44,085 megawatts (MW) in 2022-27. But with 50,025MW of coal power projects already in different stages of construction and likely to yield benefits in 2017-22, the agency does not foresee any immediate requirement for new coal power plants. If indeed things pan out as per the forecast, it can spell trouble for equipment suppliers in the capital goods sector, especially in the industry-boiler, turbine generator and related segments. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) is estimated to have manufacturing capacity for power equipment of 20,000MW a year. Apart from this, several domestic firms have?joint?ventures?(L&T-MHI, Alstom-Bharat Forge, Toshiba-JSW, Gammon-Ansaldo, Thermax-Babcock and Wilcox, BGR Hitachi) with indigenous manufacturing capacity for supercritical boilers at 16,200MW and supercritical turbine generators at 14,000MW, CEA says. With most firms already strapped for orders, a dearth of new coal power plants can have an adverse impact on equipment suppliers. But as Rabindra Nayak, an analyst at Dolat Capital Market Pvt. Ltd, points out, all firms may not be affected uniformly. With a substantial number of thermal plants getting old and recommended for retirement or modernization, refurbishment and efficiency improvement orders will come to the rescue of some of them. According to Nayak, an estimated 30,000MW of thermal plants needs refurbishment or modernization. The opportunity can generate an annual business of Rs25,000 crore for five years. Given Bhel’s historical ties with state utilities, the firm may be better placed for this business. But firms such as BGR Energy Systems Ltd, with only manufacturing capability and limited access to technology, may be forced to look overseas for business. That said, the spurt in renewable capacities may provide respite for gas power plants. The infirm nature of renewable capacities—solar power generation peaks during day and varies depending on climatic conditions—means gas capacities are seen as ideal balancers. They can be ramped up quickly and are said to offer better efficiencies. The plants are, however, operating at low capacities (utilization stood at 23% in 2015-16) due to shortage of fuel. But improvement in supplies, either through imports or local production, can make gas plants good balancers to renewable energy and ensure grid stability. “The role of gas-based plants during evening to meet the balancing power and ramping requirement is vital for the Indian grid,” CEA says. “Therefore, for effective utilization of available gas-based plants in India to meet the balancing and ramping requirement of the grid, availability of a minimum quantum of gas to the tune of 53.56 MMSCMD needs to be ensured.” MMSCMD is short for million metric standard cu. m a day. While the views should bring relief to gas power plant owners, the only challenge is to find sufficient quantities of affordable fuel. Kurt Warner Jersey
Centre promises Rs 9,000 crore for Andhra Pradesh energy sector
In a move that could gladden the Chandrababu Naidu government in the state, the Centre has promised to release about Rs 9,000 crore for strengthening the energy sector. The Centre has proposed to implement the dual action plan in the state where the infrastructure development schemes in urban and rural areas will be taken up separately. The LED street-lighting programme implemented in urban local bodies will be extended to rural local bodies. Union minister Piyush Goyal heaped praise on AP for topping the charts in energy conservation measures. He presented awards to the best discoms and states at a function held in New Delhi on Wednesday. While the AP conservation mission secured the national best award, eastern power distribution company limited bagged the first prize in discom category. Energy conservation mission chief executive officer A Chandrasekhara Reddy and EPDCL CMD M M Naik received the awards from the Union minister. “We are expecting an additional financial support to a tune of Rs 1,000 crore for taking up LED programme in rural local bodies in the state,” Chandrasekhara Reddy told TOI. He said that rural LED programme would save around 3,000 million units of power which is equal to generation of 1,000 MW annually. He said the Centre had agreed to spend around Rs 6,000 crore to replace about 17 lakh agriculture pump sets in the state in a phased manner. Energy principal secretary Ajay Jain said that energy efficiency plays a pivotal role for economic development of Amaravati in the field of transportation, Hi-tech manufacturing including IT and electronics, food processing and helps for employment generation of over five lakhs jobs in 10 years. Several global agencies like Indo-Swiss, USAID, World Bank are approaching Centre to extend technical, operational and financial support for Amaravati in energy efficiency (EE) front. Robert Woods Womens Jersey
CEA scales down power demand for next 10 years, analysts disagree
The Central Electricity Authority has scaled down India’s peak power demand over the next 10 years due to energy conservation measures, reduced the estimated coal requirement and ruled out the need for fresh investment in thermal power generation. The projected peak demand at the end of 2021-22 is 235 GW, which is about 17% lower than the projection made in the 18th Electric Power Survey (EPS) report, the CEA said in the Draft National Electricity Plan 2016. Peak demand at the end of 2026-27 is estimated at 317 GW which is 20.7% lower than the earlier projection. The CEA is the apex technical organisation that facilitates development of the power sector in the country to provide quality electricity for all at affordable rates. The CEA prepares a draft plan every five years. It seeks suggestions and objections from licencees, generating companies and the public and notifies the plan after obtaining the government’s approval. However, some analysts said there could be huge power shortages if the government sticks to the CEA’s estimates because the assumed expansion in renewable energy, hydroelectric and gas-based projects may not materialise. “On supply side, the approach has been to factor in entire renewable, hydel and gas-based capacity addition plans as proposed and thus arriving at a coal based capacity addition required as a balancing figure. This approach may be questionable,” said Manish Aggarwal, partner and head-infrastructure M&A, head – energy, KPMG India. Aggarwal said the sector is already witnessing curtailments and huge payment delays with the addition of renewables and it remains to be seen how the system will absorb the large capacities envisaged. Hydel projects are at a near standstill, he said. The document assumes capacity addition from gas at 4,340 MW, hydro at 15,330 MW, nuclear at 2,800 MW and renewable sources at 115,326 MW as committed capacity during 2017-22. About 50,025 MW of coal based power projects are currently under various stages of construction and they do away with the requirement for new coal-fired power plants till 2027. “We are not sure whether the document factors in the demand pull that would be created by key government initiatives such as the ‘Make in India’ initiative, access to electricity to villages/households and new smart cities,” said Aggarwal. Ondrej Pavelec Womens Jersey
NTPC to phase out 11,000 Mw old power plants in five years: Piyush Goyal
Country’s largest power generator NTPC Ltd will replace its old power plants having a total capacity of 11,000 Megawatt, power, coal, renewable energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal today said. He said the company would phase out power plants older than 25 years and added that the whole process would require around Rs 50,000 crore and would take around five years. “It is very concerning that this country has very old power plants running which leads to very high carbon dioxide emission. The government wants to not only bring in new pollution control technology but also wants to phase out old power plants to bring down pollution levels,” Goyal said. He further said that on Monday he had a consultation with NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh and within two days NTPC confirmed that it will phase out its old plants. “NTPC has already given the in-principle clearance to replace around 11,000 MW of its old, inefficient thermal power plants,” he said. Further, the Minister informed that the Power Ministry is in talks with the Environment Ministry for clearances, which should not be a problem as it is a huge step in increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. He also urged the State Governments to work in Mission-mode to modernize their existing thermal power plants with new super critical technology Jeremiah Addison Jersey