India becomes Net Exporter of electricity for the 1st time; 5,798 million units supplied to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar
India, for the first time, has turned for a net importer to a net exporter of electricity. According to the Central Electricity Authority, which happens to be the government approved authority for the Cross Border Trade of Electricity, India has exported about 5,798 million units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar during the current year 2016-17(April to February 2017), an amount which is 213 million units more than the 5,585 million units from Bhutan. The PIB report also suggests that Indian exports to Nepal and Bangladesh has increased 2.5-2.8 times in the last 3 years respectively. Following the announcement of cross-border trade of electricity in the mid-Eighties, India is reported to have been importing electricity from Bhutan. It has also been marginally exporting power to Nepal in a radial mode at 33 kV and 132 kV from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. If an average is to be considered, Bhutan has been supplying India with 5000-5500 million units to India every year. Although, it must also be noted that India is reported to be exporting about 190 MW of electricity to Nepal in ver 12 cross-border interconnections at 11kV, 33kV and 132 kV level. By commissioning it through the Muzaffarnagar(Uttar Pradesh, India)- Dhalkhebar(Nepal) 400 kV line, which is being operated at 132 kV in 2016, India’s power exports to Nepal has further increased by around 145 MW. In September 2013, India’s export of power to Bangladesh received a major boost after the commission of the first cross-border interconnection between Baharampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh at 400 kV, which was further increased by the commission of the 2nd cross-border connection between Surjyamaninagar of Tripura, India and South Comilla of Bangladesh. Meanwhile, according to the reports, power exports to Nepal is speculated to be increasing by about 145 kV after the Katiya (Bihar)– Kusaha (Nepal) and 132 kV Raxaul (Bihar)– Parwanipur (Nepal) cross-border interconnections. Beau Allen Womens Jersey
Auction for rooftop solar projects deferred again
State-run Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has deferred auction for the 1-gigawatt (GW) rooftop solar projects tender for the fourth time in the past three-four months, a move which has highlighted the complexities of the business. The bidding process for the largest ever rooftop solar tender in the country has now been extended to 17 April from 20 March, SECI said on its website. The public sector undertaking (PSU) had prepared to invite bids in December, Mint reported on 6 December. According to Sunsure Energy Pvt. Ltd, a company that develops solar projects for power producers, the tender has been postponed thrice between 24 January to 20 March. “There is a lot of speculation regarding the delay of this mega bidding,” Sunsure Energy said in a statement. “The reason for the delays can be attributed to any number of reasons, however it must be understood very clearly by the tendering agency that more diligence is required in preparation of the documents which can be easily achieved by increasing the involvement and feedback from the industry players.” We are waiting for some approvals from the ministry (ministry of new and renewable energy) and we are also doing survey of buildings and are waiting for that report to be out before calling for bids,” a SECI official said over the phone, asking not to be named as he is not authorized to be quoted. While the delay will not have an impact on specific companies in the sector, it will impact the sector in general, said Vinay Rustagi, managing director at boutique consultancy Bridge To India. “The government is expected to become a huge demand driver for the rooftop (solar project), but timescales keep shifting and it just shows the complexities of the rooftop market,” he said. According to Rustagi, while the tender is highly anticipated, being the largest so far, and is very attractive to developers due to stability from the government off-take of power, the process of site screening from over a thousand sites and estimation of project sizes is proving to be a challenge. Of the total 100 GW of solar power capacity that India needs to reach by 2022, about 40 GW has to come from rooftop projects. In 2016, the country’s rooftop solar market has added capacity at the fastest pace and crossed 1 GW in total installed capacity, but is still far from achieving the 40 GW target. The solar projects from the tender are to be set up on the roofs of central and state government buildings. Surplus power can be sold via connection to the grid and companies can avail of capital subsidies for the projects. SECI is a major implementing agency for solar projects in India and has already commissioned over 54MW of rooftop projects. Companies have been waiting for large tenders of this nature to increase their capacities and scale their companies higher, said a chief executive of a rooftop solar firm, on condition of anonymity. SECI plans to give 15 months to successful bidders from the date of issuance of letter of allocation for execution of the projects. Will Hernandez Womens Jersey
BHEL commissions another 250 mw eco-friendly unit in Gujarat
