Transformational Achievements in Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines
Coal Coal sector is being transformed from “no coal to more coal to better coal.” Coal production growth is double of UPA production – Total coal production increased to 554 MT in 2016-17 from 462 MT in 2013-14. This increase of 92 MT was achieved by UPA in 7 years. Coal quality is the next frontier after achieving adequate coal for all power plants. Aggressive targets for coal production reduced shortage of coal due to which, CIL had to recalibrate its production and focus on quality. A sense of security was provided to the industry that coal was available sufficiently leading to better inventory management at the consumer end. Efficiency improvements are being conducted at both the coal end and power plants leading to savings for the entire sector thereby benefiting consumers. There has been a reduction in coal consumption while simultaneously matching the quality of imported coal. Coal required to generate per unit of electricity (specific coal consumption) has reduced by 8% in last 3 years. NTPC alone has reduced its specific coal consumption by 5.5% in 2016-17. This is despite reduction of Rs. 23,349 crores in imported coal which is nearly 30% higher in quality than domestic coal and thus is required in lower volumes. Some of the measures that have made this possible include Import Coal Substitution, Coal Linkage Rationalisation, Coal Swapping between less efficient and more efficient units, 3rd Party Sampling, coal washing and Correction of Grade Slippage through re-gradation of Mines. All these steps are being taken to ensure reliable and quality supply of coal to provide affordable and efficient energy to the people of India. Power India’s first power plant was setup in 1897 in Darjeeling. Since then 214 GW of capacity was added till Mar 14 and in just 3 years since then, Conventional capacity has increased by one-fourth i.e. 56 GW since March 2014. This includes Hydro, Thermal and Nuclear.. Robust power generation growth: Power generation growth for conventional is 4.7% for 2016-17 (provisional) and for renewable is 24.6% for 2016-17 (provisional). Therefore, the total power generation growth including renewables is 5.8% for 2016-17 (provisional). Power generation growth including renewables is 6.4% from 2014-2017 versus 6.15% from 2004-14. Generation growth would have increased further but for DSM (Demand Side Management – Energy Efficiency) activities. In 2014-16, growth was 6.9% & if the generation avoided due to DSM is added it was 9.5%. The transmission sector saw a massive growth leading to one nation, one price and one grid. There has been 36% (One third) increase in transmission capacity from Mar 14 to Mar 17. There has been 26% (One fourth) increase in transmission lines from Mar 14 to Mar 17. Alternate Transmission Capacity to South India has increased by 87% from Mar 14 to Mar 17. The drive to connect unelectrified villages achieved a new milestone of 13,123 villages of 18,452 electrified and by May 2018, electrification of all villages will transform lives of rural people. UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) seeks to turn around DISCOMs, and a total of 27 States and UTs have joined. Almost 85% UDAY Bonds have already been issued (Rs. 2.32 lakh cr out of total Rs. 2.72 lakh cr). Energy efficiency movement under UJALA saw rapid growth with total 53 cr LED bulbs distributed of target 77 cr. The Government has distributed 22.6 cr and private companies have distributed 30.6 cr LED bulbs. New and Renewable Energy There has been a one third (32%) increase in grid-connected renewable capacity to 56.6 GW in Mar 17 (provisional) from 43 GW in Mar 16. There has been a 78% increase in overall renewable energy installed from 32 GW in Mar 14 to 56.6 GW in Mar 17 (provisional). There has been an almost a 1/3rd increase in Renewable Energy Generation from 2014-15 to 2016-17 (provisional). In 2016-17, the highest ever wind capacity of 5.5 GW was added. India has now over-taken Spain and reached the 4th position after China, USA and Germany. This sector has been moved from FIT regime to Competitive framework leading to record low tariffs of 3.46 per unit In 2016-17, 6.8 GW solar capacity was added. Through competitive bidding, record Solar tariff of Rs. 2.97 / kWh was achieved. About 10 lakh solar lamps for students have been distributed and this has been upscaled to cover 70 lakh more students. From about 11,000 Solar Pumps installed in Mar 2014, solar pumps have crossed 1 lakh mark. The framework agreement of International Solar Alliance was signed by 25 nations showcasing India’s leadership in the solar sector. Mines Transparent auctions of 21 mineral blocks till January will lead to total estimated revenue of Rs. 73,359 cr to State Governments over the lease periods. The District Mineral Foundations