House on wheels sets off to tell India solar power has arrived
A small house on wheels with all the electrical appliances used in a typical household — but all powered by rooftop solar panels and within approachable budget — the Solar Comet was flagged off on the World Environment Day for a 20-day tour. The solar bus is expected to bust myths and create awareness about solar power. Lit up with power saving LED bulbs, the Solar Comet with its modern fixtures houses mobile charging points, a mixer grinder, an air cooler, a refrigerator, washing machine and even an air conditioner. While the temperature outside soared beyond 40 degrees Celsius, the mini-house with necessary furniture has an ambient environment. “This project fitted with a 2 kilowatt rooftop panel demonstrates how solar power can easily run an entire household — even heavier appliances like air conditioner,” said Pujarini Sen, climate and energy campaigner, Greenpeace India. “Another myth about solar power is that it is expensive. But in the last three years alone the installation cost per kilowatt of such panel has come down from around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 50,000. This is the ideal time to go solar,” she added. Delhi’s total solar potential is 2,500 MW with a residential potential of 1,250 MW. The official target in Delhi is to reach 1,000 MW worth solar installations by 2020 and 2,000 MW by 2025. But as of December 2016, only 35.9 MW have been installed out of which, only 3 MW were residential installations in March 2016. “The Delhi government came up with the city’s solar policy last year. But despite the benefits that it offers, Delhiites haven’t really woken up to the idea. Till now the response has been very low residential sectors,” Sen said. The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) offers a 30% national incentive for installing a solar power panel. Besides this, grid connectivity through net metering allows a consumer to sell the excess amount of electricity generated to the main grid and save up on their power bills. “One can break even on their investment in four to five years. The solar panels have a life of 25 years and require very low maintenance,” Sen added, giving example of Pankaj Rajpal, a senior citizen, who managed to reduce the expenses from Rs 8,500 per month to Rs 1,200 p/m by installing a 5KW solar system in his Kailash Colony residence. Director of Energy Programme at TERI Giritsh Sethi, who flagged off the bus, hoped that by roping in RWAs directly the comet will be able to bring in a change. Roof rights are a common problem faced by people living in apartments, where the rooftop is usually owned by the family living on the top floor. “In such cases, the RWAs can take a collective decision to install a solar power system in the common areas of the colony. Residents of Rishi Apartments in Alaknanda have pledged to install a 21 KW solar system,” said Sen. Junior Seau Authentic Jersey
Petronas’ stake sale of offshore gas asset advances to second round-sources
The sale by Malaysian energy firm Petronas of an estimated $1 billion stake in a local upstream gas project has moved to the second round and is set to attract interest from about half a dozen bidders including Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil Corp , four sources familiar with the matter said. State-owned Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) had kicked off a process to sell a stake of up to 49 percent in the SK316 offshore gas block in Malaysia’s Sarawak state, Reuters reported in February. Prospective buyers are expected to submit second round financial bids this month, and a final decision on the successful bidder is expected later this year, said two sources. Sources said Total, PTT Exploration and Production PCL and some Japanese firms are also among those keen to bid for the asset. The transaction, if completed, would mark Petronas’ biggest upstream stake sale since oil prices started falling more than two years ago. All the sources declined to be identified as discussions between Petronas and the companies are private, adding that terms of the deal could change depending on how the talks proceed. Petronas, which last week maintained a cautious outlook for the rest of the year after reporting quarterly profit more than double a year ago, did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement to Reuters in April, it had said that through its unit, Petronas Carigali, it was seeking partners who could bring the technology and capabilities to explore, develop and efficiently operate the various fields and opportunities in the SK316 offshore gas block. Shell, ExxonMobil and Total declined to comment. PTT Exploration said it was keen to invest in Thailand and Southeast Asia due to its expertise in these markets and as costs and risks were low. “This area is consistent with the company’s expansion strategy, however, the company will consider details of each project before making an investment decision,” PTTEP said in response to a query on its interest in the Petronas asset. Gas from the NC3 field in the SK316 block feeds Malaysia’s LNG export project, known as LNG 9, a joint venture between Petronas and JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp that began commercial production in January. The sale of a stake in the offshore gas block has been clouded by political opposition to the process, but sources said this was unlikely to derail ongoing talks. Opposition party leaders in Sarawak, a key vote base for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak who is likely to call general elections this year, have expressed disapproval in Petronas’ plan to find a partner. One even called for the state to be given the option to acquire all or part of the stake that it proposes to sell. Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari, however, has said the state did not want to take on the risk of developing the gas field as “the project cost billions of ringgit and it is of high risk,” according to state news agency Bernama. He said the state government was in talks with Petronas about the partner-finding process for SK316. Duke Dawson Jersey
‘Petrol pumps, gas agencies to be governed by Centre’s law’
In a relief to petrol pump and LPG gas operators in the state, the Rajasthan High Court has done away with the system of obtaining licenses and renewing these under the state government’s Rajasthan Petroleum Products (Licensing & Control) order of 1990. The petrol pump and LPG gas operators would now be governed by the Centre’s government’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of supply and distribution) order of 2000, which provides for monitoring and operation of gas agencies as well as petrol pump. The district supply officer (DSO) will, therefore, have the power of search and seizure over these for any violation of law. The single bench of justice M N Bhandari ruled that since clause 14 of the order of 2000 has overriding effect to the 1990 order, the gas agencies/petrol pump can operate after complying with the order of 2000 and not that of 1990. The DSOs were governing the gas agencies/petrol pumps under the order of 1990, even though the state government issued a notification on February 22, 2001 to implement the order of 2000. As such, license were not been renewed on the ground that either the location of petrol pumps/gas agencies/godowns was not as per the master plan or conversion of land had not been done. The high court had earlier settled that such issues could be decided by municipal authorities, UIT or JDA but not by the DSO. The compliance of the urban development laws cannot be enforced by the DSO, the high court ruled in the case of Gulab Kothari versus state of Rajasthan and others in 2004. One Rakesh Dangi and 15 others approached the court requesting that DSOs be directed not to cause interference in the working of petrol pumps/gas agencies unless they flouted the order of 2000. Dangi’s license renewal had been denied, as he had gas agency and petrol pump at the same location that was in violation of the urban development law. The civil supplies department argued that there were many cases in the state where petrol pumps and gas agencies existed with common boundaries and that in case of any unfortunate incident, it may cause serious damage to public life. The high court ruled that petrol pumps/gas agencies/godowns would, however, have to operate in consonance to the judgement in Gulab Kothari case. Bobby Baun Womens Jersey
Hindustan Oil Exploration sees further delays in issue of petroleum mining lease to Oil India
Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Ltd : Anticipate further delays in issue of petroleum mining lease to Oil India. Expect to commence commercial gas sales only during July – Sept quarter, post review of our representation by NBWL Reiterate guidance of exiting Q2 FY 2018 with a production level of 25 million standard cubic feet per day Reiterate guidance of plant capacity to process 36 million standard cubic feet per day Darius Leonard Womens Jersey
ATS launches ops at new storage tank terminal in India
UAE-based ATS, a leading integrated logistics company, has commenced operations at its new storage tank terminal strategically situated in the emerging oil storage and trading location of New Mangalore Port, India. The New Mangalore Port, an ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certified port, is a modern all-weather port situated at Panambur, Mangaluru (Karnataka State), said a statement from the company. The prominent features of the strategic location are a hassle-free single-window clearance, simplified documentation system, around the clock pilotage, land and marine security and a congestion free port with all-weather navigation, it said. The new storage tank terminal will be under the name of Raftaar Terminals with below state-of-the-art specifications: Complying with Indian PESO, OISD norms and with all international safety and standards. First tank terminal to be constructed in Stainless Steel with a capacity of 316L storage tank and jetty pipeline in Mangalore suitable for all acids. Can handle a wide range of petroleum products Class A, B and C like naphtha, gas oil, motor spirit, para-xylene, methanol and petrochemicals products too. The Raftaar Terminal has adopted the green policy by providing 33 per cent of total land for developing green belt around the terminal, it added. It has LED lights for the complete terminal, VFDs for saving power consumption in machineries, solar energy for lighting system and water heating system, it stated. Kenny Stills Jersey
