BHEL commissions 250 MW power plant in Gujarat
State-run BHEL has commissioned another 250 MW unit based on eco-friendly Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology, using low quality coal (lignite) as the primary fuel. The unit has been commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company (BECL) 2×250 MW thermal power project, located at Padva village in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, the company said in a statement. The project is equipped with CFBC technology that enables use of low quality lignite as fuel. The second unit of this project is also at an advanced stage of completion. This is the third 250 MW unit based on CFBC technology, commissioned by BHEL, with two others commissioned earlier in Tamil Nadu. CFBC boilers are highly fuel flexible and can burn a wide variety of fuels, including lignite, efficiently. These boilers are also highly environment friendly with very low pollutant emissions. Lignite reserves in the country have been estimated at around 40.9 billion tonnes. Presently, only a small percentage of the total reserves of lignite have been exploited. CFBC boilers provide an excellent opportunity for gainfully using these huge lignite reserves. BHEL’s scope of work in the contract envisaged design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of boilers, steam turbines and generators along with associated auxiliaries and electricals, and state-of-the-art Controls & Instrumentation (C&I), among others. Seth Jones Authentic Jersey
Telangana set to build power plants against Centre’s advice
Telangana, which had proposed to aggressively add power generation capacities towards self-sufficiency, has turned down the advice of Union power ministry against new capacities and is now determined to go ahead with imported coal-fired and inefficient subcritical thermal plants. The state has a capacity of 4,365 MW and has proposed to achieve 25,000 MW by the end of 2018, which includes fresh thermal power generation capacity of 4,000 MW that the Union government promised under the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014. Besides entering into a contentious power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Chhattisgarh government to procure 1,000 MW of power for 12 years, Telangana has awarded contracts for a 1,080 MW project at Manugur in Khammam district and a 4,000 MW plant at Damaracherla in Nalgonda district. Both are coal-fired thermal power projects, each depending on imported coal for at least half of its fuel requirement. The plant at Manugur also relies on subcritical equipment of 280 MW each, which environmentalists say will add to pollution while activists say its expensive operations and maintenance costs will be a burden on the exchequer. Union power minister Piyush Goyal recently asked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to either downsize or drop the state’s proposed power plants, given the surplus power capacities and cheaper availability in the domestic market. Goyal on Wednesday repeated his advice to the Telangana government while assuring that state-run thermal power generator NTPC was ready to set up the projects promised under the Act. Of the promised 4,000 MW, NTPC is setting up two units of 800 MW each at Ramagundam and is in talks with the Telangana government for the required land to set up the remaining capacities. But Telangana power and industries secretary Arvind Kumar said the state was neither in favour of trimming down capacities nor dropping the projects. “Keeping in view the projected increase in power consumption by the proposed industrial corridors, the proposed large lift irrigation projects and anticipated increase in agricultural consumption under these irrigation projects, the Telangana government has decided to go ahead with its power capacity additions,” he told ET. “Aimed at uninterrupted power supply for agriculture, industry and domestic consumption, Telangana wants to rely on own and cheaper power generation resources.” However, civil society groups and power consumer forums are crying foul over the alleged arbitrary decisions of the state government on selection of power generation technologies and contractors for new power plants. They have also criticised the PPAs, saying the government has signed them at high costs. They had also challenged these decisions before the state electricity regulatory commission. They point out that the government was not taking advantage of the coal mines in the state for new projects. Though the project at Manugur is a pit-head project, it is using subcritical technology and is also 50 per cent dependent on imported coal, while Damaracherla plant is far away from coal mines, they said. “Given serious rethinking going on across the globe towards adding alternative and sustainable power generation capacities and also given the availability of cheaper electricity, the Telangana government should have a fresh look at its power strategy,” said M Kodandaram, chairman of Telangana Joint Action Committee, an umbrella body of dozens of civil society groups. M Thimma Reddy, convenor of People’s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation, accused the Telangana government of resorting to imprudent strategies to address the power deficits. Pointing out that Telangana’s strategy on capacity additions was not matching its power consumption patterns, he said that the power consumption by the agriculture sector in the newly-formed state over the past two years crashed owing to back-to-back droughts and a steep fall in groundwater levels. “The government went ahead with awarding contracts of power plants without adopting the open competitive bidding route and entered into PPAs with various private and public entities without calling for competitive bids, thereby losing on the advantage of procuring power at low tariffs,” said Reddy. “Instead of lowering power purchases from private players when the demand fell significantly during droughts, Telangana had resorted to backing down (lowering plant load factor) at own power generation stations, thereby adversely affecting the finances of state-owned power utilities and burdening the power consumers with high-cost power.” Dino Ciccarelli Jersey
