Uncertainty Preventing Investments in Hydel Projects: Power Minister Piyush Goyal

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
09-February, 2018 14:46 IST
Shri RK Singh launches ASH TRACK Mobile App for better management of fly ash produced by thermal power plants

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh, launched a Web based monitoring System and a Fly Ash mobile application named ASH TRACK here today. These platforms will enable better management of the ash produced by thermal power plants by providing an interface between fly ash producers (Thermal Power Plants) and potential ash users such as – road contractors, cement plants etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R K Singh said that proper management of fly ash is important for not only the environment but for us also as the ash produced by the power plants occupies a lot of land space. He explained that at present, 63 per cent of the fly ash is being utilised and target is for 100 per cent utilisation of the fly ash. For this the Minister emphasized the need for education and awareness generation. He said that road contractors and construction engineers need to know the benefits of using fly ash in construction. The Minister asked the officials to work out the per kilometer construction costs of roads using fly ash, and said if it is found to be expensive, then measures need to be taken to reduce the cost by way of tax structure, subsidies and transportation services. Similarly, Shri Singh stressed upon the need to come out with a policy to encourage fly ash use in cement plant.

Analysing the data, Shri Singh said that in spite of increasing use of renewable energy, coal will remain the mainstay of Power sector in India. In fact the consumption of coal is going to increase as our economy grows.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary for Power Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that quality-wise Indian coal has much more ash content than other countries. Hence, he stressed upon the need for diverse approaches for the fly ash management. He suggested that there is a need to prevent the ash from coming to the power plant by washing the coal at its place of origin. Further, the Power Secretary talked about promoting R&D for increasing efficiency of power plants and reducing the ash generation. He said that our mantra should be ‘The least ash generated and maximum ash utilized.’ He also thanked Niti Aayog for providing full support to this project.

Users can download the Ash Track mobile app from Google Play Store for Android OS and from App Store for Apple IOS. The ASH TRACK Mobile App has following features

1. For Consumers-

1. App shows coal based power plants situated within the radius of 100 km and 300 km from a given location
2. User can select power station from where he wants to take fly ash
3. Ash availability, distance from user’s location, details of contact person will be displayed
4. User can apply online for allocation of ash
5. SMS will be sent to the applicant and the respective power plant instantly

1. For Power Stations-

1. 1. App shows perspective users within the radius of 100 km and 300 km of power plants
   2. Power station can see the location of prospective ash users surrounding the power plant like – cement plants, NHAI, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) projects, brick producers, etc.
   3. Power plants can contact the prospective users for supply of ash

1. Ash Utilisation Data –
   1. App gives plant wise, utility wise and state wise ash utilization status in the country
   2. Shows details of real time ash generation and utilization

The ASH TRACK App would be managing 200 million tonnes of fly ash by tracking coal based power plants situated within 100 km and 300 km from given location and availability of fly ash, along with prospective users within the same radius. The App gives plant-wise, utility-wise and State-wise ash utilization status in the country.

The thermal plants would regularly update fly ash generation, utilization and stock on the web portal and the app. This would allow effective monitoring and reviewing for increasing ash utilization. This would also help in protecting environment in terms of reduction in fugitive emissions, saving of precious top soil and conservation of land for sustainable development.

Fly ash, the end product of combustion during the process of power generation in the coal based thermal power plants, is a proven resource material for many applications of construction industries and currently is being utilized in manufacturing of Portland Cement, bricks/blocks/tiles manufacturing, road embankment construction and low lying area development, etc.

Member, NITI Aayog, Dr VK Saraswat, Additional Secretary (Power) Ms. Shalini Prasad, Additional Secretary (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) Shri Arun Kumar Mehta, CMD, NTPC Shri Gurdeep Singh, Joint Secretary (Power) Shri Aniruddha Kumar, Director (Power) Shri H S Pruthi were among the dignitaries present along with other senior officials of the Ministries.



