Biggest Indian solar project stalls as Jharkhand balks at cost
India’s biggest solar power project has stalled as the state which sought bids from generators says it can’t buy the energy at prices it had agreed upon. Winning developers in Jharkhand state are still waiting to sign power purchase agreements almost a year after the tender. In March, Jharkhand awarded contracts to build 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of solar. The state’s power retailer, Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd, was supposed to sign the power purchase agreements in May 2016. “We have asked for financial assistance of a few hundred crore rupees from the state’s finance department and are awaiting their response,” said R.K. Srivastava, chief secretary of the energy department in the state of Jharkhand. The delay underscores the threat from financially strapped state power retailers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious renewable energy goals. State-owned power retailers in India had combined losses of Rs3.84 trillion as of March 2015, according to a report by KPMG. Jharkhand Bijli’s managing director, Rahul Kumar Purwar, couldn’t be reached for comment. ReNew Power Ventures Pvt. Ltd, which is majority owned by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. scooped up 522 MW in the March auction. ReNew’s other investors include the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Global Environment Fund. Other winners included Suzlon Energy Ltd, OPG Power Ventures Plc, Acme Group, Adani Enterprises Ltd and SunEdison Inc. A Suzlon spokesperson was unavailable for comment. An email sent to the Adani Group wasn’t returned. OPG Power executives couldn’t be reached. In an email, ReNew Power executives declined to comment. Solar auction How much of the solar capacity awarded in March’s tender eventually gets built depends on whether the government provides the backing, Srivastava said. Tariffs awarded in the auction ranged from Rs5.08 to Rs7.90 per kilowatt-hour depending on the size of the project, all of which were supposed to become operational between May and November this year. “There is a huge difference between the average tariff of nearly Rs4.3 a unit, at which the discom buys power, and the rates quoted for solar energy in the auction last year,” Srivastava said in a phone interview, referring to the term used to identify electricity distribution companies in India. The poor financial health of the country’s power retailers has been identified as one of the biggest hurdles to Modi’s climate pledge to install 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022. Those losses mean discoms can’t buy more electricity to satisfy expected demand whether clean or conventional, nor can they add more customers. That ultimately leaves latent power demand unmet. Several domestic and overseas clean energy companies have said they haven’t received payments for the electricity they generate for more than 10 months, racking up deficits of several hundred million dollars that may put the country’s green power ambitions at risk. Jharkhand’s state discom has liabilities of Rs6,400 crore, according to government data. As marquee investors find themselves at risk, the central government has asked for a quick resolution of the matter. The government faces embarrassment should the situation in Jharkhand not be resolved, according to a senior official at the ministry of new and renewable energy who requested anonymity because he isn’t authorized to speak to the media. The ministry has asked the state to resolve the matter, the official added. Jalen Mills Womens Jersey
Ikea buys Canada wind farm to offset carbon footprint
Ikea on Thursday announced plans to buy a wind farm with 55 turbines in the oil-rich Canadian province of Alberta to offset its local stores’ electricity use and reduce their carbon footprint. The Wintering Hills 88 megawatt wind farm, approximately 130 kilometers (miles) east of Calgary, can produce enough electricity for 54 big-box stores or 26,000 households. Ikea has a dozen stores in Canada, with plans for more. The investment in renewable energy “moves us closer to our global ambition to produce more renewable energy than we consume by 2020,” Ikea Canada sustainability manager Brendan Seale said in a statement. The company has allocated $3.2 billion for renewable energy globally, and has spent half of the amount since 2009. It is buying the five-year-old wind farm in the heart of Canada’s main oil producing region from the energy firm TransAlta and mining behemoth Teck Resources for nearly Can$120 million ($92 million). It will be the second Ikea investment in renewable energy in Alberta, following the purchase of a 46 megawatt wind farm in Pincher Creek in 2013. The pair of farms will produce more than four times the energy the company consumes in Canada. The deal is expected to close within three weeks. Isaac Yiadom Womens Jersey
National Review Meeting of RE Sector with the State Governments held
Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) organized a two days National Review Meeting with the State Government officials of Renewable Energy sector from 23rd to 24th January 2017. Mobile App for Solar Rooftop Systems “ARUN- Atal Rooftop Solar User Navigator and Information Guide on Rooftop Systems was also launched on the occasion. Speaking at the concluding session of review meeting here today, Rajeev Kapoor Secretary, MNRE emphasized on the need to comply with Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) and facilitate the renewable energy installations through conducive policies and timely payments for RE power purchased. He also urged upon the States to see the RE power in the backdrop of India’s commitment of raising 40% of electric installed capacity from non-fossil fuel by 2030 under INDC. It was observed that in general the compliance of RPOs needs to be ensured. The Secretary urged