World Bank sanctions Rs 1,376 crore for Tripura power upgradation
The World Bank has sanctioned Rs 1,376 crore for complete upgradation and improvement of the power system network in the State, Power Minister Manik Dey said today. “The total project cost sanctioned by World Bank is Rs 1,376 crore and the project is divided into five phases. SPML Infra Ltd has got contract of the first phase. In the first phase, Rs 461 crore would be spent. Large number of 132 KV and 33 KV substations will be constructed and upgraded under the project,” Dey said. The Minister added that new 132 KV substations would be constructed at Belonia, Bagafa, Sabroom and Satchand in South Tripura district, Rabindranagar, Gokulnagar in Sipahijala district, Mohanpur in West district, Amarpur in Gomati district and Manu in Dhalai district. Matt Adams Jersey
FirstEnergy to sell four Pennsylvania gas generating plants to LS Power
FirstEnergy Corp said on Thursday it would sell four gas-generating plants in Pennsylvania and portion of a Virginia hydroelectric power station to a unit of LS Power Equity Partners III LP for about $925 million. The power stations, owned by FirstEnergy’s units, have a total capacity of 1,572 megawatts (MW). Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy’s move comes as it shifts its focus to more regulated markets by selling or deactivating assets in highly competitive and less regulated markets. FirstEnergy will own or control a total generating capacity of about 15,380 MW upon the closing of the deal. Carmelo Anthony Jersey
Solar energy can help in poverty alleviation: Power minister Piyush Goyal
Solar energy can help in poverty alleviation programmes as it can provide income to a large number of people having land but no income from it, Power Minister Piyush Goyal has said. “Solar can add value to poverty alleviation efforts and deeply impact education for children. Several people with land rights have no economic return, solar can provide them income,” Goyal said at a session of World Future Energy Summit 2017 at Abu Dhabi. Goyal is leading a 20-member official and business delegation in the Summit. The minister is of the view that solar is an economically sound business proposition. The spread and success of the solar story will happen on its own merit. The whole world is conspiring to make this happen. According to a statement released by industry body FICCI, Goyal also said that the International Solar Alliance can play an important role as a catalyst to bring the recipients of technology and capital. “It is the fastest launch of an international organisation from concept to launch. Technology will play a crucial role. We need consumers, policymakers, private sector, and academia to come together in a partnership to make the ISA a successful platform”, he added. The minister also said, “India s energy security is going to define our energy mix. It is in India’s interest to enhance renewable energy not just for combating climate change but for its own energy security. Getting out of feed in tariff and into competitive bidding has strengthened the system. This is great for investors looking for transparent systems.” “We have looked at ameliorating counter party risk for distribution companies through a payment security mechanism. Even on a day to day basis, renewable energy will become very attractive compared to fossil based energy,” he added. Goyal further said, “For new investments, the environment is a lot more exciting and attractive. Investors present at the roundtable suggested three measures by government to provide comfort one, land acquisition; two, connectivity in transmission, and three, assurance that projects will not get delayed due to power purchase agreements.” Will Fuller V Womens Jersey
Piped cooking gas in PM’s constituency Varanasi by March next year
People in Varanasi, the Parliament constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will start getting piped cooking gas by March next year, about nine months ahead of the proposed Jagdishpur-Haldia gas pipeline touches the city, with supplies sourced using tankers. State-owned natural gas major GAILBSE -0.69 % plans to start a gas distribution pilot in Varanasi and Bhubaneswar by March 2018, its director (projects) Ashutosh Karnatak said. During the pilot, each city would have two compressed natural gas (CNG) stations for vehicles and about 500 domestic piped gas connections. The supply will be fetched from the nearest sources using tankers until the Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline reaches the two cities, Karnatak said. GAIL is building a 2,620-km of gas pipeline from Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal, Bokaro in Jharkhand and Dhamra in Odisha. It also has the government mandate to develop city gas distribution network in seven cities along the way and supply piped gas to consumers in those