Pipelines will supply oil and gas to Myanmar for domestic consumption
Some two million tons of oil and two billion cubic metres of gas will be supplied annually for domestic use after the completion of Myanmar-China oil and gas pipelines, the South East Asia Crude Oil Pipeline Co Ltd (SEAOP) and the South East Asia Gas Pipeline Co Ltd (SEAGP) said in a statement. Those oil and gas supply will support Myanmar’s economic growth and improve the livelihood of the people, it added. Six companies are shareholders in the SEAGP: Chinese state-owned oil and gas corporation China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), Daewoo, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), India-based ONGC Co and India-based GAIL Co. According to the agreement, no more than 20 percent of the total gas production will be supplied for domestic use for the stations located in Kyaukphyu, Yenangyaung, Taungtha and Mandalay. The Myanmar-China Gas Pipeline commenced its operations in July, 2013 and gas has been allocated for domestic consumption at those four stations since April 2014. Gas pipeline is targeted to annually transport 5.2 billion cubic metres of gas in phase one and 12 billion cubic metres of gas in phase two. The Myanmar-China Crude Oil Pipeline began its operations on April 10 this year and it aims to transport annually 12 million tons of oil in phase one and 22 million tons of oil in phase two of the project. The designated amount of oil production for domestic consumption is two million tons per year. An oil jetty with a capacity of 300,000 tons which can store 22 million tons of oil per year has been constructed. The oil pipeline starts from Made island in the west of Myanmar and it passes through two states, Rakhine State and Shan State, as well as two regions, Magwe Region and Mandalay Region, before crossing the border to Yunnan province in China. Willie Snead IV Jersey
One-year ban for 71 solar panel companies
The government has barred 71 firms from rooftop solar projects for a year by removing them from the panel that makes them eligible to bid. These include Amra Raja Electronics Ltd, Cleantech Synergy, Hollandia Power Solutions, IL&FS Energy Development Co and Jindal Green Technologies. The government has written to the companies saying they had failed to update details of the projects that they had executed. “Empanelled companies offer solar panels, which are technically complaint with standard requirements. All tenders which Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) floats require bidders to be empanelled,” said a senior executive from SECI. Sunil Jain, chief executive officer at Hero Future Energies, said the government probably wants to prune the number of empanelled firms to 100 serious companies from 400. “Majority of the ones that were struck out did not execute any projects in the last one-two years, which indicated they were not too serious about solar roof-top business,” he said. Surendar Kumar, director at Jindal Green Technologies, said plunging tariffs did not make it worthwhile to be in the panel. “Hence, we decided on not being part of the list. Additionally, we also gathered that getting subsidies involved uncertainty and delays.” IL&FS Energy Development Company declined to comment on the issue, but an executive, who did not want to be named, said no projects were being executed in the recent past, which may have led to the situation. Marcus Murphy Womens Jersey
GST rate on solar panel indicates grid parity: VP, Schneider
In lieu of the tax rate on solar panels being fixed at five percent under the forthcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST), industry players believe that solar being placed at par with coal indicates that the country is moving towards grid parity. “The fact that coal and solar has been placed at par with one another augurs well for the long term energy security of the country. This, quite rightly, addresses the unique energy dilemma that India faces considering that close to 18,000 villages do not have access to energy, but, at the same time, the country has a strong commitment to reduce its carbon footprints,” said Anurag Garg, Vice President – Solar & Energy Storage Business, Schneider Electric India. Furthermore, Anurag said a five percent tax being levied comes as a big reprieve to the solar sector, as against the earlier classification of 18 percent. In the 15th meeting of the GST Council held here on Saturday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that a five percent tax is chargeable on solar panels under the new tax regime. Among other commodities, prices of gold and biscuits are set to surge, with a tax rate of three percent and 18 percent levied on them respectively. Footwear, being one of the major items of discussion in the meeting, will be charged a five percent tax, if less than Rs. 500 and those above this amount will attract an 18 percent tax. Charge on silk and jute will be nil, cotton and natural fibre will be charged 5 percent, and manmade apparel will be 18 percent. Natural yarn will be charged 5 percent. Also, a 12 percent charge will be levied on readymade apparel. A 28 percent tax will be levied on beedis, while a 14 percent charge will be imposed on the tendu patta used in beedis. However, no cess is applicable. The new tax regime is scheduled to be rolled out on July 1. Justin Coleman Authentic Jersey
