Bhubaneswar Airport to be fully functional by 2nd quarter of 2018
The Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar is expected to be fully functional and declared as an operational airport by April or May 2018, said Guru Prasad Mohapatra, chairman of Airport Authority of India (AAI). Talking to media persons soon after his arrival at the city airport from New Delhi today, Mohapatra said be it a domestic flight or international flight, resumption of flight service is the lookout of the concerned airlines. Under its hub and spoke model, the Air India at present conducts passengers, customs and immigrating checking at the old terminal of the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar for its international fights. Talking about the development of the city airport, Mohapatra said the Government of India has relaxed international flight regulations. “AAI has collaboration with the state governments which have provided land and financial assistance. Initially, there were problems in the resumption of work. But now the work is going on smoothly. We are expecting that by April and May, 2018, the Biju Patnaik International Airport will be fully functional and declared as an operational airport,” Mohapatra said. Justin Blackmon Jersey
West Bengal government accepts Centre’s air connectivity scheme with rider
The West Bengal government today accepted the regional connectivity scheme in civil aviation as proposed by the Centre, but at the same time, threatened to pull out of it if the state had to bear in excess of the 20 per cent share as has been committed by the Centre under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF). “The VGF is to be shared between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the state governments in the 80:20 ratio. We shall pull out of the scheme if the state has to bear in excess of the 20 per cent share as committed by the Centre,” state Transport Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said while briefing reporters on the outcome of a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport with the state government. “The chief minister has discussed several issues relating to our state at the meeting. She has urged the MoCA to restrict the flight fare from un-served and under-served airports to Rs 2,500. The Centre will have to bear 80 per cent, while for the state, it will be a maximum of 20 per cent if the fare exceeds the limit,” Bandyopadhyay said. Stephen Gostkowski Jersey
GMR inks deal with Goa govt to develop Mopa airport
Bengaluru-based GMR Airports, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure, today signed a concession agreement with Goa government to develop and operate greenfield airport project at Mopa in North Goa. State Chief Minister Laxmikant Parskear was present for the event during which the government and GMR Airports formally signed an agreement to design, build, finance and operate the international airport for 40 years with the extension option for another 20 years. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by financial year 2019-20. “GMR is proud to be associated with the new airport. I am sure this airport is going to create new landmarks in terms of performance,” said Srinivas Bommidala, Chairman-Airports, GMR Group. The company has a track record of sticking to the deadlines, he said, adding that the Mopa airport will be completed in time. Zach Werenski Jersey
New Goa airport at Mopa to be ready by 2020
GMR Airports Limited (GAL), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited, today signed the agreement with Government of Goa for the development and operation of north Goa’s Greenfield International Airport at Mopa. GMR Airports Ltd (GAL) a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Ltd, is one of the largest airport developers in the world; handling more than 70 million passengers per annum both in India & Overseas. GMR will design, build, finance and operate the international airport for 40 years with extension option for another 20 years. The construction period for the first phase of the project is three years from the date of financial closure and is expected to be operational by mid of 2020. Srinivas Bommidala, Chairman-Airports, GMR Group, said, “We are excited about the project and the opportunity to partner with the Government of Goa.. Goa is the marquee beach tourist destination of India. Given our vast experience in the airport space, we are confident that we will deliver an airport which not only reflects the rich cultural heritage & ethos of Goa but also augments Goa’s standing as the leading tourist destination of choice in Asia while boosting jobs for the local community and bringing economic benefits to the state of Goa.” Cory Schneider Womens Jersey
Adani inaugurates 100 MW solar power plant in Punjab
Adani Enterprises Ltd today said it has inaugurated Punjab’s largest solar power plant of 100 megawatts (MW) at Sardargarh and Chughe Kalan, Bhatinda, with an investment of around Rs 640 crore, set by its subsidiary Adani Green Energy Ltd. The company said it is using top notch technology to set up the entire 100 MW solar plant project which has started commissioning almost six months ahead of schedule. “Indirect and direct employment opportunities were created for a total of around 300-400 personnel, who worked diligently to achieve this feat ahead of its time,” Adani said in a release. Adani further said the solar plant is not only the largest project in Punjab but will also prove to be the largest tracker-based solar project in the country. The technology used for setting up this plant includes Poly Crystalline Silicon PV Modules and Horizontal Single Axis Tracker (HSAT). This plant will be India’s biggest HSAT plant at a single location. The plant spreads over approximately 641 acres of land with the evacuation of 132 kV Balluana Substation through Double circuit 132 KV transmission line. The annual energy yield is expected to be approximately 88,000 Mwh/ annum. Apart from the 100 MW Solar Power Plant in Bhatinda, Adani has a 40 MW solar plant at Bitta, Gujarat and has also recently unveiled a 648 MW solar power project at Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu which is the world’s largest solar power plant in a single location. Moreover the company has also signed a JV with the Rajasthan government to develop the country’s largest solar park in the state with 10,000 MW capacity. Darrin Walls Jersey
Power tariff likely to go up in Andhra