Bhel wins $1.49 billion power plant contract in Bangladesh
State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) has secured a $1.49 billion contract to set up two thermal power plants of 660 mega watt (MW) each for the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Co. (Pvt.) Ltd, an equal joint venture between India’s NTPC Ltd and Bangladesh Power Development Board. NTPC said in an official statement here that the project to be located at Bagerhat district in Bangladesh will commence power generation in 2019-20. Bhel will be responsible for engineering, procurement and construction. The contract was signed on 12 July in Bangladesh. The project will contribute “immensely to the overall development of Bangladesh especially its power sector,” said the statement. Indian Exim Bank will finance the project called Maitree Super Thermal Power Project, which is the first such project developed by Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Co. and signify the increasing cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries, the statement said. Because of geographic proximity, both the nations have advantages in closer cooperation in energy, infrastructure and trade. For India’s northeastern states, importing many goods from Bangladesh is easier than from the nearest Indian state, West Bengal. Bangladesh is at present buying power from ONGC Tripura Power Co. Ltd. Demarcus Robinson Jersey
Process to get electricity connection made easier: Power Min
Power Ministry today said it has been mandatory to provide an electricity connection within 15 days of application as part of steps taken in last two years to ease the process of getting connections. “Ministry of Power has undertaken several reforms measures to ease the process of ‘Getting Electricity’ over a period of last two years. These measures will drastically reduced the time taken for getting an electricity connection and will benefited citizens and industry alike,” Power Ministry said in a statement. It has been made mandatory to provide electricity connection within 15 days to the consumers in normal conditions, it added. A simplified procedure for getting electricity connection has been adopted after detailed discussions with Delhi and Maharashtra Discoms and other concerned agencies. Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has made the necessary changes to allow Low Tension connection up to 150 KVA and had also rationalized the tariff for the same in 2015. The Ministry has also stipulated time for each step in providing the connection. Within three days of online form submission for electricity connection, the field inspection of the site will be done, which will lead to the process to estimate preparation, load sanction and intimation for fee deposit to be completed in next four days. After this, installation work including meter and flow of electricity will be done in eight days, thus completing the whole process in 15 days. While applying for connection, consumers in Delhi and Mumbai will be required to provide the self certification for type of consumer along with ID proof and premises ownership. It said that an amendment to CEA (Central Electricity Authority) notification have been made to waive off electrical approval for 11 KV installation carried out by discoms and allowing self certification by discoms engineers in such cases. It has been agreed by the discoms that reliability of power supply will be improved progressively each year till international benchmark is achieved. An amendment in CEA notification for allowing installation of transformers up to 500 KVA on double pole structure has also been made. Apart from these initiatives, a simplified online mechanism for Right of Way (RoW) approval process for electrical works is also under process, it added. Briean Boddy-Calhoun Womens Jersey
Kayamkulam NTPC running out of power
Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant of the National Thermal Power Corporation in Kayamkulam is reeling under the neglect of the state government. The only thermal power plant in the state is hit by the apathy of the state government. The power generation was carried out only below 10 days in the Rs 1,200-crore invested power plant in 2016. However, the KSEB has been granting Rs 18 crore to NTPC every month as per the Power Purchase Agreement(PPA). The Central Government is also expressed dissatisfaction over the state government’s attitude towards the Navaratna company. Union Minister of Power, Piyush Goyal, has said that the State Government should submit a proposal to the Central Government for the conversion of fuel from Naphtha to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The minister said that the government is ready to allot fund for the development of the company, but efforts from the part of state administrators is a must. The 350-MW power plant was commissioned at Kayamkulam in 1998 to tackle the power shortage in the state. Naphtha was the fuel and its price hike increased the unit charge of electricity. After the rate increased, the KSEB stopped purchasing power from the NPTC. As per the PPA, the KSEB has been allotting running coast to the NTPC. The new PPA will end in 2023. After the establishment of the LNG terminal at Kochi, the plant was converted into LNG. The NTPC spent around Rs 33 crore for restructuring the company. But, the transportation of LNG from Kochi to Kayamkulam is a hurdle and the plant is lying idle. The lack of political interest was the main reason of the idling of the plant. The former government had decided to lay a pipe line through the sea to plant, but the opposition from the fishermen delayed it. Later, the state government invited expression of interest to transport LNG to Kayamkulam through barge, but it is yet to begin. However, the controversy related to handing over the land of NTPC to Harippad PPP model Medical College was also marred the development of the company. The NTPC management was not ready to hand over the land to the MC, but some of the ministers in the previous state ministry exerted pressure to hand over the land to MC. This also delayed the development of the project. Marcus Davenport Jersey
Power Ministry Undertake Several Steps to Ease the Process of “Getting Electricity” Connection