India’s Power Generating company, NTPC forays into future of power – EV Charging business
India’s power generating company, NTPC has forayed into EV Charging business and set up charging stations at multiple locations. First charging station has been set up at its offices in Noida and Delhi. NTPC is planning to set up many such charging stations across Delhi/NCR and other cities in near future. A 50,000 MW plus power company, NTPC largely produces power from coal but also has hydro, solar and wind power projects. Adding coal production in its business, it has successfully become an integrated energy company with interests diversified across the fuel value chain and in line with global standards. NTPC Limited is already selling coal from its Pakri Barwadih coal mine in Jharkhand to its Barh power project in Bihar. The Pakri Barwadih coal mine has estimated mining capacity of 15 Million Tons Per Annum (MTPA) and has been allotted to NTPC as basket mine to meet the fuel shortfall of its power stations. Coal mining is integral to NTPC’s fuel security strategies and this greater self-reliance on coal will go a long way in ensuring the sustained growth of generation. Being India’s larger producer of coal based power, NTPC alone consumed about 161 million tonnes of coal in the last financial year. Given its huge dependence on coal, the government allotted some coal mines to NTPC while the latter also bid for some other mines in the subsequent bidding rounds. Winnipeg Jets Jersey
SpiceJet reports 43% fall in Q4 net profit
Budget carrier SpiceJet reported 43 per cent fall in net profit at Rs. 41.6 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2017 due to higher fuel cost and lower yield on account of demonetisation. The Gurgaon-based carrier had reported a net profit of Rs. 73 crore during the January-March quarter of the 2015-16 fiscal. However, for the full fiscal 2016-17, the airline posted a net profit of Rs. 430 crore as compared to Rs. 407 crore reported in the fiscal year ended March 2016. SpiceJet reported a quarterly profit of Rs. 41.6 crore for the three months ended March 31, 2017, making it the ninth successive profitable quarter for the airline, SpiceJet said in a release today. The net profit for FY2017 stood at Rs. 430.7 crore, making this the second successive year of profitable growth, it said. According to the airline, the operating revenues were at Rs. 1,625.7 crore for Q4 FY17 and Rs. 6,191.3 crore for the fiscal 2017. SpiceJet’s strong operational performance comes despite significant headwinds, it said adding that demonetisation resulted in significant decline in yield in Q3 and Q4. Increase in fuel cost was at 46 per cent in Q4 eroding approximately Rs. 160 crore of profit, it said. These headwinds have subsided and SpiceJet is bullish about its future prospects, the airline said. “Two successive profitable years, a record aircraft order and emerging as India’s largest regional operator are testament of the fact that SpiceJet remains firmly on track on its long-term growth strategy,” SpiceJet Chairman and managing Director Ajay Singh said in the release. SpiceJet had in January this year announced that it will buy up to 205 new aircraft from Boeing for Rs. 1,50,000 crore, in one of the largest deals in the fast-growing Indian aviation sector. The order of 205 aircraft signifies the strategic direction in which SpiceJet is now committed upon, the airline said. “The historic order ends the turnaround phase for SpiceJet and marks the beginning of a growth story, which will see the airline expand its wings — both within and outside the country,” the airline said. “During this fiscal, SpiceJet completed its turnaround successfully by discharging all its obligations to its business partners, implemented cost savings measures by restructuring contracts and its business processes,” it said. According to the airline, besides adding capacity on existing routes, it was awarded six proposals and 11 routes under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme of the Central government. With three-year exclusivity on the routes under the UDAN scheme, SpiceJet will be the only airline to operate on those sectors, it said. The airline is also set to benefit from the reduced cost on account of low jet fuel taxes and exemption from landing and parking charges at regional airports under UDAN, the release said. It also said that this summer the airline increased its regional capacity by 25 per cent and will further augment capacity in this segment. James Conner Authentic Jersey