DGCA notice to GoAir for scant remote-area flights
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a showcause notice to Mumbaibased low-cost carrier GoAir for reportedly not operating adequate flights to remote areas. Scheduled airlines in India have to operate at least 10% of the number of their metro flights (category-I) to remote areas like Jammu & Kashmir, northeast, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep (category-II). “GoAir has not been meeting this mandatory rule of route dispersal guidelines (RDG) for some time now. DGCA has taken a serious note of this as the rule is meant to ensure adequate connectivity. GoAir management met senior regulatory officials to request them not to take any action on this issue,” said a source. Adam Cracknell Jersey
Robots to Reduce Turnaround at India’s Busiest Airport
India’s busiest airport, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, is embracing robotics for cleaning aircraft. The Nordic Dino robot, to be procured from Sweden’s Aviator, will first be used at Terminal 3 of IGI for washing narrow-body aircraft. The first machine is expected to arrive in February next year and start operations by April. Around 100 airplanes are washed at the IGI every day. It takes at least 10 hours, 20 persons and gallons of water as well as high lifts, ladders, hefty brushes and quite a bit of muscle to clean one aircraft. Cutting labor costs and water consumption and above all minimizing the ground time for exterior washing has been a priority area for flight operators. Cory Schneider USA Womens Jersey
2016: For aviation sector, new year heralds business in smaller cities
The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) proposes initiatives for new airports, a separate set of regulations for helicopters, and a boost for skill development. It wants every Indian to fly at least once a year with a fare cap of Rs 2,500 for a one-hour flight. A keenly awaited announcement was about the controversial 5/20 rule, which said a domestic player must have completed five years and run a fleet of 20 aircraft to be eligible to start foreign services, and as expected, it was scrapped but not to the satisfaction of new players. The government overruled the objections of old players like Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo, but did not completely go ahead and appease new players like Vistara and AirAsia India, waiting in the wings. Now, a domestic airline can fly overseas any time if it deploys 20 planes or 20% of their total capacity, whichever is higher, for domestic operations. The change in the rule will not result in immediate starting of foreign flights by any existing Indian carrier, and some still feel the rule is not forward looking. One of the main challenges before the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) will be the kick-starting of the Regional Connectivity Scheme or UDAN in January. Domestic players have reservations about the idea of a cess on metro routes to fund flights to unserved and underserved destinations. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Womens Jersey
Gajapathi Raju flies in face of CIDCO deadline, says Navi Mumbai airport to take 8-9 years
It will take eight to nine years for the Navi Mumbai airport to be built, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told FE. The minister’s statement is in direct contrast to the ones made by the Maharashtra government body City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), tasked with the pre-development work for the airport, which has repeatedly said that the airport will become operational by the end of 2019. For the record, the pre-development work is yet to be completed and the bidder that will partner CIDCO in constructing and maintaining the airport is yet to be finalised. “The capacity constraint at the current Mumbai airport is a concern for all of us but constructing the new airport will take at least four years if the development work takes place efficiently. If we take into consideration the time taken to build a greenfield airport in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, it was more than eight to nine years. More so, this airport will be based on a marshy land unlike Bengaluru and Hyderabad, hence it will take more time,” Raju said in the course of an interview. Speaking about the development of airports in the country, the minister said that R15,000 crore will be spent by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) towards this task in the next few years. According to him, the financial condition of debt-ridden state carrier Air India is a matter of concern and the prevailing condition is a kind of ‘debt trap’; some kind of financial reconstruction is the need of the hour to bring down the interest cost. At present, Air India has a total debt of R50,000 crore and an annual interest outgo of almost R4,000 crore. Thomas Steen Authentic Jersey
Nagpur Metro Rail’s solar power dream hits policy hurdle
The plans of Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL) to meet 65% of its energy needs through solar power has hit a policy hurdle. The fate of the project now depends on Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). NMRCL’s petition will be heard by the Commission on January 17. Solarization is vital for the success of the Metro Rail project. The cost of MSEDCL power as per the Commission’s latest tariff order is Rs7.33 per unit. This is exclusive of fuel surcharge and electricity duty. On the other hand, NMRCL can get solar power at between Rs5 and Rs6 per unit. “If the electricity cost is low then the fares will be low leading to higher ridership. This will make the project viable and is therefore in public interest. Moreover, solar energy is green and will lead to lower pollution. Foreign lenders have readily granted a loan to the project because of this aspect,” a NMRCL official told TOI. NMRCL wants to go for solarization under state energy ministry’s solar roof top policy. The policy is mainly aimed at residential and commercial consumers and hence the maximum load permitted is 1MW. On the other hand, NMRCL’s solar generation capacity is 14MW and hence does not fit into the policy. NMRCL cannot go fully solar and needs MSEDCL’s power to meet the remaining 10MW load. Only the commission has the powers to consider NMRCL as a special case and grant exemption. MSEDCL though has promised not to oppose the petition. The solarization project has already been delayed due to heavy workload of the commission. “Our tender documents are ready since months. MERC did not accept our petition for two months saying that it was dealing with power tariff petitions of the power distribution companies. Now, we hope that it will decide on our matter expeditiously,” the official said. William Hayes Jersey
State sees strong demand for power in November