upon the States to formulate and modify their policies and prepare a conducive policy regime for RE. Shri Rajeev Kapoor gave away awards in Off-grid Solar PV Programme in 12 categories namely Solar Lantern, Solar Home Lighting Systems, Solar Power Packs, Solar Street Light, Solar Power Plant, Solar Pumps (Irrigation), Solar Mini/Micro Grid, Solar Pumps (Drinking), Bank Scheme – Solar Home Systems, Bank Scheme – Solar Pumps, Cold Storage and R.O. Systems. Secretary, MNRE also presented the Annual Day Awards of Association of Renewable Energy Agencies of States (AREAS) to various State Nodal Agencies for best performance in different sectors of renewable energy during 2015-16. The progress of each State was reviewed, next financial year plan were discussed and the issues raised by the States were deliberated upon in detail and efforts were made to find their solutions in this review meeting. Presentations were made by the senior officers of the Ministry on each Programme and the State-wise issues were flagged. State Power / Energy Secretaries in charge of Renewable Energy, Heads of State Nodal Agencies and other concerned senior officials of States attended the Review Meeting. Senior officers of MNRE, CERC, NTPC, IREDA, SECI, NISE, NIWE, NIBE, etc. also participated in the meeting. Le’Veon Bell Womens Jersey
Cabinet approves land swap between Bihar govt, AAI for Patna airport
The government today cleared swapping of land between Bihar government and Airports Authority of India for the expansion and development of Patna airport, which handles traffic more than three times of its existing capacity. Union Cabinet, which met here under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved transfer of 11.35 acres of (Bihar government) land to AAI by way of exchanging equivalent area of AAI’s land at Anisabad, an official release said today. The AAI plans to expand Patna airport as the existing terminal building was built for a capacity of 0.5 million passengers per annum, against which 1.5 million passengers per annum are already using the airport. The proposed land at Patna Airport will be used for expansion of the airport and construction of new terminal building along-with other associated infrastructures, the release said. The State government has also agreed in-principle for transfer of the land, it added. The proposed new terminal building would have a capacity to cater to three million passengers per annum.
Goa tourist traffic to increase three-fold with new airport: Nitin Gadkari
After the under-construction Mopa international airport in North Goa becomes operational, the state’s inbound tourist traffic will increase three-fold, Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari Minister said on Thursday. Addressing a poll rally in Shiroda constituency, 40 km from here, he said: “Today, 91 planes come to Goa every day, but after the Mopa airport comes into being, within a year and a half, Goa will get around 250 aeroplanes. HomeIndia news Goa tourist traffic to increase three-fold with new airport: Nitin Gadkari Goa tourist traffic to increase three-fold with new airport: Nitin Gadkari Goa, one of the most popular beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country, currently attracts more than four lakh tourists. By: IANS | Panaji | Published: January 27, 2017 10:54 AM 222 SHARES FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInEmail Goa, one of the most popular beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country, currently attracts more than four lakh tourists. (Reuters) Goa, one of the most popular beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country, currently attracts more than four lakh tourists. (Reuters) After the under-construction Mopa international airport in North Goa becomes operational, the state’s inbound tourist traffic will increase three-fold, Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari Minister said on Thursday. Addressing a poll rally in Shiroda constituency, 40 km from here, he said: “Today, 91 planes come to Goa every day, but after the Mopa airport comes into being, within a year and a half, Goa will get around 250 aeroplanes. “That means, if Goa gets three times the tourists, hotels will increase threefold and youth will get threefold jobs.” Goa, one of the most popular beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country, currently attracts more than four lakh tourists. The minister also said that the upcoming four-lane highway from Mumbai to Goa, which is being built at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore, would help save a lot of lives, which are lost in accidents along the currently used Mumbai-Goa highway. “Mumbai Goa highway is a death trap, so many people have died. When I became minister I decided to build a cement-concrete road and work on the Rs 14,000 crore four lane road has started,” he said. Jason Witten Authentic Jersey
Those fancy airport stores may help lower airfares
The next time you confuse an airport with a mall, don’t fret and fume. Because higher “non-aeronautical“ earnings will help the airport operator levy lower charges on airlines. This will in turn mean lower fares for flyers. The passenger-friendly move comes as the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has decided to determine the future tariffs of major airports under the `hybrid till’ model. Under this, 30% of non-aeronautical revenue will be used to subsidise aviation charges. It will also provide a boost to investment in airport sector by ensuring funding to projects without burdening airlines -and in turn passengers -with skyhigh charges. However, the tariffs of Delhi and Mumbai airports will not be impacted by this and continue to be determined as per the agreements with the airport operators at these metros. “`Single till’ may not be appropriate at this juncture when there is high growth and capacity expansion is the need of the hour. The