constituted under Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKY) for taking care of people and areas affected by mining activities have seen progress with 11 out of 12 mineral rich States framing rules for DMFs and setting them up in 287 districts. Exploration is being given a fillip by taking up the Aero-geophysical survey of the country in a mission mode. Mining Surveillance System by Indian Bureau of Mines will lead to greater transparency and accountability. TAMRA (Transparency, Auction Monitoring and Resource Augmentation) to provide the status of mining block auctioned will reduce opaqueness in the auction process. Star rating of major minerals has been launched to further sustainability in the mines. NALCO saw its higher ever performance showing a robust economy. In 2016-17, highest ever Bauxite production of 6.825 mt (100% capacity) – 7.6% growth over last year. Highest ever Alumina Hydrate production of 2.1 mt (100% normative capacity) since inception achieved – 7.5% growth over last year Darren Woodson Womens Jersey
Nine companies prequalify for oil and gas exploration in Lebanon
The deadline for the second prequalification round for oil and gas exploration has expired. Nine new companies have now applied to partake in the first licensing round, according to the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW). The companies are ONGC Videsh Limited (India), PJSC Lukoil (Russia), Sapurakencana Energy SDN BHD (Malaysia), Sonatrach International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (Algeria), Qatar Petroleum International Limited, Advanced Energy Systems (ADES) SAE (Egypt), Petropars Ltd (Iran)., JSC Novatek (Russia), and Vega Petroleum Limited (Egypt) jointly with both Edgo Energy Limited (Jordan) and Petroleb (Lebanon). The ministry said that the 14 companies that in 2013 had previously applied for the first prequalification round have now updated their files, providing the needed information regarding any changes which could impact their prequalification. This includes audited financial statements for the years 2014 and 2015, and unaudited statements for 2016. The Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) is now in the process of contacting the rest of the companies that participated in the first prequalification round for their files to be updated. A total of 46 companies were accepted in the first prequalification round. But the process was halted after the government failed to ratify two decrees pertaining to the delineation of maritime blocks and contracts pertaining to exploration and production. Blocks one, four, eight, nine and ten are up for bidding in the first licensing round. According to the ministry, the criteria adopted for qualifying companies remain unchanged. The companies are divided into four main areas: Legal, technical, financial and environmental. Participating companies should be joint stock companies, and should have expertise relating to oil and gas exploration in water depths of more than 500 meters, as well as having previously produced petroleum. They must also have a minimum capital of $10 billion. The results of the second prequalification round will be announced on April 13 this year. Tim Schaller Jersey
NTPC joins global league with 50,000plus MW capacity, straddles all segments of generation biz
India’s largest power producer NTPC has switched on its first wind power project to mark its presence in nearly all segments of generation business, except nuclear power. The feat comes within days of the state-run company joining the global league by crossing the 50,000-MW generation capacity on March 31st, 2017. As a group, NTPC’s total capacity now stands at 50,750 MW. The state-run generator forayed into the wind segment by commissioning a turbine of 2 MW at the 50-MW Rojmal wind project in Gujarat on Monday. The company added 13,395 MW during the 12th plan, exceeding the capacity addition target of 11,920 MW. Some 3,520 MW of new capacity was added in 2016-17, including 510 MW of new solar capacity. The company has also started production from its first captive coal mine at Pakri Barwadih in Jharkhand to become an integrated coal-based power producer. Simultaneously with the expansion of its coal-fired generation capacity, NTPC has been steadily ramping up its renewable portfolio too. In 2016-17, the company’s Koldam Hydel Station in Himachal Pradesh achieved its highest-ever generation of 3.225 billion units. Its solar stations also achieved their highest-ever generation at 527 million units. NTPC’s standalone generation crossed 250 billion units and Group generation topped 276 Billion units in 2016-17. NTPC’s coal-based stations achieved a plant load factor of 78.6% against a national average of roughly 6%. Justin Blackmon Authentic Jersey
OVL to invest over $3b in Iran gas block; submits revised plan