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The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh lighting the lamp at the launch of the “Ash Track”- A Mobile Application and the Web Portal for Management of Fly Ash, in New Delhi on February 09, 2018.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh launching the “Ash Track”- A Mobile Application and the Web Portal for Management of Fly Ash, in New Delhi on February 09, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla is also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing at the launch of the “Ash Track”- A Mobile Application and the Web Portal for Management of Fly Ash, in New Delhi on February 09, 2018.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing at the launch of the “Ash Track”- A Mobile Application and the Web Portal for Management of Fly Ash, in New Delhi on February 09, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
09-February, 2018 18:57 IST
Revival of Thermal Power Plants By Coal Linkage Policy

Annual Coal Linkage with Non-Regulated Sector, From CIL, Would Be Around 100 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) by March, 2018

The Government approved a new policy for allocation of future coal linkages in a transparent manner for power sector consumers. This policy is christened as ‘Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India’ (SHAKTI). The policy is an important initiative in alleviating one key challenge in power sector, viz. lack of coal linkage and is expected to positively contribute in resolution of a number of stressed assets.

The annual coal linkage with non-regulated sector, from CIL, would be around 100 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) by March, 2018, taking into account the linkages auctioned recently. Further about 75 MT of coal is projected to be sold to non-regulated sector through various e-auction schemes in the year 2017-18. Total demand from unregulated sector from Singareni Colleries Company Limited (SCCL) sources is about 1.22MT. The total indicative coal demand by the Non-Regulated Sector is likely to be around 177 MT.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

…

Ministry of Coal
09-February, 2018 18:54 IST
Price of non-coking coal rationalised

CIL has rationalized its pricing structure in order to linearize the prices of coal vis-a-vis grades of coal. Out of 17 grades of non-coking coal, CIL has decreased the prices of 7 grades, price of 1 grade remained unchanged and moderately increased the prices of 9 grades. The consecutive pricing exercises of May, 2016 and January, 2018 was aimed at rationalizing the price structure, for narrowing down the price difference of unit heat value of higher and lower grades of coal and bringing linearity. Prices of Non Coking Coal were rationalized with effect from 09.01.2018.

As a result of the above exercise, the projected annual incremental revenue was estimated at Rs. 6421 Crores, assuming dispatch of B.E. production (2017-18) of 561.32 Million Tonne of Non-Coking Coal. For the remaining part of the year the incremental revenue was estimated at Rs. 1956 Crores assuming that 33% of the B.E production is achieved as per production target for the remaining part of the fiscal year.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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Ministry of Coal
09-February, 2018 18:55 IST
Allotment of coal mines to CIL

Eleven coal mines have been allocated to Coal India Ltd under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 and the MMDR Act, 1957. Addition of these 11 coal mines will add about 225 MT of coal in its annual production capacity. The details of these 11 coal mines are as under:

Sl.

No

Name of Coal Mine

Location

Name of Subsidiary company of CIL

1

Amarkonda Murgadangal

Jharkhand

ECL

2

Brahmani

Jharkhand

3

Chichro Patsimal

Jharkhand

4-5

Rampia and Dip side of Rampia

Odisha

WCL

6-7

Ghogharpalli and Dip Extension of Ghogharpalli

Odisha

8

Mandar Parvat

Bihar

BCCL

9

Dhulia North

Jharkhand

10

Mirzagaon

Bihar

11

Pirpainti- Barahat

Jharkhand



Coal India Ltd. (CIL) had requested the Government for allotment of additional coal mines so as to make its 3 subsidiaries viz. Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (ECL), Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. (BCCL) and Western Coalfields Ltd. (WCL), 100 MT plus coal producing subsidiaries as these 3 subsidiaries do not have adequate coal reserves at present.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

***

Ministry of Coal
09-February, 2018 18:53 IST
Stepping Up Coal Supplies to Power Sector

Coordinated efforts of Ministry of Coal, Coal India Ltd., and Railways have ensured stepping up supplies to Power Sector and averted power crisis situation. Coal supplies to Power Sector from CIL grew by 20%, 19%, 17%, 9% and 3% during the months of August, 2017, September, 2017, October, 2017, November 2017 & December 2017 respectively as compared to the supplies during the same months of last year.

In addition to the monitoring mechanism available at coal companies, coal supplies to Power Utility sector is monitored regularly by an inter-Ministerial Sub-Group comprising representatives of Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Railways constituted by the Infrastructure Review Committee of Cabinet Secretariat. This Sub-Group takes various operational decisions for meeting any contingent situations relating to coal supplies to Power sector including critical coal stock position for power plants. Moreover, the situation is also monitored jointly by Secretary (Coal), Secretary (Power) and Member Traffic, Railway Board in regular reviews. Due to the above efforts, coal stock at power Stations have reached to 14.68 MT (as on 04.02.2018).

Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) make all efforts to meet the requirements of Power Sector in the Country. The Production and dispatch plan is also prepared keeping the same in view.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri PiyushGoyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

***

 

[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh lighting the lamp to inaugurate the Indian Power Stations- 2018 International O&M Conference, in New Delhi on February 13, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh at the inauguration of the Indian Power Stations- 2018 International O&M Conference, in New Delhi on February 13, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh at the inauguration of the Indian Power Stations- 2018 International O&M Conference, in New Delhi on February 13, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh at the inauguration of the Indian Power Stations- 2018 International O&M Conference, in New Delhi on February 13, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing at the inauguration of the Indian Power Stations- 2018 International O&M Conference, in New Delhi on February 13, 2018.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing at the inauguration of the Indian Power Stations- 2018 International O&M Conference, in New Delhi on February 13, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal briefing the media on cabinet decisions regarding Ministry of Railways and Coal, in New Delhi on February 20, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Shri Susheel Kumar is also seen.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal briefing the media on cabinet decisions regarding Ministry of Railways and Coal, in New Delhi on February 20, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Shri Susheel Kumar is also seen.

The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal briefing the media on cabinet decisions regarding Ministry of Railways and Coal, in New Delhi on February 20, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Shri Susheel Kumar is also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Science & Technology
22-February, 2018 17:43 IST
Indian scientists develop next generation technology loop to generate clean energy

Indian scientists have developed a super critical carbon di oxide Brayton test loop facility that would help generate clean energy from future power plants including solar thermal. This next generation technology loop was developed indigenously by Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

This is India’s first test-bed for next generation, efficient, compact, waterless super critical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle test loop for power generation. The technology is perhaps the first test loop coupled with solar heat source in the world.

This early stage research could potentially be useful for meeting the energy needs of the country. The new generation high efficiency power plants with closed cycle CO2 as the working fluid have the potential to replace steam based nuclear and thermal power plants, thus reducing the carbon foot print significantly.

The facility was inaugurated by Science & Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan at the IISc campus in Bengaluru on Thursday.

“I am sure all these intense scientific efforts and collective endeavours would enable us to realise the vision of an affordable, efficient, compact, reliable Clean Energy systems which will be robust and suitable in diverse geographic conditions,” said Dr. Harsh Vardhan, while addressing the scientists. “We will be facilitating all such efforts and complementing and supplementing both in terms of technical knowledge and finances, wherever required.”

This test loop is designed to generate the necessary data for future development of scaled up S-CO2 power plants, which would require overcoming several technological challenges –developing critical components such as the turbine, compressor and heat exchangers that can work at the desired pressure and temperature ranges and using materials that can withstand these conditions.

This effort has already been identified as a possible national initiative for the next generation of solar thermal power plants. This gives India an opportunity to become a world leader in this technology, and fulfil a major objective of the National Solar Mission which emphasizes indigenous manufacturing.

“This breakthrough research could potentially be game changer for meeting the energy needs of the country in terms of higher efficiency and capacity at lower operating costs and size. I am sure this would result in research, development and demonstration of state-of-art tools, techniques and products which are of critical importance for our energy security,” said Dr Vardhan.

The minister announced plans to set up a research centre on Clean Coal Technologies at IISc. He said, the Science & Technology Ministry has already made an investment of Rs. 500 crores in research endeavours at IISc during the last three years.

Today’s thermal power plants use steam to carry heat away from the source and turn a turbine to generate power. However, it could generate more power if, instead of steam, supercritical CO2 (SCO2) is used. The term “supercritical” describes the state of carbon dioxide above its critical temperature of 31°C and critical pressure of 73 atmospheres making it twice as dense as steam.

In order to make this technology a reality, a research group at Interdisciplinary Center for Energy Research at Indian Institute of Science (ICER, IISc.) has been set up - India’s first S-CO2 Brayton Cycle based solar thermal test loop at the laboratory scale.

The group has made tremendous progress and have developed optimized thermodynamic cycle designs, heat transfer and fluid flow codes for designing the test loop, critical components such as compact heat exchangers and solar receivers, and state -of-the-art instrumentation along with loop control sequence algorithm.