The government is gearing up to give shock treatment to power consumers what with the power utilities giving final touches to revise the existing power tariff upwards by at least 10 per cent. According to highly-placed sources, discoms would present their revenue requirements and earnings statement to chief minister Chandrababu Naidu in a fortnight. Sources said the discoms are reeling under losses to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore and are expecting to recover Rs 2,500-3,000 crore by increasing the tariff to the domestic sector by 10 per cent. Sources said that consumers are sure to face additional burden with higher tariff even if the state government reduced the quantum of increase to around 6-7 per cent. Ironically, the state government has assured the Centre to revise the tariff at least by 5 per cent annually while joining the UDAY scheme as part of the reforms being brought in the energy sector. The AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has directed the discoms to submit their tariff proposals for the next financial year (2017-18) by the end of November. The discoms are likely to seek extension of the deadline for submission of their revenue returns with the ERC as the state government has to take a final call on the issue of tariff revision. Sources said that the issue of latest revenues and expenditure of power distribution companies in the state was hotly discussed at the high-level review meeting held in the city on Monday. The meeting was chaired by principal secretary, energy, Ajay Jain in which CMDs of both Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (SPDCL) and Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (EPDCL) — HY Dora and MM Naik — and AP Genco managing director Vijayanand were present. Sources said that the senior officials found the discoms in dire straits and expressed their displeasure for failing to tighten the purses. The situation was in fact noticed at a meeting held about three months ago and the discoms were directed to cut down the costs drastically. However, the continued purchase of power from private sector reported to have bleed the discoms heavily resulting in massive losses. The discoms purchased Rs 22,876 crore worth power during the current year and are estimating that it might go up to Rs 24,000 crore. The discoms are expected to spend Rs 1,000 crore exclusively on transmission costs during the current fiscal from which SPDCL’s share would be around Rs 650 crore and EPDCL’s share around Rs 350 crore. “We will get an exact picture by next fortnight as the exercise of computing the revenues through sales and costs is l being worked out,” said a senior official. A top source said that a decision with regard to the quantum of hike to be proposed before the ERC would be taken only after getting the final revenue reports. Interestingly, AP is ranked one in the country by the World Bank in energy sector. Meanwhile, CPM state secretary P Madhu and CPI secretary K Ramakrishna have demanded that the state government withdraw any proposal to hike power tariff as it would impose a heavy burden on the consumers. Tyler Higbee Authentic Jersey
BYPL partners with Sensus to implement Advanced Metering Infrastructure solution
Reliance Infrastructure backed BSES Yamuna Power Ltd (BYPL) has signed an agreement with Sensus, a Xylem brand, and global supplier of smart meters and utility-grade communications systems. The agreement, signed at the India-UK Tech Summit, will enable BYPL to use FlexNet, Sensus’ advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution, in BYPL, Delhi Service area on a trial basis. This technology trial will start in the next three to four months and will simplify installation and commissioning of the Sensus FlexNet AMI solution in BYPL, Delhi. “The FlexNet Long Range Radio technology has exceptional penetration and reach to enable a simple and robust architecture for all applications. It will also help BYPL, Delhi to reduce power theft, data loss and improve billing and collection processes,” BSES said. BYPL’s requirements for coverage, capacity and longer-term needs of smart grids will be met, without significant additional investment, by the Sensus FlexNet AMI solution, BSES said. “I am sure this technology will help fulfil BYPL’ requirements for coverage, capacity and longer-term needs of smart grids without significant additional investment. This trial will provide a huge fillip to our endeavour in this direction and enable us to draw on Sensus’ wide ranging global expertise,” BYPL CEO P R Kumar said. Jaleel Scott Womens Jersey
Noida power discom promises to fix power snags in 15 minutes
The power discom has formed a quick response team (QRT) to look into local faults in Noida and fix them. The team, which started functioning from November 1 and comprises 18 sub-divisional officers (SDOs) and about 50 junior engineers (JE), has to repair local or distribution faults in areas under them within 15 minutes of being informed . After the system is put in place, the entire Gautam Budh Nagar district will be put under QRTs by December this year. Mukul Singhal superintending engineer, PVVNL, said that he has been concerned about repeated complaints of power cuts because of local faults which have taken more than an hour to repair. “I’ve been aiming at streamlining the process of distribution since long. Consumers have had to bear the brunt of being without electricity. That’s why I’ve instructed all SDOs and JEs to look into any such issue within 15 minutes,” Singhal said. According to Singhal, the SDOs and JEs would be assigning the sectors under their area to different teams to address faults. “Earlier, linemen and officials would take hours to even respond to a complaint and the consumers would be left waiting. This move is to ensure that the time frame leads to work getting done faster,” Singhal said. Under the measure, the QRT team will be expected to report to the problem spot within ten minutes of receiving the complaint and start work on fixing the problem. “This will reduce the time wasted in identifying the problem and getting on to fixing it,” Singhal said. As of now, more than 20 sectors have been covered under such QRTs. They include sectors 22, 23, 24, 25, 32, 33 and 35. By and by, more sectors will be covered. Further, a log sheet will be maintained which will entail details of the complaint such as time taken to address the problem from the time it was reported. “If the problem gets resolved in more than the stipulated time, then I’ll take the necessary actions against the official or in the event of distribution error, I will look into providing the necessary boost to the infrastructure,” Singhal said. He said that if the system works fine, then the entire district will be placed under such QRTs by December. “The aim is to have the entire district, including rural areas, covered under these teams so as to ensure seamless supply of power with minimal time spent on addressing the problem areas,” Singhal said.