National oil & gas explorer ONGC is planning to invest over $3 billion in the Farzad-B natural gas block in Iran, a top company official said today. The proposed investment will be driven through a consortium of state-run oil companies led by its overseas arm ONGC Videsh (OVL). The statement comes amidst media reports that government is threatening to massively reduce crude intake from Iran as Tehran delays clearing the investment plan in the block. An OVL-led consortium had already submitted a $3 billion development plan to Iran to develop an offshore field in Farzad B, which is said to hold 12.5 trillion cubic feet in reserves, which may last for 30 years. Iran has been delaying New Delhi’s proposal after the US-led western nations lifted the economic embargo on Tehran last year opening its doors to more competitive options, which Tehran wants to explore now. “Last month, we submitted a revised plan to Tehran for the block. We will be able to develop the block within five years if we are given the go-ahead,” OVL managing director NK Verma told reporters on the sidelines of an industry meeting here. “We are keen to invest north of $3 billion to develop this field,” he said adding they are awaiting feedback from Tehran now. It can be noted that New Delhi was one of the few large oil consumers to have continued buying Iranian crude during the global economic sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme. But since the lifting of the sanctions last year, Iran has sought other investors and there is some uncertainty whether new Delhi would get the Farzad block contract. Output from Farzad-B could range from 1 billion to 1.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, Verma said. On its production target, Verma said the company expects to raise production in fiscal 2018 to 14 million tonne oil equivalent, up from 12 million tonne in fiscal 2017. He also said the company is planning to invest $45 million to produce from gas wells owned by Imperial Energy, which was acquired by OVL in 2008. As part of its plans to secure energy resources, government has chalked out an investment plan worth $20 billion in Iran, which will include developing oil and gas fields apart from setting up petrochemical plants, gas-processing facilities and developing the strategic Chabahar port in Southern Iran. Earlier this week, media reports said the government would massively reduce its Iranian oil purchases by a fifth over the delay in clearing the investment in the gas field. For Iran, India is the biggest oil buyer after China. Unhappy with Tehran’s delays, the oil ministry has reportedly asked state refiners to cut imports from Iran. The state-run refiners reportedly told National Iranian Oil Co about their plans to reduce oil imports by a fifth to 1,90,000 bpd from 2,40,000 bpd. Between April 2016 and February 2017, the domestic oil companies more than doubled their intake from Iran at 5,42,400 bpd, compared to 2,25,522 bpd a year earlier. John Timu Jersey
RIL gets green nod for Rs 13,250 crore Dahej unit expansion project
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has received environment clearance for expansion and debottlenecking of its Dahej petrochemical facility in Gujarat at a cost of Rs 13,250 crore. The Mukesh Ambani-led firm wants to expand its Dahej facility located in Bharuch district in view of erratic supply of feed stock, change in the government’s policy to prioritise domestic supply over industrial sector, adequate supply of Shale gas ethane from the US, besides meeting demand-supply gap of petrochemicals in India. “Based on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee (Industry), the Environment Ministry has given the environmental clearance for RIL’s expansion project yesterday,” a senior government official said. The green nod to the proposed project, which will be carried out within the existing plant area of 700 hectare, is subject to some conditions, the official said. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 13,250 crore. A budget of Rs 400 crore will be kept aside for environment protection and conservation. The fuel used for the proposed project would largely be ethane, lean gas and off gas. The power required for the project will be met from the existing captive power plant. As per the proposal, RIL Dahej facility presently utilises a mixture of ethane and propane to produce downstream products and by-products. Dahej facility proposes to modify its feedstock ratio of ethane and propane in the gas cracker plant owing to the availability of shale gas ethane imported from the US. This change in feedstock mixture will result in higher production of ethylene. The RIL’s proposal also include setting up of new plants including Chlorinated Poly Vinyl Chloride (CPVC), Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) and a dedicated Ethane storage tank. Brett Hundley Authentic Jersey