The efficiency of energy conversion could also be significantly increased─by as much as 50 percent or more─if S-CO2 is operated in a closed loop Brayton cycle. Besides increasing power generation and making the process more efficient, there are other advantages of using this new technology. Smaller turbines and power blocks can make the power plant cheaper, while higher efficiency would significantly reduce CO2 emissions for fossil fuel based plants. Moreover, if the power plant used solar or nuclear heat source, it would mean higher capacity at lower operating costs.

Prof. Pradip Dutta and Prof. Pramod Kumar of the Department of Chemical Engineering, IISc were the key scientists involved in this path-breaking innovation.



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[Hindustani78]

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Yermarus Thermal Power Station (YTPS) on Tuesday. PHOTO: SANTOSH SAGAR | Photo Credit: PHOTO: SANTOSH SAGAR

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...al-power-station-to-state/article22869147.ece

Yermarus Thermal Power Station (YTPS), a two-unit power station with an installed capacity of 1,600 MW (2x800), was dedicated to the State on Tuesday by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The power plant, built on Super Critical Technology, is technically owned by Raichur Power Corporation Ltd (RPCL), a joint venture of Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. and Industrial Finance Corporation of India.

Addressing a huge public gathering at district stadium here on Tuesday after the dedication, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar claimed that the power station was an important capacity addition to KPCL in its attempt to meet the State’s energy requirements.

“The previous BJP-led government in the State had laid the foundation stone for the project and simply forgot it. It is our government that provided Rs. 13,250 crore to complete the two-unit power station that has an installed capacity of 1,600 MW,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

‘Energy sufficient’

Mr. D.K. Shivakumar, earlier, claimed that Karnataka had become energy sufficient and managed to effectively cater to its energy needs even at the time of hydropower crisis caused by poor rainfall last year.

“Thanks to consecutive monsoon failures, our reservoir did not receive sufficient inflow of water. This adversely affected hydroelectricity generation last year. Yet, our thermal stations performed well to fill the gaps. Even in such critical times, we kept our word to provide free electricity to farmers’ irrigation pumpsets,” he said. He also announced that his government would provide free power to irrigation pumpsets for 12 hours a day in one stretch during daytime instead of fragmented periods spread through the day and night.

Mr. Shivakumar said that his government had taken a decision to rehabilitate 3,000 families that have been living on KPCL’s land. “We have decided to get good houses built for them.”

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
07-March, 2018 19:54 IST
Shri RK Singh launches National E-Mobility Programme in India; congratulates EESL for installation of 50 lakh LED street lights

EESL to issue tender for procurement of 10,000 electric cars Per kilometer cost for an electric car is just 85 paisa against Rs 6.5 for normal cars

Shri R K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the National E-Mobility Programme here, today. The Programme aims to provide an impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem including vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators, service providers, etc.

The Programme will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) which will aggregate demand by procuring electric vehicles in bulk to get economies of scale. These electric vehicles will replace the existing fleet of petrol and diesel vehicles. EESL had procured 10,000 e-vehicles last year and will issue a new tender very soon for 10,000 more e-vehicles to cater to the growing demand. With these 20,000 electric cars, India is expected to save over 5 crore litres of fuel every year leading to a reduction of over 5.6 lakh tonnes of annual CO2 emission.

The Minster congratulated EESL for its new tender of 10,000 e-vehicles and said that it makes sense from point of view of environment and economy both. The per kilometer cost for an electric car is just 85 paisa against Rs 6.5 for normal cars and these would also help us achieve autonomy from expensive petroleum imports, he added.

Calling the installation of 50 lakh LED street lights by EESL “a very impressive milestone for our country”, Shri Singh reiterated the path of energy efficiency that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chose for the country on the sidelines of Paris Summit in 2015. He said that India aims to develop as a responsible power, with the motto- “Healthier world, healthier country”, and long term goal is to leave behind a better world.

Saying, “The future is electric” the Minister said that in most part of the developed world cooking is electric, and many countries have announced dates to phase out their diesel vehicles. Even our IIT teams have developed electric cooking system and we are going to go electric and go green. He invited the industry to be part of India’s growth story, and said “My message to industry is, come and invest in manufacturing of e-vehicles and batteries”.



Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Power Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that the Government is focusing on creating charging infrastructure and policy framework so that by 2030 more than 30 per cent of vehicles are electricity vehicles. During the programme, it was also highlighted that there would be no need for license for establishing the charging infrastructure in country and the tariff for this would be less than Rs 6.

Shri Aniruddha Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power; Shri Rajeev Sharma, Chairman, EESL; Shri Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director, EESL were among the dignitaries present along with other senior officials of the Ministries.

About EESL

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, is working towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio in the country. Driven by the mission of Enabling More – more efficiency, more innovation, EESL aims to creating market access for efficient and future ready transformative solutions that create a win-win situation for every stakeholder.

Thus far, EESL has distributed over 29 crore LED bulbs and retrofitted 50 lakh LED streetlights across India through self-sustaining commercial models. EESL aims to leverage this implementation experience and exploit new opportunities in overseas market for diversification of its portfolio. As on date, EESL has begun its operations in UK, South Asia and South-East Asia.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
09-March, 2018 17:21 IST
Supply of coal to power and non-power sectors

In order to meet the requirement of thermal power plants (TPPs), Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) have offered coal through road mode from available pithead stocks to TPPs which are located within 50 kms to 60 kms from the nearest mine. As a result of these efforts, coal supply to power plants has been 457.36 MT during the period from April, 2017 to February, 2018 which is 7% growth over supply of 426.13 MT in the corresponding period of 2016-17.

CIL and SCCL have supplied 123.87 MT coal to non-power sector during the period April 2017 to February 2018 which is 6% growth over supply of 117.10 MT in the corresponding period of 2016-17.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

...


Ministry of Coal
09-March, 2018 17:20 IST
Steps to reduce cost of production and import of coal

Some of the measures taken to bring down the cost of production by Coal India Limited (CIL) include the following:

1. e-reverse auction for finalization of contracts for explosives implemented.
2. Action taken for improving competition in tenders and cost reduction:

1. In case of procurement, introduction of Reverse Auction (RA) for tenders valued more than 1 crore with Start Bid price as L1-bid
2. Introduction of rejection of H-1 bid in RA to generate competition and obtain more realistic "Start Bid Price"
3. Non-disclosure of Bidder's identity in RA.

1. Staggering the day of rest so that the infrastructure is utilized for higher number of days without affecting the period of rest for an individual.

1. Adoption of mechanization in both underground and opencast mines.

1. Converting unsafe, unviable underground mines into opencast mines.

1. Higher size HEMM to be deployed in major open cast projects for maximum extraction of coal economically.

As per the current import policy, coal is kept under Open General License (OGL) and consumers are free to import coal from the source of their choice as per their contractual prices on payment of applicable duty. However, to reduce import of coal, CIL had taken steps for promotion of import substitution through source rationalization with part supply from higher grade coal sources. More coal from various sources including higher grade were offered through various types of e- auction schemes particularly special forward e-auction with flexi lifting to cater the requirement of various power sector consumers not having FSA with CIL sources. However, the gap between demand and supply of coal cannot be bridged completely as there is insufficient domestic availability of coking coal and power plants designed on imported coal will continue to import coal for their production.

An Inter-Ministerial Task Force was constituted in June, 2014 for review of existing coal sources as also feasibility for rationalization of these sources with a view to optimize transportation cost. Coal Linkage rationalization in Power sector has resulted in decrease in transportation cost of coal from the mines to the power plants leading to more efficient coal based generation of Power. Total coal movement rationalization of 54.76 MT has taken place with annual potential savings of Rs. 3354 Crore.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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Ministry of Coal
09-March, 2018 17:19 IST
Compensation to coal mine workers

All the employees of Coal mines, which are proposed to be closed down by subsidiaries of CIL, are being redeployed to other operative coal mines of the same Area or other Areas for their gainful utilization.

The number of families residing in unsafe areas along coal mines in different subsidiaries of CIL are as under:-

ECL: As per approved Master Plan (Cost Updated April, 2008) the number of families residing in unsafe areas along coal mines is 33,196 in the lease hold of ECL.

BCCL: A Master Plan was prepared by CMPDI and approved by Govt. of India in 2009 for dealing with fire, subsidence and rehabilitation in the lease hold of BCCL. As per the Master Plan, total no of houses (BCCL +Non- BCCL: Un-authorized houses +private + other) surveyed was 79159, the breakup of which is given in the table below:-

Type of house
Number of Houses

BCCL houses
25000

Non-BCCL- Private houses
29444

Non-BCCL-Un-authorized houses (Encroacher)
23847

Others (Religious places, schools, Hospitals, Post offices, Police stations etc.)
868

Total
79159

Other subsidiaries of CIL have reported that no family is residing in unsafe areas along coal mines.