cities. GAIL is rapidly implementing the pipeline project, awarding contracts for laying of pipeline on several stretches and engaging with landowners to easily secure right of use. “Our mantra is constraint first, progress later. We try and resolve the problems of our vendors first. With their constraints gone, the progress is automatically made,” said Karnatak. “We are continuously engaging with farmers, understanding their pulse, gauging their reactions to secure their participation in the process. This should help us stay on schedule,” he said. Under the plan, Varanasi is the first of the seven cities to be touched by the proposed pipeline, with Patna, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack coming in later. The pipeline, with a gas carrying capacity of 16 million metric standard cubic meters a day, will reach Varanasi and Patna by December 2018 and other cities next year. GAIL will invest Rs 2,800 crore in building city gas distribution networks in all seven cities, which are expected to serve nearly 3.4 lakh domestic and industrial customers and 1.7 lakh vehicles in five years. Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline project had been languishing for years. The Modi government gave it a new lease of life. Its route was also changed, benefiting Varanasi and cities in Odisha. Cam Neely Jersey
Duty casts a cloud over solar panel makers in export zones
Eleven solar panel manufacturers in export oriented zones are on the verge of shutting down and another four have already downed shutters saying the import duty structure has rendered them uncompetitive in the local and export markets. “If export oriented units sell their panels in the domestic market, they become un-exempt from duty exemption while their counterparts from Special Economic Zones and Domestic Tariff Areas’ remains exempt from such duties.This has resulted in a large number of units in export oriented units on the verge of closing down their operations while some has already been shut because they have been rendered uncompetitive,“ said Subrata Mukherjee, director at Sova Power and founding member of the All India EoU Solar Manufacturers. “There are around 46 solar panel manufacturers in India of which 11 are in export oriented units and they are the ones not being able to compete with their counterparts in other zones. Some 4-5 have already shut operations,“ said Vineet Jain, director at Green Brilliance Energy. According to Cecil Anthony, director at Synergy Electric and a member of the Association that has been recently formed, the market price for solar panel of one watt is around Rs 30 of which the cost of materials including cost of assembly and other raw materials come to around Rs 25 a watt. “We are being asked to pay a duty of Rs 2. Another Rs 2.75 is needed for paying for manpower, admin and power costs. Leaving us with 75 paise per watt which is not enough to pay finance costs,“ said Anthony. Sujit Saha, general manager at Sova Solar said: “As a result of the customs duty cost of solar modules produced at EoUs have increased by 25% in comparison to their counterparts in other zones. It is killing the firms at EoUs. In fact we have two units one at an EoU the other at a SEZ. The unit at the EoU has already suspended operations. “If this goes on for long rest of the 11 units would have to down shutters,“ said Anthony. “We have made several representations to the power ministry as well as the ministry of new and renewable energy. They have agreed to the fact that firms at EoUs should be treated at par with their counterparts in other units. However, there has been no notification or clarification on this front. In fact, the customs department has already sent us a show-cause notice asking why won’t these units at EoU pay the customs duty because the law requires them to pay the duty,“ said Saha. C.J. Anderson Womens Jersey
India as a solar power bright spot helps fill Japan, China slowdown
India may be a bright spot for global solar markets this year as it adds capacity at a record pace, becoming one of the top regions for panel producers struggling with rock-bottom prices. India is expected to add nearly twice as much new solar as last year, outpacing once-booming Japan, according to forecasts by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). China, the world’s largest renewables market, will see solar growth dip by about a fifth after peaking in 2016, London-based BNEF predicts. Bolstered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious clean-energy goals, India’s rising appetite for solar power spells good news for Chinese solar cell and module manufacturers including Trina Solar Ltd and Hanwha Q Cells Co. It comes after the global spot market price for solar panels fell to a record low amid slowing demand elsewhere. India pipped Japan to become the top importer of solar cells and modules from