In a big infrastructure boost, 871 km of the Brahmaputra in Assam to be dredged
In a bid to further give a boost to development in Assam, a total of 871 km of the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam will be dredged. It is learnt that the Centre will bear the expenditure. A senior official of the Inland Water Transport department said that a survey of 300 km of the Brahmaputra has been completed so far by the state PWD department for dredging of the river, said while participating in an All India Radio News talk show last night.BD Choudhury said help of experts will be taken for the dredging. The Inland Water Transport director said the dredging will bring opportunities to Assam as the state will get access to Chittagong port in Bangladesh benefiting 54 lakh people in the state involved in the water transport system, besides tourism getting a boost through improved water transport system.He said water taxi service will be introduced in Guwahati this year and the World Bank has sanctioned Rs 1000 crore for the development of Inland water transport in Assam. An expressway will be constructed along the river after dredging, Choudhury added.Dredging would primarily emphasize on erosion control, sediment management, and flood control and the whole process would be carried out in line with the hydrological character of the Brahmaputra, the statement said. Considering the annual silt load of Brahmaputra, water carrying capacity of the river has been reduced to an extent causing floods in the state when there was incessant rains.Dredging is very important and look what happened in Kashmir because Jhelum was not dredged properly. But, in cases where engineering science needs to be applied, dredging becomes important as without the application of dredging one will not be able to channelize the construction of the requisite edifices properly. Only by making adequate and correct usage of dredging tools and by dredging the right amount of underwater silt and compositions, have a lot of excellent constructions been done so as to be marveled by people across the world. Pedro Martinez Womens Jersey
Indian, Bangladeshi companies ink pacts worth over $9 bn
Companies from India and Bangladesh today signed pacts worth over $9 billion here aimed at deepening partnership in sectors like power and oil and gas. Among the MoUs signed in the presence of visiting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a facility agreement between Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL) and Exim Bank of India for debt financing for construction of 1,320 mw Maitree Power Project in Rampal in Bangladesh ($1.6 bn). The MoUs include an implementation and power purchase agreement between Reliance Power and the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources for the first phase (718 mw) of the 3,000 mw power project at Meghnaghat, entailing $1 billion (out of a total proposed investment of $3 billion). HomeEconomy Indian, Bangladeshi companies ink pacts worth over $9 bn Indian, Bangladeshi companies ink pacts worth over $9 bn Companies from India and Bangladesh today signed pacts worth over $9 billion here aimed at deepening partnership in sectors like power and oil and gas. By: PTI | New Delhi | Published: April 10, 2017 2:34 PM 61 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Plus Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Source: PMO/Twitter) Companies from India and Bangladesh today signed pacts worth over $9 billion here aimed at deepening partnership in sectors like power and oil and gas. Among the MoUs signed in the presence of visiting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a facility agreement between Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL) and Exim Bank of India for debt financing for construction of 1,320 mw Maitree Power Project in Rampal in Bangladesh ($1.6 bn). The MoUs include an implementation and power purchase agreement between Reliance Power and the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources for the first phase (718 mw) of the 3,000 mw power project at Meghnaghat, entailing $1 billion (out of a total proposed investment of $3 billion). Watch this also: The agreement between NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) and Bangladesh Power Development Board for supply of power from Nepal envisaged an investment of $3.15 billion. The event also saw signing of pact between Adani Power (Jharkhand) and the Bangladesh Power Development Board entailing an investment of $2 billion and a power purchase agreement between Adani Power (Jharkhand) and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh. Besides, the MoUs signed include those on LNG terminal use between Petronet LNG, India and Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla), among others. The MoU-signing ceremony was organised by CII. Fozzy Whittaker Authentic Jersey
Budget carrier IndiGo claims to run 900 flights on single day; highest ever by any Indian airlines
Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Saturday claimed that it operated a total of 900 flights on April 7, making it the highest ever by any Indian airline company. Commenting upon the same, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo said, “We at IndiGo are thrilled on having flown 900 daily flights for the first time yesterday… Now, the team is excited to reach the 1,000 flights milestone.” The budget carrier has recently added 35 new domestic flights in its summer schedule which will be operational during April and May. The airlines is also said to add new flight frequencies from cities like Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Agartala, Amritsar, Trivandrum and Delhi. “Effective April and May, IndiGo will introduce new flights between Amritsar-Jammu, Chennai-Bhubaneshwar, Chennai-Indore, Kolkata-Jammu, Srinagar-Kolkata, Bengaluru-Mangalore, Mumbai-Mangalore, Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad-Trivandrum, respectively,” IANS quoted IndiGo saying in a statement. The airlines today has also announced discounted fares for select domestic routes starting at Rs 1,119. In a report published by NDTV Profit website, the IndiGo Rs. 1,119 offer is on Chennai-Bengaluru route. An advanced search on the IndiGo’s website showed that the Rs. 1,119 sale is available for travel in mid-May. Other low fares available under the special offers are Delhi-Jaipur (Rs. 1,200), Coimbatore-Chennai (Rs. 1,220), Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad (Rs. 1,221), Imphal-Guwahati (Rs. 1,222), and Goa-Bengaluru (Rs. 1,267). The airline recently announced introduction of 35 new flights as part of its summer schedule. HomeIndustry Budget carrier IndiGo claims to run 900 flights on single day; highest ever by any Indian airlines Budget carrier IndiGo claims to run 900 flights on single day; highest ever by any Indian airlines Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Saturday claimed that it operated a total of 900 flights on April 7, making it the highest ever by any Indian airline company. By: FE Online | Updated: April 8, 2017 8:50 PM 504 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Plus IndiGo, 900 flights IndiGo, Aditya Ghosh, Low-cost carrier, indian airlines, flights from Delhi, Delhi flights, flights in India, cheap flights in India Advertisement Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Saturday claimed that it operated a total of 900 flights on April 7, making it the highest ever by any Indian airline company. (Source: Reuters) Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Saturday claimed that it operated a total of 900 flights on April 7, making it the highest ever by any Indian airline company. Commenting upon the same, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo said, “We at IndiGo are thrilled on having flown 900 daily flights for the first time yesterday… Now, the team is excited to reach the 1,000 flights milestone.” The budget carrier has recently added 35 new domestic flights in its summer schedule which will be operational during April and May. The airlines is also said to add new flight frequencies from cities like Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Agartala, Amritsar, Trivandrum and Delhi. “Effective April and May, IndiGo will introduce new flights between Amritsar-Jammu, Chennai-Bhubaneshwar, Chennai-Indore, Kolkata-Jammu, Srinagar-Kolkata, Bengaluru-Mangalore, Mumbai-Mangalore, Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad-Trivandrum, respectively,” IANS quoted IndiGo saying in a statement. The airlines today has also announced discounted fares for select domestic routes starting at Rs 1,119. In a report published by NDTV Profit website, the IndiGo Rs. 1,119 offer is on Chennai-Bengaluru route. An advanced search on the IndiGo’s website showed that the Rs. 1,119 sale is available for travel in mid-May. Other low fares available under the special offers are Delhi-Jaipur (Rs. 1,200), Coimbatore-Chennai (Rs. 1,220), Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad (Rs. 1,221), Imphal-Guwahati (Rs. 1,222), and Goa-Bengaluru (Rs. 1,267). The airline recently announced introduction of 35 new flights as part of its summer schedule. Being one of the largest passenger airline carriers in the country, IndiGo translate into a market share of 39.5 per cent as of February, 2017. The Gurgaon-based airline carrier currently operate flights connecting to 46 destinations across the globe- 39 domestic and 7 international. IndiGo has a fleet size of 131 including 19 new generation A320neos. Paul George Womens Jersey
2016 a Record Year for Renewables, Latest IRENA Data Reveals
Global renewable energy generation capacity increased by 161 gigawatts (GW) in 2016, making the strongest year ever for new capacity additions, according to data released today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics 2017, estimates that by the end of last year the world’s renewable generation capacity reached 2,006 GW, with solar energy showing particularly strong growth. “We are witnessing an energy transformation taking hold around the world, and this is reflected in another year of record breaking additions in new renewable energy capacity,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. “This growth in deployment emphasizes the increasingly strong business case for renewables which also have multiple socio-economic benefits in terms of fueling economic growth, creating jobs and improving human welfare and the environment. But accelerating this momentum will require additional investment in order to move decisively towards decarbonising the energy sector and meet climate objectives. This new data is an encouraging sign that though there is much yet to do, we are on the right path,” Mr. Amin added. IRENA’s new data shows that last year’s additions grew the world’s renewable energy capacity by 8.7 per cent, with a record 71 GW of new solar energy leading the growth. 