Over 57,000 airline snags reported since 2014: Government
There have been over 57,000 technical snags reported by airlines in India between 2014 and February this year, the government said today. The number of snags have also grown by over 20 per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year with these glitches going up from 17,483 to 21,500, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. These technical snags include fires during flight, engine shutdown, defects related to landing gear and cracks on aircraft structure, among others. Recently, there have been at least six incidents of snags reported from Pratt & Whitney engines that power Airbus 320 Neo planes operated by IndiGo and GoAir prompting the government to conduct a “detailed review”. Kentavius Street Jersey
India on the roadmap of tripling nuclear power capacity
India is moving towards achieving its target of tripling the nuclear power capacity of the country from July 2014 levels. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, “The Government, in July 2014, had announced tripling of the then existing capacity of 4,780 MW in the next ten years. With the commencement of commercial operation of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), Unit-1 (1,000 MW) in December 2014, the installed nuclear power capacity in the country has reached 5,780 MW. In addition, KNPP, Unit-2 (1,000 MW) has been connected to the grid for the first time in August 2016 and is presently generating power. On commencement of commercial operation of KNPP Unit-2, the installed nuclear power capacity in the country will reach 6,780 MW.” He added that four reactors with a total capacity of 2,800 MW are under construction and four more reactors with a total capacity of 3,400 MW have been accorded sanction by the Government. Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), a public sector company under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is building one 500 MWe capacity prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. PFBR is expected to be functional by October 2017. On completion of these projects, the installed nuclear capacity will reach 13,480 MW. More reactors based on both indigenous technology and with foreign technical cooperation are also planned in future. The present share of nuclear energy in the country is about 3.2 per cent in the current financial year 2016-17 (up to Feb-2017). Kyle Van Noy Womens Jersey
Surrender routes unused for 6 months: DGCA to airlines
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to surrender routes that they haven’t operated flights in even after six months of being allocated. The move comes after the aviation regulator found some routes being underutilised, and realised that these could benefit domestic airlines like Go Air, Vistara and Air Asia, which are drawing up plans for flying international routes over the next two years. “The traffic rights allocated to an airline for a particular schedule period shall be fully utilized by it during the same schedule period. Failure to do so shall result in the unutilized rights reverting back to the aviation ministry at the end of the schedule period,” DGCA said in a notification on Tuesday. Till now, airlines were allowed to carry forward the route allocation meant to be used in the summer schedule to the following winter schedule. Airlines follow a summer and winter schedule in India and often effect major changes to their schedules due to climatic conditions like fog. “The defaulter airline may also apply afresh, if it so wishes, but it will be given the lowest priority among applicants, during allocation of rights. So, if say a Mumbai-Bali route is opted for by one carrier, but not operated, another airline can stake claim to it on priority for the next season,” said DGCA officials. The regulator has also done away with the need for airlines to seek approval on code share agreements (arrangement where two or more airlines share the same flight) from the civil aviation ministry. Vita Vea Jersey
Big relief: Cairn India’s Barmer oil & gas block among 10 granted extension
In what may come as a relief to Cairn India and encourage it to increase the pace of investment, the Vedanta group company’s prolific Barmer oil and gas block has been granted an extension of 10 years or economic life of the field, whichever is earlier. Extension was also granted to nine other blocks wherein recoverable reserve is yet to be fully exploited. The private oil explorer has been seeking extension of the production sharing contract (PSC) for this field, with reserves of 318.31 MMT of oil and oil equivalent of gas, since 2009. The PSC was due to expire on May 14, 2020. Cairn’s another block — in Cambay Basin with reserves of 29.10 MMT — has also been given extension. The other operators to benefit include GSPC, Essar, ONGC, Focus and HOEC, and the beneficiary states are Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam. The government’s step, a formal nod to which was given by the CCEA on Wednesday, is progressive towards achieving the target of 10% reduction in import of oil by 2022, and will help in accelerating and augmenting domestic production of hydrocarbons from the existing blocks. Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently urged explorers to use enhanced oil recovery techniques to increase production. The country imports around 80% of its energy needs and according to the International Energy Agency, India’s demand for oil in 2014 at 185 MTOE was next only to the US and China. This demand is expected to go up to 401 MTOE by 2035. However, during the extended PSC duration, explorers will be required to pay 10 percentage points more over the existing rate of government’s share of profit petroleum. The existing rate ranges between 35% and 55%, and varies across fields as per the PSC. Between 1991 and 1995, 28 exploration blocks of ONGC and Oil India were auctioned under the pre-NELP regime to attract private and foreign investment. Out of the 28 blocks, 10 blocks which have been given extension are operational and the rest have been relinquished. Out of these 10 blocks, six blocks are under production, for two filed development plans have been submitted, and two are under exploration. The government is expecting 58 MMT of oil equivalent to be extracted during the PSC extension period which will be worth around R1.12 trillion, and the companies are expected to invest around $5.43 billion in these 10 blocks. Through the PSC extension, the government is expecting to expedite production and improve investment climate. The Delhi High Court is at present hearing a case filed by Cairn India regarding extension of its contract for the Barmer oil and gas block in Rajasthan. The firm is also seeking a better price for crude oil produced from the block. The next date of hearing is March 31. Clayton Fejedelem Authentic Jersey