State-owned power equipment maker BHEL today said it has commissioned a 250-mw eco-friendly unit, using low grade coal (lignite) as primary fuel. The lignite-based thermal unit, based on circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) technology, is the second such facility to be commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company’s (BECL) 2×250 mw thermal power project at Padva in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, a BHEL statement said. According to the statement, the first unit of the project was commissioned earlier in May 2016. The project is based on CFBC technology – an environment friendly one to utilise India’s large resource of low grade, high moisture lignite. BHEL has the unique distinction of engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of four units of India’s largest capacity CFBC boilers of 250 mw rating, including the two units at Bhavnagar. Earlier in Gujarat, BHEL has executed the 4×125 mw Surat Lignite Power project in Surat district, also involving the CFBC technology. CFBC boilers are highly fuel flexible and can burn a wide array of fuels, including lignite, and are highly environment friendly with very low pollutant emission. The successful commissioning of CFBC technology-based units has reinforced BHEL’s leadership status in executing a variety of thermal power projects involving supply of state-of-the-art equipment suitable for Indian conditions, it added. Jori Lehtera Womens Jersey
Modi government’s big solar push could run into land hurdle. Read why
The Union cabinet decided last month to double India’s solar power generation capacity, from 20 GW to 40 GW, by setting up 50 solar parks, which are solar projects with a capacity of 500 MW or more concentrated in one area. But this additional 20 GW would mean acquisition of at least 80,000 acres of land, thrice Jaipur’s area, and possibly a problematic move in a land-starved country. There are already signs of trouble with three recorded conflicts related to land acquisition for renewable energy projects. One of these involves the ultra-mega solar park — that is, one with a capacity of 500 MW or more — in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, according to Land Conflict Watch, a mapped online repository of land conflicts across India. Delays in land acquisition add to the cost of the project, also making developers wary of investment. India’s record with solar power generation does not offer reasons to be optimistic either. With just a few days left for end of financial year 2016-17, India still has over 70 per cent of its target to achieve, while targets for upcoming years are even higher. The latest plan now is to generate 40 per cent of India’s solar renewable target of 100 GW by 2022 from solar parks and ultra-mega solar power projects. The augmented solar capacity, when operating at full capacity, will generate 64 billion units of electricity annually, cutting 55 million tonnes of CO2 per year over its life cycle, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). For the sake of comparison, 64 billion units of electricity per year would be enough to power two Delhis, which required 31.1 billion units of electricity during 2016-17, according to the Load Generation Balance Report of the Power Ministry that records energy requirement and availability in the country for the upcoming year. India currently has one of the largest renewables expansion programmes in the world, aiming as it does to install 175 GW of capacity by 2022 — over thrice the current capacity of 50 GW — in line with its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). INDC refers to the promise of alternate energy generation made by countries in the 2015 Paris Agreement with a view to cooling a rapidly-warming planet. As of January 2017, India’s cumulative installed solar capacity from all sources was just over 9 GW, and crossed 10 GW in March. To achieve targets, the country will therefore have to install about 90 GW more in the coming five years, a target that might not be achievable. At present, there is a marked gap between the targets and achievements. For example, against the target of installing 12,000 MW of solar capacity in 2016-17, by January 2017, only 2,472 MW had been installed. The largest contributors to solar energy in India will now be rooftop solar installations (40 per cent) and large solar parks (40 per cent). The last 20 per cent will come from utility scale solar projects, with a very small percentage coming from off-grid solar installations. Capacity addition of rooftop solar has been slow to take off. By November 2016, only 0.5 MW of solar rooftop capacity was installed, while 3 GW was sanctioned and under installation, according to MNRE. “The decentralised nature of rooftop installations makes progress difficult, because you need to engage about 500 consumers on average (on the assumption that one household installs a 2-W capacity on average) to reach 1 MW, so the administrative process is far more expensive,” said Abhishek Jain, senior programme lead at the Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW), a research institution based in New Delhi. Large solar parks come with several benefits for individual producers such as land clearances, development of infrastructure such as roads and transmission systems, and water access. By mid-2016, a total of 34 solar parks spread over 21 states were given approvals. These had an aggregate capacity of 20 GW. Details of state-wise division for the parks show that Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka had the most commissioned projects. Being part of a solar park also means that it is easier to raise finance at a lower cost for individual producers within the park. It also ensures that off-take is guaranteed, or else underwritten, which again reduces risk. With the additional 20 GW, the number of solar parks is estimated to increase to 83. Information about areas where these additional parks will be installed, or how the installation mix will change, is not yet available. Solar tariffs in India have been falling since 2010 — from Rs 10.95 per kWh in December 2010 to a level tariff of Rs 3.30 per kWh achieved last month by the 750-MW Rewa solar park project in Madhya Pradesh. Solar parks are perhaps currently the best way to produce renewable energy because they take care of problems faced by smaller producers, which include non-reliability with off-take of produced power, and problems of land acquisition, which is becoming increasingly problematic. “Land acquisition poses a challenge for developers but solar parks enable developers easy access to land, clearances, and evacuation infrastructure. As seen in the recent Rewa solar park bid, the risk of curtailment has also been eased by a 100 per cent payment guarantee offered by the state government,” Kanika Chawla, senior programme lead at CEEW, told IndiaSpend. As a general rule, one MW of ground-mounted solar installations require about four acres of land, down from five acres due to advancements in solar cell technology. Jose Abreu Womens Jersey