India Power to launch drive against power thieves in Gaya
Now that the festive season is over, India Power, the private company holding franchise for power distribution in Gaya town, Bodh Gaya and Manpur is all set to launch a drive against power thieves. A few days back, the company was pulled up by Gaya district magistrate Kumar Ravi for its failure to lodge FIR against the wrongdoers. In October, just one FIR was lodged by the company. Company DGM Rakesh Ranjan said it was due to the festive season that we did not take any initiative. Now post Chhath, the company will launch a drive against power theft, said Ranjan. As per an estimate, nearly 60% of the available power was being stolen/consumed free. According to India Power sources, as against the supply of 60 million units a month, the company was getting a revenue for only 22 million units. The failure of the power company to lodge cases against power thieves also resulted in revenue loss to the state, as a part of the penalty imposed by courts goes to the state coffer via South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd. During the review, besides directing India Power to lodge criminal case against power thieves, the DM also expressed concern over complaints of billing anomalies, particularly the practice of estimated billing. Power users of the town have been demanding billing on the basis of actual power consumption and not estimated power consumption. Asked about the practice of estimated billing, India Power deputy general manager Rakesh Ranjan said the company always tries to present bill on the basis of actual consumption and in the urban area about 80% billing is done on the basis of actual consumption. In 20% cases, estimated bills were presented as photo reading of the meters was problematic in many cases on account of several factors, including wrong address of consumers and unavailability of consumers at the time of meter reading. Conceding that power theft was a serious impediment in the execution of company’s programmes, Ranjan said the continuance of 40,000 old meters and 20,000 unmetered power users was responsible for revenue loss to the company. Besides direct power theft, old meters also cause huge loss to the power company. The process of replacement of old meters with electronic ones is still on. In several cases, consumers resist the installation of electronic meters, said the power company official. Barkevious Mingo Authentic Jersey
Total signs first post-sanctions Western energy deal with Iran to develop largest gas field
France’s Total has signed a deal with Iran to further develop its part of the world’s largest gas field, becoming the first western energy company to sign a major deal with Tehran since the lifting of international sanctions earlier this year. Total confirmed on Tuesday it had signed a heads of agreement with National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for the Phase 11 development of South Pars in the Gulf, which extends into Qatari waters where it is known as the North field. The SP11 project will progress in two stages, the first costing an estimated $2 billion, Total said. The produced gas will be fed into Iran’s gas network. The French company has already played a key role in Iran’s energy industry, including the development of phases 2 and 3 of South Pars in the 2000s, before pulling out of the country after international sanctions were imposed in 2010. Foreign companies keen to tap into Iran’s vast oil and gas reserves have so far made little inroads into the country despite the lifting of many sanctions earlier this year following a landmark agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme. Tehran has pledged to open up its oil industry but foreign companies, including BP and Italy’s Eni recently said they still have little information about Iranian oil fields and contract terms, hindering investment decisions. Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne, who has taken some major investment decisions in recent years despite one of the sector’s longest downturns, said the agreement “resulted in an attractive commercial framework.” Total said it would operate the SP11 project and have a 50.1 percent stake in it. Petropars, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, will have a 19.9 percent stake while state-China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) will have a 30 percent stake. The development will have a production capacity of 1.8 billion cubic feet per day, or 370,000 barrels of oil equivalent, with output to be fed into Iran’s gas network. “This project fits with the group’s strategy of expanding its presence in the Middle East, where the origins of the group lie, and growing its gas portfolio by adding low unit cost, long plateau gas assets,” Pouyanne said in a statement. Total will develop the project in compliance with national and international laws and the investment will be undertaken without bank finance, he told reporters. Mikkel Boedker Jersey