2016 marked the first time since 2013 that solar growth outpaced wind energy, which increased by 51 GW, while hydropower and bioenergy capacities increased 30 GW and 9 GW respectively —the best ever year for growth in bioenergy capacity. Geothermal energy capacity increased by just under 1 GW. Asia accounted for 58 per cent of new renewable additions in 2016, according to the data, giving it a total of 812 GW or roughly 41 per cent of the global capacity. Asia was also the fastest growing region, with a 13.1 per cent increase in renewable capacity. Africa installed 4.1 GW of new capacity in 2016, twice as much as 2015. This year’s edition of Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics contains for the first time data specifically for off-grid renewables. IRENA shows that off-grid renewable electricity capacity reached 2,800 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2016. Roughly 40 per cent of off-grid electricity was provided by solar energy and 10 per cent from hydropower. The majority of the remainder came from bioenergy. It is estimated that globally as many as 60 million households, or 300 million people, are served with and benefit from off-grid renewable electricity. Highlights by technology: Hydropower: In 2016, about half of new hydro capacity was installed in Brazil and China (14.6 GW in total). Other countries with major hydro expansion (over 1 GW) included: Canada; Ecuador; Ethiopia and India. Wind energy: Almost three-quarters of new wind energy capacity was installed last year in just four countries: China (+19 GW); USA (+9 GW); Germany (+5 GW); and India (+4 GW). Brazil continued to show strong growth, with an increase of 2 GW in 2016. Bioenergy: The majority of bioenergy capacity expansion occurred in Asia last year (+5.9 GW) and Asia is fast approaching Europe in terms of its share of global bioenergy capacity (32 per cent compared to 34 per cent in Europe). Europe (+1.3 GW) and South America (+0.9 GW) were the other two regions where bioenergy capacity expanded significantly. Solar energy: Asia saw the most growth in solar capacity last year, with capacity of 139 GW (+50 GW). Almost half of all new solar capacity was installed in China in 2016 (+34 GW). Other countries with significant expansion included: USA (+11 GW); Japan (+8 GW) and India (+4 GW). Capacity in Europe expanded by 5 GW to reach 104 GW, with most expansion occurring in Germany and the UK. Geothermal energy: Geothermal power capacity increased by 780 MW in 2016, with expansions in Kenya (+485 MW), Turkey (+150 MW), Indonesia (+95 MW) and Italy (+55 MW). Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics 2017 offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date and accessible figures on renewable energy capacity statistics. It includes figures from 2000 to 2016, and contains data from more than 200 countries and territories. Tobias Rieder Authentic Jersey
IREDA finances Rs 10,000 crore green projects during 2016-17
The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency increased its financing of green energy projects considerably in 2016-17, crossing the milestone of Rs 10,000 crore in a single year for the first time. IREDA provided loans of Rs 10,200 crore through 2016-17 for 112 clean energy projects across solar, wind, small hydro and biogas. “In the coming year, we plan to do Rs 12,500-13,000 crore,” said KS Popli, chairman and managing director. It nearly doubled its support for solar projects to Rs 4785.87 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 2684.68 crore in 2015-16, but its financing of wind projects dropped slightly to Rs 2511.69 crore from Rs 2735.51crore. The company, currently an NBFC under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, with mini navratna status, also hopes to come out with an initial public offering later this year for which cabinet approval has been sought. “We plan to sell around 13 crore shares divesting 15% of our stake,” said Popli. The share price and amount to be raised have not yet been decided, but Popli expected shares to sell at a premium of Rs 40-50 a share following the listing. IREDA has also initiated the process of converting from an NBFC to a green bank. “In effect, we are already a green bank, but some more formalities have to be gone through before our name can be changed appropriately,” he said. “We are working on the process.” The falling tariffs of solar and wind power, thanks to the auction process initiated by the government, may please discoms and consumers, but financiers of renewable energy projects such as IREDA may have reasons to worry as their borrowers’ margins get squeezed. “Some people do feel that project viability may be affected by the dropping tariffs,” said Popli. “But I expect developers to take due care and get the right price for their power. My discussions with them suggest they have factored in everything. Besides, the advantage with low tariffs is that electricity boards will be more inclined to sign contracts for renewable energy which gives financiers like us comfort that repayments will be made.” Is it possible to make financing for renewable energy cheaper? “At present, loans are being provided at 10-10.5% by most banks and financial institutions,” said Popli, adding, “We have to come up with innovative solutions if we want to lower them further.” Vin Baker Womens Jersey
Unruly air passengers to face ‘severe consequences’: MoS for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha
The civil aviation ministry today warned that unruly air passengers will face “severe consequences”, including police action, a day after Air India lifted the flying ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad. Gaikwad was barred by Air India and leading private carriers after he assaulted a staffer of the national airline at the Delhi airport last month. Following direction from the ministry, Air India lifted the ban yesterday and private airlines followed suit today. In a series of tweets, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said unruly behaviour by air passengers will result in severe consequences. This is the first official response from the ministry after the airlines revoked the ban on Gaikwad — a development that had become a political hot potato after the Shiv Sena, an ally at the Centre, sought lifting of the ban. “Air travellers should note that safety and security for passengers and crew are our paramount priority. Unruly and disruptive behaviour will result in severe consequences. This includes police action for a specific incident as well as being placed on a no-fly list,” he said. Sinha emphasised that the ministry is strengthening rules so that a national no-fly list can be implemented so that such incidents can be prevented and safety improved. About the incident involving the Shiv Sena member, the minister said Gaikwad had apologised and provided an undertaking that such incidents would not reoccur. “Therefore AI (Air India) has been advised to revoke his ban… Police investigations regarding Gaikwad’s conduct during the March 23 incident are under way and the law will take its own course,” Sinha said. Furthermore, in response to certain tweets related to Gaikwad incident, Sinha said police FIRs have been filed and justice will surely be delivered. He noted that case has been registered against Gaikwad, including sections 308 (culpable homicide) and 355 (assault). “A flying ban is meant to prevent future unruly behaviour, not to punish past behaviour. We now have an undertaking for future behaviour,” he added. Brian Flynn Womens Jersey
You could soon be paying a different price every day for your petrol and diesel. Read how
Prices at petrol pumps may change every day, similar to what happens in many advanced markets, as state oil companies plan to review rates daily to align them with international prices, replacing the current practice of fortnightly revision. Indian Oil Corp, Bharat PetroleumBSE 3.52 % and Hindustan PetroleumBSE 1.16 %, which control nearly 95% of the country’s fuel retail market, are considering ways to roll out the plan to review petrol and diesel prices daily, top executives at state oil firms told ET. Executives of state oil firms met Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the ministry officials on Wednesday to discuss the idea of daily fuel pricing. “The idea of daily fuel pricing has been there for sometime. But now we have the technology to implement it. So we will do it,” a top executive said, without giving a timeline for the launch. The automation at most filling stations, which allows companies to centrally change prices, as well as the availability of digital technologies and social networks have made it much easier for companies to convey price changes to their 53,000 filling station across the country. Price transmission used to be a cumbersome exercise in the past with dealers waiting for phone calls and fax messages from companies for new prices and then rushing to lowering or raising their supply orders, causing inconvenience to suppliers. Daily changes mean prices wouldn’t rise or drop sharply, as they did last week. On March 31, state oil companies cut prices of petrol by Rs 3.77 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.91per litre. Prices would change just by a few paise every day, bringing no shock to customers. This means companies can easily take price hikes without worrying about political backlash. A price hike is often held back during election season as it is seen as detrimental to the interest of the ruling party. To compensate oil companies for that, the government allows them to keep prices higher even when an alignment with international rates may warrant a decrease. State firms skipped price revision for two and a half months before announcing cuts last week although international rates went up and down sharply during the period. India lifted price control on diesel in 2014 and on petrol in 2010, which allowed state companies to charge market prices, and encouraged private companies to reenter the fuel retailing business. At present, state companies review prices at the end of every fortnight and raise or reduce them depending on the prevailing international prices. Brian Orakpo Womens Jersey
Indian Oil to expand LPG facilities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) will augment its LPG production facilities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to meet the increased demand for the gas that is growing at 11% annually with the completion of construction of LPG import terminal and the pipeline connecting it to Salem. Both the projects which are in the process of construction together involve an investment of close to Rs 3000 crore. IOCL’s 6 lakh tonne per annum facility at Puthuvypin in Kochi is linked to the 498 km pipeline jointly implemented by IOC and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL). IOCL general manager and Kerala head P S Mony said the pipeline will connect the import terminal with BPCL Kochi Refinery, IOCL’s Kochi bottling plant and BPCL’s upcoming bulk LPG terminal at Palakkad before terminating at Salem. It will feed IOCL’s LPG bottling plants at Coimbatore and Erode. The project to be completed by February 2018 is expected to earn Kerala government an additional revenue of Rs 300 crore per annum. “With the commissioning of the import facility and pipeline we expect the inter-state bullet truck movement to come down to 20-30 per day from the present 70-80 trucks traversing daily from Mangalore to Kerala LPG plants through the narrow and difficult terrain of Kerala, thereby reducing the road traffic and accidents,” Mony said. The present storage capacity of Kochi plant is sufficient only for 1.5 days of production. With the augmentation of capacity the storage facility will be increased to 8 days. This will help to tide over any emergency strikes/supply shortage issues and help in improving the LPG supply situation in Kerala, he added. Alexander Nylander Jersey