China for three out of 10 months last year and the trend will continue in 2017, says Xiaoting Wang ofBNEF. “India will account for 10 to 13% of global new build in the next couple of years, and its market fluctuation will have an important impact on the short-term supply-demand relationship and therefore the pricing environment,” Wang said. India and Latin America are among key growth markets for solar panels, Trina Solar chief executive officer Gao Jifan said in an interview this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The world’s second-most populous nation is likely to add about 8.9 gigawatts of new solar in 2017, nearly twice the 4.5 gigawatts last year, according to BNEF’s most conservative estimate. Japan’s new solar capacity may drop to about 6 gigawatts from 8.9 gigawatts in 2016, while China is estimated to fall to about 21.6 gigawatts from about 26.5 gigawatts last year. To be sure, India’s solar capacity is still small compared with China, the world’s largest solar market, and Japan. agencies While India races against time to meet Modi’s goal of installing 100 gigawatts of capacity by 2022, China scaled back its target by 27% to 105 gigawatts by 2020 under its 13th five-year plan amid stagnating electricity demand and a slowing economy. The five-year plan marks the beginning of a new era of reduced investment in renewables, BNEF said in its China Outlook for the second half of 2016, adding that it expects 2016 to be the near-term peak for new installed solar capacity in the world’s second-largest economy. According to BNEF chairman Michael Liebreich, one of the “less welcome” developments of 2016 was that wind and solar investment fell from their peaks in both China and Japan. “This came as a major jolt to the sector, after many years of seemingly inexorable growth,” Liebreich said in his yearly review for 2016. Japan’s solar installations for 2016 are estimated at 8.6 gigawatts to 9.2 gigawatts, lower than in 2015, according to BNEF’s forecast. The drop comes as the country scales back generous incentive tariffs. China and Japan are now planning to adopt auctions. While India has conducted auctions since 2010 to build solar projects, Japan has promised to introduce the mechanism this year in a bid to lower the subsidies developers receive. Japan’s new solar installs peaked in 2015 when the country added 11.5 gigawatts of capacity, according to BNEF data. China, which has built most of its solar capacity under feed-in-tariffs, or government-set prices, is reducing these preferential tariffs and encouraging auctions to lower solar prices. Malcolm Subban Womens Jersey
Winter power demand hits new high
Winter heating to counter a severe cold wave sweeping across north India has driven up power demand beyond what was seen in previous years, sending power distributors in the region scurrying to negotiate arrangements to prepare for contingencies. Delhi’s peak power demand this winter is expected to be around 4,500-4,600 mega watt (MW), compared to around 4,125MW a year ago, according to a spokesperson for two units of BSES promoted by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd supplying power in the National Capital Region (NCR). Peak winter power demand in NCR which has steadily risen from 3,678MW in 2010, has already crossed last year’s winter peak. Last summer, peak demand had touched 6,188MW in the capital on 20 May, about a quarter more than the peak summer demand around the same time a year ago. Energy demand peaks in mornings and early night hours compared to the average level of supply and forms a component in the electricity tariff to the consumer. It makes sense for a consumer to keep her peak demand lower as power generation companies have to invest in extra capacity required to service the peak demand which remains idle at other times. According to Praveer Sinha, chief executive officer and managing director at Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, Delhi may see a rise in winter peak power demand as compared to previous years due to the persistent cold wave. “We all are experiencing a dip in the temperature to the coldest minimum since 2013, which has led to the increase in demand. At Tata Power-DDL, we have made prior arrangements to meet the rising demand…We have tied up through long-term power supply, banking as well as procurement on short term though the exchange,” said Sinha. Power banking is a barter system of supplying excess power available to a distribution company to a counterpart which can be sourced back at another season at no cost. Distribution firms serving in plains strike such deals with those in hill states where power demand is more in winter and less in summer. “Besides long-term arrangements, we are also using techniques like banking and backdown to dispose of surplus power and making arrangements to get power during summer months. In case of