Shell to fuel world’s first LNG-powered Aframax oil tankers
A unit of Royal Dutch Shell will fuel the world’s first LNG-powered Aframax crude oil tankers under a deal signed with Russian shipping company SCF Group (Sovcomflot). Shippers are looking to liquefied natural gas (LNG) to help them meet stricter emissions regulations in 2020. Oil tankers are “another marine segment embracing the benefits of LNG fuel”, Maarten Wetselaar, Shell’s integrated gas and new energies director, said in an announcement released on Monday. Shell subsidiary Shell Western LNG will supply four Aframax tankers operating in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe from a bunkering vessel that will load at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam and a second supply point in the Baltics. The dual-fuelled tankers are scheduled to begin operations at the start of the third quarter of 2018. Ship owners and operators face tougher regulations on marine fuel, also known as bunker fuel, in 2020. Under International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements set in October, the cap on sulphur emissions from vessels will fall to 0.5 percent by 2020 from the current 3.5 percent. In order to comply, shippers can burn lower-sulphur, but more expensive, middle distillates, install “scrubbers” that enable them to burn dirtier fuel, or invest in ships powered by LNG. LNG has virtually no sulphur content, while producing low nitrogen oxides compared to industry standard fuel oil and marine gasoil. Jimmie Ward Authentic Jersey
BJP alleges “power scam” worth crores in Uttarakhand
The Uttarakhand BJP today alleged that the previous Harish Rawat led Congress government had “favoured” some gas based plants while entering into power purchase agreements which had led to a hike in electricity tariff in the state. “The previous government struck a deal with gas based power plants in Kashipur to purchase power from them for 35 years at the rate of Rs 4.70 per unit at a time when its rate should have been just Rs 2.74 per unit, causing a loss of Rs 50 crore per month to the state exchequer,” state BJP spokesman Vinay Goel told reporters here. It is a “power scam” worth at least a thousand crore rupees, he said. Goel claimed that the recent hike in power tariff in Uttarakhand was necessitated by the need to compensate the losses caused to the state exchequer by the deal inked between Harish Rawat government and the gas based power plants in Kashipur. Attacking the rival party, he said that its leaders had no moral right to create a fuss over the hike as “it was a result of the misdeeds of its own government”. The spokesperson said that he has drawn the attention of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to the huge scam in power purchase who has promised that no one who is guilty would be spared. The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulation Commission had recently effected a 5.72 per cent hike in power rates evoking sharp reaction from opposition Congress which had criticised it saying that it would increase the burden on the common people. Chris Conner Womens Jersey
New industrial policy for UP soon: Power Minister
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday announced that the state would soon get a new industrial policy. “A Group of Ministers, with five ministers as its members, has been constituted. It would visit various states in the country to help the government to form a new industrial policy,” Power Minister Srikant Sharma said at a press conference here. He said a committee has also been constituted to look into issues related to potato growers in the state. Talking about crime, Sharma said the government has been following “zero tolerance” against crime and will continue with the same policy in the future too. Sharma, along with state Home Minister Sidharth Nath Singh, was addressing the media after the first cabinet meeting of the newly formed government in Uttar Pradesh. Tom Savage Authentic Jersey
AG&P Announces Integrated Plug-and-Play Solutions for LNG Supply Network in Asia
AG&P (Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Company), the global leader of infrastructure solutions, today announced two standardized modular products for the LNG supply network that will drive down costs, accelerate schedule and enable last-mile delivery to LNG demand centers scattered across Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Caribbean. Speaking at Gastech 2017, the company presented designs incorporating standardized equipment to deliver a scalable LNG delivery platform and a fit-for-purpose, onshore modular regasification unit. These ‘plug and play’ packages, based on standard solutions, are built in AG&P’s dedicated, state-of-the-art, 150-hectare modularization facilities which helps speed delivery times and significantly reduces the cost of customized engineering