Cairn, ONGC, Essar benefit from pre-NELP contract extension
The Union Cabinet’s decision on Wednesday to grant extension to production sharing contracts for 10 blocks will benefit Cairn India Ltd (CIL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Essar Oil, Focus Energy, Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC), and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPC). The contracts for these pre-NELP (New Exploration Licensing Policy) exploratory blocks will be extended for 10 years from the expiry of their contracts. The move, the government said, will help accelerate indigenous production of hydrocarbons from existing blocks and act as a progressive step towards achieving the target of 10 per cent reduction in import of crude oil by 2022. “There were about 28 pre-NELP exploratory blocks awarded to various operators. Out of that, 18 blocks were relinquished. The current policy for extension is applicable for 10 of the remaining blocks,” said an official source close to the development. According to government estimates, the operators are set to invest an additional $5,430 million in these blocks in the next 10 years. The government’s share of profit petroleum during the extended period of contract would be higher at 10 per cent for these fields. The current policy is for the 10 blocks, including Cairn India’s Barmer block, which were awarded prior to the advent of the NELP in 1999. The NELP was adopted to give a level-playing field for both public and private sector players in exploration and production (E&P), and was based on the production sharing contract (PSC) through sharing of revenues with the government after recovery of cost by the contractor. Till now, 256 blocks have been awarded to exploration companies in nine rounds of the NELP. India recently concluded its first round of discovered small and marginal fields (DSF) auctions, during which only 31 of the 46 contract areas on offer were awarded. Corey Liuget Authentic Jersey
NTPC Plans to Add 32 GW Capacity via Renewable Energy Resources by 2032, Piyush Goyal
India’s largest power generation company, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited plans to achieve 32 GW installed capacity through renewable energy resources by 2032, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, Mines New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Scaling yet another benchmark, NTPC’s total installed generation capacity touched a record 49,143 MW. The 12th plan capacity addition target of 11,920 MW has been exceeded by adding 12,040 MW the highest ever capacity addition in any 5 year plan by NTPC. Mr Goyal informed the Parliament in a written reply that NTPC Ltd. has raised Rs 2,000 crore through issuance of green masala bonds in overseas market under its USD 4 billion medium term note programme. The proceeds of these bonds will be used for financing renewable energy projects in accordance with applicable guidelines and regulations of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the minister said. Germain Ifedi Womens Jersey
NTPC Achieves Highest Ever Single Day Generation of 870.11 MUs
NTPC and Group NTPC achieved highest ever daily generation of 784.74 MUs & 870.11 MUs on 22nd March 2017 surpassing previous best of 782.95MUs & 866.47MUs achieved on 9/9/16. NTPC coal stations clocked highest ever daily generation of 749.63 Mu on 22nd March 2017 over previous highest of 742.51 Mu in 2016. NTPC (Coal+ Gas +Hydro +Solar) achieved highest ever generation of 243.326 BUs on 22nd March 2017 in FY17 against previous best of 241.976 BUs achieved in FY 2016. The higher generation from coal based stations indicates uptrend in electricity demand in the grid. NTPC has total installed capacity of 48873 MW from its 19 coal based, 7 gas based, 10 solar PV, one Hydro and 9 Subsidiaries / Joint Venture power stations.Company has capacity of over 23,000 MW under implementation at 23 locations across the country including 4300 MW being undertaken by joint venture and subsidiary companies. NTPC’s First coal mine Pakri-Barwadih at Hazaribagh became operational in December 2016. First wind power project of NTPC- Rojmal Wind Energy Project 50 MW is being set up in the State of Gujarat. Kevin Byard Jersey
`Power To All’ Plan by 2019 Is On Track, Union Minister Piyush Goyal assures Parliament
The government’s `Power To All’ Plan by 2019 Is On Track, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal assured the Parliament on Thursday. As many as 12,662 out of the targeted 18452 villages stand electrified in the country as on March 20, 2017 and 56,232.6 MW generation capacity has been added during the period 2014-17 (as on 28.02.2017), Mr Goyal said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. The minister said these were part of measures that the Ministry of Power was taking to provide 24X7 affordable and environment friendly ‘Power for All’ by 2019. In addition the minister listed the following measures for achieving the Power To All (24×7) plan: i. Preparation of state specific action plans for 24X7 Power for All, covering adequacy of generation, transmission capacity and distribution system: 24X7 Power for All documents have been signed with 35 States/UTs. iii. Launching of scheme called Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) for rural areas: The scheme provides for (a) separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders; (b) strengthening and augmentation of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas including metering at distribution transformers, feeders and consumers end; and (c) rural electrification. iv. Launching of Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for urban areas: The scheme provides for (a) strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution networks in urban areas; (b) metering of distribution transformers/feeders/consumers in urban areas; and (c) IT enablement of distribution sector and strengthening of distribution network. v. Operationalization of Power System Development Fund (PSDF): PSDF shall be utilized for the project proposed by distribution utilities for (a) creating necessary transmission