Ministry of Power has undertaken several reforms measures to ease the process of ‘Getting Electricity’ over a period of last two years. The Government has made it mandatory to provide electricity connection within fifteen days to the consumers in normal conditions. A simplified procedure for getting electricity connection has been adopted after detailed discussions with Delhi and Maharashtra Discoms and other concerned agencies. DERC has made the necessary changes to allow LT connection up to 150 KVA and had also rationalized the tariff for the same in 2015. Ministry has also stipulated time for each step required for providing the connection. Within three days of online form submission for electricity connection, the field inspection of the site will be done, which will lead to the process to estimate preparation, load sanction and intimation for fee deposit to be completed in next four days. After this, installation work including meter and flow of electricity will be done in eight days, thus completing the whole process in 15 days. While applying for connection, consumers in Delhi and Mumbai will be required to provide the self certification for type of consumer along with ID proof and premises ownership. An amendment to CEA notification have been made to waive off electrical approval for 11 KV installation carried out by Discoms and allowing self certification by Discoms engineers in such cases. It has been agreed by the Discoms that reliability of Power supply will be improved progressively each year till international benchmark are achieved. An amendment in CEA notification for allowing installation of transformers up to 500 KVA on double pole structure has also been made. Apart from these initiatives, a simplified online mechanism for Right of Way (RoW) approval process for electrical works is also under process. These measures will drastically reduced the time taken for getting an electricity connection and will benefited citizens and industry alike. Felix Potvin Jersey
Power Grid’s Rs1 trillion expansion to back Modi’s economic, strategic goals
State-owned power transmission company Power Grid Corp. of India Ltd will spend Rs.1 trillion over four years to expand its network and connect areas affected by left-wing extremism, facilitating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goals on village electrification, uninterrupted power for all and development of the North-east, said chairman and managing director I.S. Jha. Power Grid’s spending is also reshaping the electricity market as multiple transmission lines from power plants in different geographies with different cost structures to the same customer base offer more power purchasing choices for industrial consumers and distribution companies, breaking the monopoly that is natural to actors in this capital-intensive infrastructure industry. Power Grid on Monday put into operation a 186 circuit km (ckm) 400 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Ranchi in Jharkhand to Gaya in Bihar enabling an alternative power supply line to eastern Uttar Pradesh as well as to north-eastern states, said Jha. Power Grid already has a network connecting Gaya to Kanpur and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and to the North-east. The Ranchi-Gaya transmission line passes through the hilly districts of Lohardaga, Latehar and Chatra in Jharkhand. The state police have reported left-wing extremist activities in this region. “Having multiple supply lines will improve the quality of power. Increasingly, the role of transmission is changing from mere evacuation of power to developing the electricity market. Better availability of power and choices of purchase will attract more consumers,” said Jha. In the next two years alone, the company expects to add 84,500 ckm to its existing network of 130,000 ckm. Power Grid also has major diversification plans. It will start installing telecom towers along its transmission route, which will complement its optic-fibre cable network and generate more revenue from services to telecom companies. The company is also planning to expand overseas by bidding for global transmission projects jointly with private players. The idea is to scale up the global presence from consultancy services at present to engineering, design, procurement and construction. Eventually, it will explore the possibility of ownership of transmission assets abroad. In the domestic market, Power Grid will participate in auctions to be held by states for intra-state transmission projects, branching out from its core business of inter-state transmission. State governments are expected to bid out projects with a cost of about Rs.1.5 trillion in the next few years, some of which will be in smart cities, said Jha, an electrical engineer from National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, who became Power Grid chairman in November. Experts said that developing smart cities will benefit all utilities in the energy value chain. “Historically, power distribution and retail supply segment have been under invested. Developing smart cities would see organisational focus and investments into this. It will ensure reliable and quality power and better customer interface, enabling utilities to improve price realization and in financial turnaround. It also improves upstream operational efficiency in transmission,” said Sambitosh Mohapatra, partner, energy utilities and mining, PwC India. The company, in which the central government holds a 57.9% stake, reported a net profit of Rs.6,027 crore for 2015-16 on a turnover of Rs.21,281 crore, an improvement of 21% in net profit from a year ago. Blake Swihart Womens Jersey
Rajasthan is most attractive solar project destination in India, proves NTPC auction