Authority’s methodology for tariff determination should be consistent with the government policy ,“ AERA order says. Several airport operators were in favour of the ‘single till’ model -where non-aeronautical earnings are not used to cross-subsidise aero charges, leading to higher charges for airlines. This, in turn, leads to higher fares and airport user charges. Amber Dubey, head of av iation at KPMG, said in a Facebook post that AERA’s move was in line with the civil aviation policy . “This is likely to boost investor sentiment in the Indian airport sector which has so far seen tepid response from leading global players, despite huge growth opportunities here. End of a six-year struggle. Good move (by) AERA,“ his post said. “The `single till’ mechanism does not provide adequate funds to airport operators for taking up various expansion and modernisation programmes. `Hybrid till’ is more suitable for fund capital additions. One of the major functions of the Authority is to ensure that the airport operator has adequate funds to make capital additions at the appropriate time. `Single till’ mechanism cannot provide adequate funds to the airport operators in a timely manner and it cannot be adopted uniformly at all times and at all airports,“ AERA order says. Dalvin Tomlinson Jersey
Pay regional connectivity levy either from pocket or charge customer, Aviation minister tells airlines
The aviation ministry has warned private airlines that they need to start contributing to the corpus that will fund the regional connectivity scheme. “You (airlines) are contesting that it (the charge) is illegal. Now we, within the government, have a procedure and a whole department of law. No proposal is brought out unless the legal department approves it. Now, we are a free country — even a murderer can go to court,” aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told ET. “I go by our law department. They say it is legal. No government will bring out an illegal rule. So, they are liable by law. We do not intervene in airline’s business plans. So, whether they charge it from passengers or pay it themselves is their call,” he added. He said the regional connectivity scheme was drawn up after discussions with stakeholders, including airlines. The scheme, which aims to provide regional connectivity at Rs 2,500 per hour of flight, is to be funded by charging carriers a fee per landing at all major airports in the country. The Centre has imposed a levy of Rs 7,500 per flight between cities that are up to 1,000 km apart. For distances of 1,000-1,500 km, the levy will be Rs 8,000 per flight, and for above 1,500 km, Rs 8,500 per flight. The money is to be deposited in an escrow account operated by the Airports Authority of India. It’s estimated that this will earn Rs 500 crore annually to fund up to 90% of the subsidy cost to make regional flights financially viable for operators. Barring Air India, which started levying a fee of Rs 70 per passenger on most domestic routes from January 16, no other airline has started paying it. Private airlines have termed the levy illegal. The Federation of Indian Airlines, which comprises IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir, have also challenged the government’s order in courts. Minister of state for aviation Jayant Sinha had told a press conference that the government is in talks with airlines to resolve the issue. Kolton Miller Womens Jersey
Australia-listed Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd signs 20 year pact to supply US LNG to India
Australia-listd Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (LNG Ltd) has signed a pact to potentially supply gas from its planned Magnolia LNG project in the US to India for 20 years. LNG Ltd signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with Vessel Gasification Solutions, Inc (VGS) for supply of 4 million tonnes a year of LNG from its Lake Charles, Louisiana, project for 20 years, the company said in a statement. “The non-binding HOA provides for a 20-year Free-on-Board (FOB) Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) of up to 4 million metric tonnes per annum” of liquefied natural gas, it said. VGS Group, an Indo-American company, is developing a floating LNG import and regasification terminal offshore Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. The project has two stages, with phase one comprising building a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) with a capacity of 4.47 million tonnes, which in the second phase would be scaled up to 8.94 million tonnes. The statement said VGS is targeting to be the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility on the east coast but it did not give timeliness for either setting up the import terminal or supply of gas from US. “The obligations of the parties are conditional upon (its wholly-owned subsidiary) Magnolia LNG, LLC’s satisfaction with or waiver of conditions precedent including financial close of the Kakinada terminal and satisfaction by VGS of defined credit requirements underpinning their LNG purchases within agreed time frames,” the statement said. Magnolia LNG (MLNG) is an 8 million tonne per annum or more LNG export terminal development in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. LNG Limited’s Managing Director & CEO Greg Vesey said: “We look forward to supplying long-term volumes to the Indian market to meet their growing needs for clean energy. Overall, this agreement represents another important step forward for the MLNG Project.” “With the execution of this agreement, VGS is now in a prime position to execute on the first-mover advantage we have established on India’s East Coast,” said Gaurav Tiwari, President of VGS. “We are very excited to take this step forward in our relationship with Magnolia, and we look forward to working with the Magnolia team to bring a significant tranche of US-produced LNG to a key new market on the East Coast of India,” he added. Magnolia LNG proposes to construct and operate up to four liquefaction production trains, each with a capacity to turn 2 million tonnes per annum of natural gas into liquid fuel (LNG) for ease of transportation. The statement said Magnolia LNG is fully permitted and has requisite approvals to export gas to both FTA and non-FTA nations. “Final investment decision and initiation of construction are expected upon execution of sufficient offtake agreements to support financing,” it added. John Johnson Authentic Jersey