system of strategic importance; (b) installation of shunt capacitors etc. for improvement of voltage profile in the grid; (c) installation of standard and special protection schemes; and (d) Renovation and Modernisation of transmission and distribution systems for relieving congestion; etc. vi. Launching of Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY): The scheme has been launched for operational and financial turnaround of Discoms. vii. Measures initiated for reducing the generation cost of coal based power projects: (a) Increasing supply of domestic coal; (b) Coal usage flexibility (c) Rationalization of coal linkages viii Increase in electricity generation from 967 BU (Billion Unit) in 2013-14 to 1048 BU in 2014-15 and 1107 BU in 2015-16, resulting in lowest ever energy deficit of 2.1% in 2015-16. ix During the current year 2016-17 (upto February 2017), electricity generation has been 1057.746 BU. Energy deficit has further reduced to 0.7% during the period April-February, 2017 which is the lowest ever. x. 73,798 ckm transmission lines and 1,89,948 MVA sub-station capacity added during 2014 to February, 2017. 87% increase in transmission capacity to South India from 3450 MW in April- 2014–February, 2017 to 6450 MW. xi. Implementation of Green Energy Corridor for transmission of renewable energy. xii. Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) to replace 77 crore incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. This will result in estimated avoided capacity generation of 20,000 MW and save 100 billion kWh per year by March, 2019. As on date, 21.8 crore LED bulbs have been distributed. In addition, over 5.36 lakh energy efficient fans and 13.37 lakh LED tube lights have been distributed. xiii Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) is being implemented to replace 1.4 crore conventional street lights by LED street lights. The replacement will result in avoided capacity generation of 1500 MW and save 9 billion kWh per year by March, 2019. As on date, over 18.3 lakh LED Street lights have been replaced across the country. The Minister further stated that the funding pattern for the new schemes initiated by the Government is as under: i. DDUGJY & IPDS: Government of India Grant – 60% (85% in case of Special Category States; Utility/State contribution – 10% (5% in case of Special Category States); loan from banks/financial institutions – 30% (10% in case of Special Category States) – Additional grant from GoI on achievement of prescribed milestones – 50% of the loan component. ii. PSDF: Subject to availability of funds and admissibility, the quantum of grant towards project cost ranges from 75% to 100% for non Special Category States. The projects from North-East and other hill States, namely, J&K, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are eligible for grant upto 100%. Radim Vrbata Authentic Jersey
India must maximize solar power use for higher GDP growth rates: Expert
“India can become a super power if its economy becomes stronger and its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) grows at 9.5%. For this to happen, use of solar power should be maximized as it would be one of the major contributors in future,” said GD Yadav, vice-chancellor of Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, on Thursday. Speaking at the second national workshop on ‘Solar energy utilization for sustainable development’, organized by National Environment Engineering Research Institute (Neeri), Yadav said, “Population and income are the key drivers behind growing demand for energy. As India is expected to overtake China’s population by 2040, efforts should be made to fulfil the demand for power through renewable and solar energy in future.” “In India, agricultural waste is burned by farmers, but it can be used as energy generator. Besides, biomass should be converted into bio-energy. New infrastructure should be built with facilities for storage and processing of enormous volumes of biomass and distribution of ethanol,” Yadav said. According to him, fossils will be mainly used for energy mix in 2050 and carbon dioxide can be used to convert it into hydro carbons for energy generation. In his keynote address on ‘Design and development of ultra-low permeable moisture barriers materials for solar cells’, Giridhar Madras, a professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, said, “Glasses used in solar cells can be a liability for energy generation. Therefore, we have started a research project under which efforts will be made to design moisture barrier materials for organic device encapsulation.” These materials will make solar cells more efficient and increase their life as these will have moisture barrier properties and be user-friendly. USB copies of the books of abstract were also released at the function. Neeri director Rakesh Kumar, scientist Sadhana Rayulu and chairperson of research council Kasturi Dutta were present. Nitin Labhsetwar proposed a vote of thanks. Kai Forbath Jersey
Uncertainty over micro-grids future roadblock for the sector: Feedback
Uncertainty around tariff payment and its future in case grid power reaches villages are major areas of concern plaguing the micro grid sector, according to Feedback Business Consulting. “The biggest challenge in operating a micro-grid is the uncertainty around tariff payment and the absence of large commercial loads in villages. Developers wants to ensure steady recovery of their capital investment and requires funds for maintenance. This uncertainty increases the risk profile of the project significantly,” said an analyst from Feedback Business Consulting. The second challenge is in the form of sustainability of the venture in case grid-power reaches the village and villagers decided to switch to the grid network due to lower tariff. “There are no proper exit strategy. Most developers are waiting for regulations from the government so that they can sustain business over long term,” he said. Most of these projects hold considerable risks and developers, mostly small time private entrepreneurs should have access to cheap loan. Another challenge is to ensure security of the assets. Many developers, according to the report, have filed cases of asset theft, and breakage of solar panels. Other challenges include receiving approvals for laying underground cables when the network crosses any highway, less or no growth in electricity demand from the villagers and limited scope of expansion to other villages. George Fant Womens Jersey