any unforeseeable contingency, BSES discoms will buy short-term power from the exchange which is available at economical rates,” said the company spokesperson. BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd will bank the surplus of around 200MW with states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. BSES Yamuna Power Ltd (BYPL) has arranged for an additional 150MW from Punjab for December and January. To reduce the night surplus, BYPL will supply around 175MW to Bihar between December and March, said the spokesperson. This year, winter came late in the north and central parts of India. Two sets of cold waves, first between 11-15 January and the second between 18-19 January led to a severe fall in temperature across many parts of north and central India. In the first spell, Delhi’s minimum temperature dropped to 3.4 degrees Celsius on 12 January, the lowest in January in three years. Churu in Rajasthan recorded a minimum temperature of -1.9°C, seven degrees below average, making it the coldest city in the country on 12 January. According to India Meteorological Department, another cold wave will grip the northern parts of the country in the next few days which would lead to a fall in temperature. Isolated parts of North Rajasthan and south Haryana will continue facing cold waves during this period. Patrick Kane Authentic Jersey
OPEC oil output to come down in January: International Energy Agency
Steeper cuts in OPEC oil production are likely this month as producers increasingly implement a recent key deal aimed at stabilising oil prices, the IEA said Thursday. “Initial indications are that a steeper (month-on-month) decline may be on the way in January,” said the International Energy Agency, which analyses energy markets for major oil consuming nations. Under a landmark deal on November 30, aimed at reducing a global supply glut that depressed oil prices, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is meant to slash its output ceiling by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 32.5 million bpd, effective January 1. On Wednesday, the cartel said that its oil production fell in December but remains well above levels envisaged the deal. However, steeper cuts would come this month as Saudi Arabia and nearby producers move to implement the agreed reductions, the IEA said. Under the deal, Saudi Arabia is to cut production to 10.1 million bpd, Iraq to 4.4 million bpd, Kuwait to 2.7 million bpd and UAE to 2.9 million bpd, according to OPEC. Iran, able to export crude freely again following the lifting of sanctions under a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, can ramp up output to 3.8 million bpd. Libya and Nigeria are exempt from the accord, while Indonesia has suspended its membership. – Coordinated cuts – “OPEC’s elevated supply during 2016 helped push global oil stocks to record levels and the explicit aim … of the deal is to speed the market’s return to balance by working off the excess,” the IEA said. “Coordinated action with non-OPEC countries… could hasten the process.” On December 10, OPEC also struck an agreement with countries outside the group, most notably Russia but not the United States, for them to reduce production. Both deals boosted oil prices by around 20 percent to above $50 per barrel, but gains have been capped by unease about implementation and rising US shale production thanks to the higher prices. On Thursday oil prices firmed, with WTI up 27 cents at $51.35 and Brent 34 cents higher at $54.26. Both agreements are valid for six months and are extendable for another six months. However, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih said Monday it was “unlikely” that an extension would be necessary, pointing to a pick-up in global demand. The IEA said the output cuts “have entered their probation period and it is far too soon to see what level of compliance has been achieved.” “The coming weeks will provide more clarity.” A committee to monitor compliance — Kuwait, Algeria and Venezuela along with non-OPEC producers Russia and Oman — is tentatively scheduled to meet in Vienna this weekend. – Vigorous demand – In the meantime, the IEA said it had revised upwards its estimate for global oil demand growth in 2016 and now saw growth at 1.5 mbd, “with most of the revision contributed by stronger European demand.” In particular, demand was vigorous in the fourth quarter of 2016 as it was “pulled higher by a combination of resurgent industrial activity and colder winter weather conditions,” the agency said. “In 2017, however, we still expect the rate of growth for global demand to fall back to 1.3 mbd,” it continued. “The prospect of higher product prices — assuming that the cost of crude oil rises in 2017 — plus the possibility of a stronger US dollar are factors behind our reduced demand growth outlook for this year.” Marqise Lee Authentic Jersey