ONGC drills record 501 wells in FY17
Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has set a new record of drilling over 500 wells in 2016-17 at an expenditure of Rs 15,747 crore as the major state-owned explorer steps up efforts to boost domestic output. ONGC drilled 501 wells in the financial year ended March 31, 2017 as compared to 386 wells in 2015-16. This is the first time in 23 years that ONGC has crossed the 500-well mark. Oil and gas exploration is a risky business and only drilling of wells can guarantee a discovery and confirmation of reserves. The company exceeded the government mandated target of 490 wells. Of the 501 wells drilled, 334 wells were in onshore and the remaining 167 in offshore, ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh K Sarraf said here. “While many explorers worldwide decided to slow down due to the prevailing low price scenario, ONGC had taken the conscious decision to step up the exploration efforts. Despite this challenging environment, the ONGC drilling and well services has put in a commendable performance,” he said. Sarraf said several steps were taken during the last financial year to cut down rig deployment time, increase operational efficiencies and cost control. ONGC operates some 105 drilling and 74 work over rigs. It is among the few companies in the world to have drilled 127 deepwater wells in diverse and challenging areas. The company’s Director (T&S) Shashi Shanker said: “Setting a new benchmark of 501 wells in a year is a phenomenal achievement, especially considering the challenges the oil and gas industry has faced globally during the past two years. “There is a continuous emphasis in ONGC on induction of state-of-the-art technology, optimum utilisation of resources and minimisation of non-productive time of rigs to increase operational efficiency.” Offshore, which contributes to 80 per cent of ONGC’s 24 million tonne a year crude oil production, exceeded all its drilling targets. Targets were also surpassed in drilling onland where majority of ONGC’s owned rig fleet is deployed. He said as drilling activities account for ONGC’s major expenditure, an increase in drilling efficiency would translate to additional savings. In order to have a more focused approach towards onshore, offshore (shallow waters) and offshore (deep waters) operations a new concept ‘Company within Company’ was rolled out in Mumbai High Asset to bring about operational efficiency in offshore drilling operations. Drilling of record number of wells has not just led to establishing newer resources but also augment production from the old and depleting fields. But for these drilling oil output would have dropped to 22 MT. Patric Hornqvist Authentic Jersey
Iran said to cut benefits on crude oil sales to Indian state-run refiners
Iran will cut some benefits to Indian state-run refiners on crude purchases after the South Asian country decided to reduce the amount of oil it buys from the Persian Gulf nation, people with knowledge of the matter said. National Iranian Oil Co. will cut the credit period on crude oil sales to 60 days from 90 days for refiners such as Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. and Indian Oil Corp., the people said, asking not be identified as the matter isn’t public yet. Iran will also reduce the discounts it offers on the shipping of crude to 60 percent from 80 percent, they added. The lower incentives will make Iranian purchases costlier and less competitive in a world awash with crude oil where rivals such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq are seeking to expand their market share. Iran’s crude sales to India more than doubled in 2016 after the lifting of sanctions over its nuclear program. India is Iran’s second biggest customer and the emerging center of global oil demand. India in turn, is using the supply glut to put pressure on Tehran for securing development rights to the Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf, which was discovered by an Indian consortium led by ONGC Videsh Ltd. about a decade ago. Iran and India were aiming to conclude an agreement on developing the field by February. The South Asian nation, which stood by Iran during the sanctions, is seeking to invest as much as $20 billion in Iran’s energy industry and ports. Cutting Purchases Indian state-run refiners told Iran last month that they would cut oil purchases by 3 million tons during the financial year that started April 1, the people said. MRPL and Indian Oil will reduce imports by 1 million tons each, while Hindustan Petroleum Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. will cut purchases by about half a million tons each, according to the people. India’s overall oil imports from the Persian Gulf nation touched 19.8 million tons during April-December last year, compared with 12.7 million tons in the 2015-16 financial year, according to oil ministry data. Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said “there are many other customers” if India decides to cut imports, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported on April 5. Reuters earlier reported Indian state refiners will cut oil imports from Iran by a fifth. India’s Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said April 6 that it’s up to the state refiners to decide on Iran crude volumes. MRPL spokesman Prashanth Baliga couldn’t comment immediately, while an Indian Oil spokesman declined to comment. National Iranian Oil Co.’s public relations office in Tehran didn’t respond to an email and two calls seeking comment. Paul Carey Authentic Jersey