Renewables to account for over 60 per cent of India’s power capacity: Piyush Goyal
Enthused by drop in renewable energy tariff, Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said India’s 60-65 per cent of installed power generation capacity will be green energy. “Going by prices we have discovered, I am inspired to say that 60-65 per cent of India’s installed capacity base will be green energy,” Goyal said at Take Pride event organised by CII. He further said, “India’s renewable energy programme is a great example of how you can do big by thinking big.” Earlier this month, Goyal had predicted that India’s solar power generation capacity will cross 20,000 mw in the next 15 months, from the current 10,000 MW, and said drastic reduction in costs of solar power is proof of maturity of the sector. Lower capital expenditure and cheaper credit have pulled down solar tariff to a new low of Rs 2.97 per unit in an auction conducted for 750 mw capacity in Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh last month. The auction was conducted by a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh government and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The wind power tariff has too dropped to a record low of Rs 3.46 per unit in an auction of 1,000 mw capacity conducted by the SECI. At present, out of 315 gw of total power generation installed capacity, around 50 gw is from renewable sources while large hydro projects (above 25 mw) constitute 44 gw. As much as 14,000 mw (or 14 gigawatt) of solar projects are currently under development and about 6 gw is to be auctioned soon. In 2016, about 4 gw of solar capacity was added, the fastest pace till date. According to power ministry estimate, another 8.8 gw capacity is likely to be added in 2017, including about 1.1 gw of rooftop solar installations. The government is targeting 100 gw of solar and 60 gw of wind energy capacity by 2022. Total renewable energy generation capacity is envisaged at 175 gw by 2022. Commending the government’s initiative on Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said: “Nearly seven constitutional laws have been passed in the last two and a half years by this government without a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Our finance minister is the best finance minister.” Bobby Hart Womens Jersey
Solar power tariffs in India have fallen by 73 percent since 2010
India’s solar sector recently reached record low tariff levels in the auction conducted at the Rewa Solar Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh. India was one of the first countries to adopt reverse auctions for solar projects since the inception of its national solar policy and the government’s goal has always been to procure solar power at the lowest price possible, according to Mercom Capital Group. According to the report, recent record low bid of Rs.3.30 (~$0.494)/kWh (levelized over 25 years) at the Rewa Solar Park by ACME was lower by Rs.1.05 (~$0.02) and 24 percent compared to the previous low of Rs.4.35 (~$0.07) quoted in Rajasthan (by Fortum) in July 2016. “When the first 150 MW of solar was tendered under the National Solar Mission (NSM) Batch-I in 2010, the average tariff quoted was Rs.12.16 (~$0.17)/kWh. Average tariffs have fallen by about 73 percent since 2010, almost in line with Chinese spot module prices, which have fallen by approximately 80 percent since 2010,” mentioned the report. Mercom Capital group said when the entire global solar market was about 17 GW in 2010; Indian solar installations at that point were only about 18 MW. When NSM was initially rolled out, neither the government agencies nor developers had much experience installing solar power projects, nor was there a supply chain in existence. With subsequent auctions, intense competition to get into a new sector resulted in aggressive bidding leading to continued drops in tariffs. “Intense competition in reverse auctions due to a limited supply of projects has pushed companies to bid lower and lower, sacrificing margins, in order to gain market share,” said the report. Other factors leading to fall included, highly competitive reverse auctions, falling module and component prices, the introduction of solar parks, lower borrowing costs, and the entry of large power conglomerates with strong balance sheets and access to cheaper capital have all contributed to the dramatic fall in bids. Additionally, an increase in lending by Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other development banks have provided developers with cheaper loans which has enabled developers to bid at much lower prices, stated an official at Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). In the last two years, average domestic borrowing rates have declined by approximately 14 percent for solar projects. Looking Ahead The central government just doubled solar park capacity to 40 GW, which is expected to help bring down costs as long as the parks are built and operated efficiently. The MNRE has also released new guidelines for auctions which brings in some of the lessons learned from REWA park. The additional 20 GW, when tendered, will change the face of the Indian solar sector and make it cheaper than thermal in some cases. At least that’s the expectation stated by an MNRE official. The government is also developing a green energy transmission corridor. Although the progress has been slow, the grid is getting ready to take on large renewable energy capacities. In addition, solar park capacities have doubled. You add these to falling module prices and the MNRE guidelines for solar tenders and we have the perfect environment for a solar boom in India, stated a project developer. “The Rewa auction was unique and is not a direct comparison to previous auctions or low bids. After many years of experimentation, the government is finally realizing that eliminating risks leads to lower bids, which results in lower tariff pay outs, saving possibly billions in the future. It took them seven years, but they are learning,” commented Raj Prabhu, CEO and Co-Founder of Mercom Capital Group. The government is extremely pleased with these record low bids; the question is – can developers and investors make attractive returns at these levels? There is no margin for error. Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey
IREDA to sanction Rs 13,000 crore loans for renewables in FY18
State-run Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will sanction Rs 13,000 crore for clean energy projects next fiscal in the country, vying for around 20 per cent of the loan market share. With the government aiming at adding around 15 to 16 GW of clean energy projects, including solar and wind, there would be total credit market size of around Rs 65,000 crore. “We have planned to sanction around Rs 13,000 crore credit to clean energy project developers in the country in next financial year, which would be around 20 per cent of the market share,” IREDA Chairman K S Popli told PTI. Popli also said that IREDA would be able to release around Rs 8,000 crore for these clean energy projects in country. IREDA has sanctioned around Rs 37,000 crore of credit for clean energy projects in the country so far and has released around Rs 28,000 crore to developers, which aids generation capacity of around 7,000 MW. Elaborating further, Popli said, “The same amount of credit would be able to aid larger green capacities as the cost of clean energy equipment was quite high in earlier days”. The lower cost of equipment and lower borrowing charges have already pulled down solar energy tariff to all time low of Rs 2.97 per unit last month. The wind power tariff has too dropped to a record low of Rs 3.46 per unit in an auction of 1,000 MW capacity conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The loan sanctions by IREDA have grown from Rs 826 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 7,806 crore in 2015-16, with a CAGR of 32 per cent and expected to cross Rs 10,000 crore during this fiscal. Similarly, the loan disbursements have grown from Rs 553 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 4,257 crore in 2015-16, with a CAGR of 29 per cent and is likely to cross Rs 6,000 crore in the financial year 2016-17. The net profit of the company has increased from Rs 47.96 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 298.04 crore in 2015-16. In order to give more wings to IREDA’s ambitious plans to finance clean energy projects, its board has approved initial public offer proposal of Rs 13.90 crore fresh equity share with face value of Rs 10 each during February 2017. The initiative would help IREDA to increase its net worth facilitating lending to larger projects. The fresh issue of share shall be at price to be determined through a book building process. The IPO process is expected to be completed within six months from the date of approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). As soon as the necessary approvals are in place, IREDA shall approach the market and there is no question of wait by the agency for the market to stabilise before approaching the bourses, the official said. Though several commercial banks and financial institutions have forayed into clean energy financing, IREDA has been successfully maintaining its substantial share of the renewable market. Now, the other big players in the green energy finance market next fiscal would be state-run Power Finance Corp and Rural Electrification Corp, which are likely to have substantial share in the segment. DJ Moore Authentic Jersey
Andhra plans to generate 11,670 Mw additional power
Keeping in view the future power requirements of the capital city of Amaravati, the state government has unveiled its ambitious plans to add 11,670 mw more to its capacity. The government will take up projects in that direction in the next 10 years at an estimated cost of Rs 84,000 crore. At a review meeting here on Sunday, managing director of AP Genco K K Vijayanand said that the chief minister had directed the officials to adopt the latest global technologies in power generation for optimising thermal power generation in a cost-effective manner. He said the government will tap non-conventional energy sources like solar and wind power. Vijayanand, who is also the chairman and managing director (CMD) of AP Transco, said that the state government is keen to constitute a committee to study the best global practices and the latest IT initiatives in thermal energy generation, transmission and distribution.” To further enhance the efficiency of AP utilities, we are planning to study the best practices adopted in Japan and Germany,” he added. Stating that the state government is ready to meet power requirements during summer, Vijayanand said AP Genco is geared to enhance its thermal power generation. Nick Martin Womens Jersey
Powergrid Corporation commissions Rs 6,300 crore transmission project in Chhattisgarh
India’s largest and state-owned electricity transmission company Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) today said it has started the commercial operation of its 800 Kilovolt HVDC Champa-Kurukshetra Pole I project. The power line is part of 800 kV, 3,000 Megawatt western-northern region HVDC interconnector transmission system for independent power projects in Chhattisgarh. The 2,576 circuit km Champa-Kurukshetra line has been set up at a cost of Rs 6,300 crore. “This project will enable transfer of power from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) generation projects coming up in Raigarh, generation complex in Chhattisgarh to demand centres of Northern region such as Harayna, Punjab, UP, Rajasthan and adjoining areas,” Power Grid said in a release.
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