‘Green fuel from farm waste will reduce country’s dependency’
In run-up to Goa Assembly elections, the BJP today tried to woo the farming and fishing communities through various measures to boost their economic status. “The farmers in India would be producing fuel from the remains of farm products. The fuel that would be generated by farmers would be green one and will also be cost effective,” Union minister and BJP’s election in-charge for Goa Nitin Gadkari said addressing a BJP rally in Sanvordem constituency in South Goa. Gadkari said farmers in his home region of Vidarbha in Maharashtra have already started the “revolution” by producing fuel from farm produce. “Vidarbha has shown to the world thatfarmers can produce ethanol from remains of sugarcane after it was processed for sugar production. We can convert the buses and other public transport on ethanol, which is a green fuel,” the BJP MP said. He said at least 55 air conditioned buses are operating on ethanol in Nagpur, his home town. “The buses have helped to reduce pollution and they are cost effective,” the minister added. Gadkari said the alternate fuel can be generated from rice, wheat and cotton straw as well as from sugarcane waste. “Generation of fuel by farmers would decrease our country’s dependency on global fuel,” he said. Gadkari said Union government has already laid the foundation stone for a Rs 800-crore project for fishermen in Goa, which will help them market and process the fish. He said the government has introduced a scheme to help groups of fishermen to buy trawlers so that they can fish even outside the periphery of 11 nautical miles in sea. “State government has got jurisdiction in sea up to eleven nautical miles, after that it is under the purview of the Central government. Our government has designed a special scheme for fishermen in which they can form a group and buy trawlers,” the minister said. At present, state government has jurisdiction on fishing within 11 nautical miles and beyond is under Centre. “We want to encourage fishing outside 11 nautical miles so that their (fishermen’) business can prosper and their economic condition gets the boost. “A group of five to fifteen fishermen can approach the Centre with the capital investment of Rs 5 lakh on which the they will be provided Rs 15 lakh and banks will give them loan of Rs 1 crore,” he added. Gadkari said as trawlers will be well-equipped they will help in boosting production of fish in the coastal state, which in turn would contribute to the welfare of fishermen. Goa is going to polls on February 4 to elect 40-member House. Todd Davis Authentic Jersey
GPS to be mandatory for all commercial vehicles by year-end
Installation of the global positioning system (GPS) will be made mandatory for all commercial transport vehicles in the State by this year-end to bring in transparency. All commercial vehicles, including autorickshaws, cars, trucks and buses, have to install GPS in line with the Centre and the Supreme Court’s direction, official sources in the Transport Department told The Hindu. Those violating the rule will not be given permission to use the vehicle for commercial purposes or transportation, an official said. Owners have to install GPS devices at their own cost, which runs into a few thousand rupees, depending on the manufacturer. Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS), a firm, which has bagged the contract for installing GPS in commercial vehicles in Delhi, has submitted a detailed proposal for adoption of devices in Karnataka. The company, which bags the bidding, would be permitted to monitor the functioning of GPS in vehicles, the official said. Fitting public transport vehicles with GPS devices was one of the measures that the Delhi government planned after the gang-rape case four years ago. Sources said the GPS devices have been installed in 6,400 Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and around 2,000 Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses. There are around 1.6 crore vehicles on the road in the State, of which 16 lakh are transport vehicles. Another 1.44 crore vehicles are non-transport, of which 1.15 crore are two-wheelers. Adoption of devices would help the Transport Department to keep a tab on mineral-laden trucks and crack down on illegal transportation of minerals. Such devices help track trucks from the time of loading to unloading and also crack down on stolen vehicles, the official said. Currently, most logistics and courier service enterprises have installed these devices to track their vehicles. But a large number of commercial vehicles in the private sector have not adopted GPS devices. Installation of GPS provides details about the vehicle, including the distance covered and so on. How it works The GPS devices will receive satellite signals triangulating data such as location, speed, travel history, and driving patterns. This data can be collected by the vehicle owner as well as by a monitoring agency like the Transport Department. A control room will be set up to monitor movements of transport vehicles across the State. As GPS devices are passive receivers of satellite signals, they cannot be disabled easily. However, tracking is dependent on the position of satellites, surroundings and the weather as a minimum of four satellites are needed for accurate noting of location. Ryan McDonagh USA Authentic Jersey