Rajasthan confirmed its position as the most attractive solar project destination in the country with the latest NTPC auction in the desert state, which saw the winning bids falling to Rs 4.35-4.36 per kwH. Of the 130 MW on offer, 50 MW was won by Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital and 60 MW by Mahindra Susten, both offering to sell electricity produced from their projects at an identical Rs 4.35 per kwH. The remaining 20 MW was won by Prayatna Developers of the Adani Group at Rs 4.36 per kwH. In these reverse auctions, the developer that offers to sell electricity at the lowest price wins. The latest wining prices are just a shade over the lowest ever offered by a solar project developer in India — that, too, in Rajasthan. Fortum Finnsurya bid Rs 4.34 per kwH to win a 70 MW project at the last NTPC auction in Rajasthan in January. In that auction, however, land for the project was ensured at the Bhadla Solar Park in Jodhpur district, which has the highest solar radiation in the country. In the current case, no land is being provided. Developers will have to locate and develop the land themselves — a condition which may have contributed to keeping the tariff marginally higher. Solar tariffs fell steeply in 2015, but appeared to have bottomed out after the Bhadla Solar Park auction. In at least five auctions since — in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — the winning tariff remained stuck at the reserve price of Rs 4.43 per kwH (barring one bid of Rs 4.41 per kwH in Maharashtra). In other auctions, the price was higher. Fears were expressed that aggressive bidding had pushed solar tariffs too low and a correction was likely. Developer interest also seemed to have been tapering off in some of the auctions this year. The Gujarat auction of 160 MW of capacity in late-June, for example, drew only three bidders. The latest Rajasthan auction, however, has belied those apprehensions. Not only has the tariff fallen, but the interest shown was also enormous, with 21 developers, including many of the top names in the business, making bids. The auction thus underlines Rajasthan’s inherent solar advantage, due to the high radiation it receives. It also shows that both tariff and developer interest depend crucially on project location. Rajasthan has the highest solar installed capacity in the country, around 1,286 MW out of the total of 7,564.86 MW. Jaleel Scott Womens Jersey
India’s smart street lighting market to touch $1.8 bn by 2022
The “smart” street lighting market in India is expected to grow at an annual rate of 42.2 per cent to reach USD 1,868.9 million by 2022 as adoption of LED and solar powered systems rises in the country, a report said. According to Infoholic Research, India’s fast-developing public infrastructure — demand for roads and highways, smart cities and smart homes — is driving adoption of smart street-lighting. “In India, smart street-lighting is at the nascent stage and is expected to grow rapidly over the next two years. New installation projects for smart street-lighting have been launched starting 2015 and many more projects for replacing street-lights are expected in the coming years in urban and rural areas of India,” the report said. As a result, a major share of revenues is expected to be realised from urban zones, which are expected to aggregate USD 1,304.8 million in smart street-lighting spending by CY2022. Network components is expected to be about USD 674.6 million, while connectivity technologies and lighting lamps are estimated to touch USD 412.6 million and USD 127.3 million, respectively. “Smart cities and smart homes are expected to drive the smart street-lighting market and also ensure the penetration of cloud-based smart street-lighting in the near future. Due to long gestation RoI estimates, more and more smart street-lighting projects are likely to be implemented via the PPP model,” Infoholic Research Research Manager Tariq Ahmed Shaik said Sathya V, Research Analyst at Infoholic Research, said governments, municipalities, and local bodies are widely expected to shift their focus to smart street-lights to cut down power consumption and maintenance costs. Kurt Warner Authentic Jersey
Why Zero Electricity Is An Immense Insult For These UP Villages
As the sun sets in a small village in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, it’s lights out. In huts and in small neighbourhood shops, kerosene lamps flicker. The rub lies in the fact that barely a five-minute walk away is the Rihand Dam, one of the largest in the country. Embedded around it are as many as 10 power plants, some operated by the centre and others by the state government, that collectively generate over 10,000 megawatts of electricity. This is easily one of the most prolific power centres in India. Yet, the Godara Tola village gets no electricity despite its location. Jai Mangal, Ram Lagan, and Kamal Bhan, all approaching their 70s, say that in the 1960s, the village they lived in was submerged as the massive new reservoir was set up. They relocated to Godara Tola, two km away, encouraged by promises of 24X7 electricity. Decades later, the village does not have even an electricity pole.” I don’t know if I will be able to see power in my lifetime. When we gave up our land and moved here, Jawahar Lal Nehru was the Prime Minister. Since then many came, many have died, our situation still remains the same,” says Jai Mangal, standing near a hill from where the Rihand Dam can be seen. Jai Mangal, Ram Lagan, and Kamal Bhan, all approaching their 70s live in a village that does not have even an electricity pole. Jai Mangal, Ram Lagan, and Kamal Bhan, all approaching their 70s live in a village that does not have even an electricity pole. Of Sonbhadra’s 1,500 villages, nearly 400 have never been electrified. The others are serviced with an erratic supply that’s never enough. Delivering power to villages was vowed both by the central and state government ahead of the most recent election. The centre says that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has electrified just three villages between 2012 and 2014. The 43-year-old Chief Minister’s claim is staggeringly different-he alleges that nearly 97,000 large villages have been transformed with at least a few hours of electricity every day. With Uttar Pradesh entering election season, Rupa Devi, 25, can predict the promises that she and others will soon be fed. Originally from a village in Chhattisgarh which has electricity, she moved after marriage to Sonbhadara where she has found a way to utilize the electric wires and poles that have stood impotent for decades. She uses them to hang her washing. B.J. Hill Authentic Jersey