and project man-hours while increasing productivity and quality. Cost-effective and built for transportation across the world, AG&P believes these off-the-shelf products have the potential to bolster the small and mid-scale LNG market. Key benefits include: Scalable LNG delivery platform Onshore modular, standardized regasification unit AG&P has focused on optimizing the storage and marine design to drive cost efficiencies and adoption Selection of shallow draft barge design and conventional vessel hull design allow for fixed cost hull construction over a scalable range, typically: Platform 1: 4,000 to 8,000m³ capacity for shallow water delivery Platform 2: 6,000 to 16,500m³ for open water delivery Utilizes identical hull design and equipment from 6,000, 7,500,10,000 up to 16,500m³ Products utilize existing GTT hull designs specifically configured to optimize membrane tank configuration Geometrical membrane tanks are standardized which reduces re-engineering costs Detailed designs are completed by AGP/GET, integrating standardized equipment/technologies and prefabricated in our manufacturing facilities in Manila, Philippines, All kits, including accommodation fitments and bridge equipment are standardized packages Modularized and pre-commissioned in our state-of-the-art facilities in the Philippines Each unit consists of: TEMA NJN plate and tube exchanger utilizing indirect glycol/water heat transfer Uses configuration of 125mmscfd process train, typically, in 250mmscfd modularized package Each individual 250mmscfd module consists of: High-pressure pump Tube and shell exchanger Boil-off gas (BOG) recondenser HIPPS ESDV/F&G/CAMS Central control room (E-house) Off module equipment or shared utilities consisting of: Glycol water plate exchanger circuit BOG compressor LP booster pumps All equipment is purchased utilizing an in-house approved vendor list Allows competitive pricing based on standard product requiring no re-engineering Enables shorter procurement times based on standard product Typical schedule -12 months ex-works “While there is increasing preference for small-scale and mid-scale LNG solutions in emerging economies like Indonesia and India, uptake remains slow with few projects underway. Standardization and modular solutions will be the circuit-breaker that will bring projects online, enabling the switch to LNG as a clean and affordable energy source,, said Mr. Albert Altura, President AG&P. “AG&P is combining its modularization capabilities and unique alliances with engineering and technology partners to provide the complete spectrum of infrastructure assets that enable LNG distribution and last-mile delivery. Serving as a single point of contact for customers across the LNG value chain, we deliver a whole terminal and sell tolled gas to power plants, mines, bunker fuel operations, transportation fleets, cold storage and other industrial applications,, added Mr. Albert Altura. AG&P has a long and successful track record of delivering pragmatic solutions for the oil and gas industry with expertise in LNG. It is only one of three companies worldwide to have a global technical and licensing agreement for membrane tank design from the French giant, GTT. In addition, AG&P owns a major stake in GAS Entec, the leading Korea-based engineering firm and has entered a joint venture with Risco Energy Group of Indonesia. Gerry Cheevers Jersey
India’s ONGC submits revised plan for Farzad B gas field in Iran
The overseas arm of India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp has submitted a revised plan to develop the giant Farzad B gas block in Iran, including a commitment to spend more than $3 billion, a senior executive said on Tuesday. ONGC Videsh expects to produce between 1 billion and 1.6 billion cubic feet per day of gas in five years from the start of development of the block, N. K. Verma, the company’s managing director told Reuters in Mumbai on Tuesday. India is the second-largest buyer of Iranian crude, and was among the few countries to continue trade with Iran while the country faced Western sanctions over its nuclear programme. But since the lifting of some of the sanctions last year, Iran has sought other investors and there is some uncertainty whether the Farzad block contract will be awarded to an Indian company. The impasse has led Indian refiners to plan on cutting imports from Iran by a fifth in 2017-18. Verma also commented that ONGC Videsh expects to raise production during the fiscal year ending in March 2018 to 14 million tonnes oil equivalent, up from 12 million tonnes in the fiscal year of 2017. The company also plans to invest $45 million to produce from gas wells owned by Imperial Energy, which ONGC Videsh acquired in 2008. “We are setting up gas processing facilities… we have dug four pilot wells and have got encouraging response,” Verma said. Ryan Schraeder Authentic Jersey