Power demand in Tamil Nadu had grown by over 30 per cent in November 2016 from the corresponding period last year, according to data compiled by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The data revealed that Tamil Nadu’s power requirement was 8,183 million units (MUs) in November 2016 as against the 8,180 MUs available. In November 2016, Tamil Nadu had a “peak demand” of 13,888 MW, which the State managed to meet. In the comparable period in 2015, the State’s power requirement was 6,273 million units and availability was 6,270 million units. In November 2015, “peak demand” was 12,154 MW, which was met, according to the CEA data. According to Elara Capital, a lower base has helped the southern States register strong growth in November 2016. “Demand in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka was up 28 per cent each in November 2016 (vis-a-vis a contraction of 4 per cent and 2 per cent respectively in November 2015). Likewise, Tamil Nadu’s demand was up 30 per cent (as against a contraction of 6 per cent in the base year),” it added. The brokerage house also pointed out that so far in FY 17, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have achieved 11 per cent growth each in power consumption, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 9 per cent. Recently, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission gave the green signal for TANGEDCO to procure 850 MW of power for the next year (from February 1, 2017 to May 15, 2017). Quinton Dunbar Authentic Jersey
Sri Lanka faces threat of power crisis in 2017, says electricity regulator
Sri Lanka’s electricity regulator on Tuesday informed the Power and Energy Ministry that urgent steps must be made to buy new power plants, postpone maintenance work at the available power plants and increase rooftop solar generation to avoid a power crisis in the first quarter of 2017. The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said that a successive failure of monsoon had caused very low hydro reservoir storage, less than 500 GWh, and the Commission’s recommendations were made to mitigate the impact of power shortages during the period from January to April 2017, Xinhua reported. The PUCSL said that the full availability of Lakvijaya coal plant, the country’s only coal power plant, was a key factor in January 2017. The PUCSL suggested to looking into the possibility of shifting any maintenance at the available power plants to avoid shutting down during the critical period January to April. The Commission further suggested the state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to improve the fuel quality in order to get the maximum output from the plant. It was further suggested that CPC should supply fuel as per the requirement. The Ceylon Electricity Board was also suggested to take immediate action to purchase shortage in generation from available plants and the CEB and the Sustainable Energy Authority should “expedite connection” to start commercial operations under small scale generation on Standardized Power Purchase Agreements. Erik Johnson Jersey
In Delhi, no power tariff revision for the first time in five years
For the first time since 2011, power tariffs won’t be revised in Delhi. The tussle between AAP government and LG’s office over the appointment of Krishna Saini as Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission chief has meant that tariffs will remain unchanged. Sources said discoms might file an appeal with the appellate tribunal, stating that the failure to revise the tariff was a violation of its guidelines and Delhi consumers could face stiff increases in the future to correct this anomaly. Tata Power Delhi recently filed a petition, seeking power purchase adjustment charges equivalent to a 2-3% hike in fuel bills for July-September 2016. BYPL and BRPL are yet to send their petitions. DERC is mandated to give discoms PPAC, according to the orders of the Appellate Tribunal of Electricity. However, it’s unclear how long it will take to process the petition. Sources said the lone DERC member, B P Singh, was passing its judicial orders, as the LG had nullified Saini’s appointment and directed AAP government to begin proceedings for hiring a new chairman. The government is yet to accept the decision and has taken the matter to court. Discoms have also made multiple representations on how static tariffs will affect them financially. They didn’t submit a PPAC in June because there wasn’t much variation in fuel costs to show. This time, they are seeking a hike, citing an increase in cost of gas and coal over the last few months. In 2011, the then Congress-led government had stopped DERC from announcing new tariffs. Bobby McCain Womens Jersey
Putin launches natural gas pipeline supply to Crimea
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a natural gas pipeline linking Crimea to Russia’s gas pipeline system, which will allow the inhabitants of the peninsula to receive a continuous supply of gas. During the ceremony, Vladimir Putin said via video conference that this is another important outcome for the development of Crimea and its future, Efe news reports. He announced that two power plants will be built within the next two years to meet all the electricity needs of the peninsula’s inhabitants. The length of the natural gas pipeline is 358.7 km. Ukraine has not given up on retaking Crimea, which Kiev considers territory occupied by Russia, while Moscow says that Crimea inhabitants opted mostly to join the Russian federation through a referendum. DeSean Jackson Jersey
Mexico to raise gas price by 20 per cent
Mexico announced double-digit price increases Tuesday for gasoline and diesel, its latest move to deregulate the energy sector and open the key oil industry to private investment and foreign competition. From the first of the year, the maximum price of gasoline will rise by 20.1 percent and diesel by 16.5 percent, the finance ministry said. And that is just the beginning of the end for the country’s longtime fuel subsidies. From February 18, the price ceiling set by the government will be adjusted every 24 hours, the ministry said in new regulations published in the official government gazette. Then, from late March, “supply and demand will determine the price,” said the head of the National Organization of Petroleum Retailers, Jose Carlos Femat Romero. Market pricing will start with the northern states of Baja California and Sonora, and gradually be rolled out nationwide through the end of 2017, he told AFP. The move is part of a landmark energy reform by President Enrique Pena Nieto, who is trying to breathe new life into Mexico’s gigantic but stagnant oil industry. Pena Nieto signed the reforms into law in August 2014, ending a 76-year-old state monopoly on oil drilling and reopening the sector to foreign companies. State oil company Pemex had previously held a monopoly on gasoline and diesel sales and distribution. Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade sought to persuade Mexicans that the shift to market pricing was not all bad news. “In the country’s history, gasoline has practically always gone up,” he said in a radio interview. “We are going to divorce the price of oil from fiscal and political considerations.” But the price increases are expected to fuel inflation. That, combined with the US Federal Reserve’s recent decision to raise its key interest rate, prompted Mexico’s central bank to hike its own interest rate two weeks ago for the second time in a month. Kyle Van Noy Authentic Jersey