The number of families rehabilitated along with the funds spent during last three years and current year are as under:-

ECL: The number of families rehabilitated till date is nil. In this connection, it is stated that construction of flats/houses has already been started by Housing Department, Govt. of WB from 10.03.2017 and tenders for further construction of 12,816 flats has already been floated as communicated by ADDA / Housing Department.

BCCL: The number of families rehabilitated along with expenditure incurred on the rehabilitation during each of last three years and the current year in BCCL are as under:

Sl. No.
Year
Number of families shifted
Expenditure by BCCL(Rs. in Crore)
Expenditure by JRDA(Rs. in Crore)
Total Expenditure(Rs. in Crore)


1
2014-15
1156
135.04
87.26
222.30

2
2015-16
303
150.08
33.85
183.93

3
2016-17
1694
194.87
68.52
263.39

4
2017-18(Upto January 2018)
664
53.98
Utilization not submitted.
53.98

Steps are taken / being taken as per the provisions of the Master Plan for dealing with fire, subsidence and rehabilitation in the lease hold of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL). The Master Plan was approved on 12th August, 2009 by the Govt. of India with an estimated investment of Rs 7,112.11 crore for Jharia Coalfields and Rs 2,661.73 crore for Raniganj Coalfields so as to ensure that rehabilitation process is not affected due to paucity of funds.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

...


Ministry of Coal
09-March, 2018 17:17 IST
Bidding system for coal mines

Under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015, auction of coal mines is conducted in an electronic platform through a transparent mechanism.

Bidding Process for the regulated sector (power) and non- regulated sectors (Cement, Iron and Steel, Captive Power) has been kept different. Forward e-auction has been adopted for non-regulated sector and reverse–cum-forward e-auction has been adopted for regulated sector. The methodology adopted for the bidding is fixed bid system where the bidder quotes in Rs./tonne for coal extracted from the coal mine.


Under the provisions of the said Act, 89 coal mines have so far been successfully allocated. Of these 89 coal mines, 31 have been allocated through e-auction and 58 have been allotted to Government Companies.


The Hon'ble High Court of Delhi in W.P. (C) No. 1384/ 2015 titled M/s Sharda Energy and Minerals Ltd. Vs. Union of India, among other things, have observed that the methodology adopted by the respondents (Ministry of Coal and Nominated Authority) for conducting the auctions in the manner by first asking for an initial price offer and then conducting an electronic auction of the technically qualified bidders is working well.

A High Power Expert Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Pratyush Sinha, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner.

The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:

1. Examine the criteria in the present bid system;
2. Study the challenges and efficacy of the same;
3. Examine the difficulties in the fixed bid system;
4. Obtain and examine the suggestions of stakeholders on bid criteria;
5. Suggestion for change of bid-criteria for improvement in the bidding system, if any.
6. Any other relevant suggestion with respect to bidding system.

So far, four meetings of the Committee have been conducted.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

...

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
13-March, 2018 15:20 IST
NTPC is 52000+ MW Company Now

NTPC commissions third unit of Kudgi Super Thermal Power Station

India’s largest power generator NTPC Ltd. has commissioned 3rd unit of the 800 MW Kudgi Super Thermal Power Station with effect from March 12, 2018. With this, the total capacity of Kudgi Super Thermal Power Station has gone up to 2400 MW.

With this commissioning, the capacity of NTPC and NTPC group stands at 45300 MW and 52191 MW respectively.

NTPC has 20 coal based, 7 gas based, 11 solar PV, two Hydro, one wind and 8 Subsidiaries / Joint Venture power stations. The company is currently building an additional capacity of over 20,000 MW at multiple locations in the country.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
14-March, 2018 17:58 IST
Mobile based Application “ASHTRACK” to help Fly Ash Users & Power Plants

For the better management of fly ash waste from thermal power plants across country, Government has reduced the GST rates on fly ash and its products to 5%. Further, to facilitate 100% ash utilization by all coal based thermal power plants, a web portal for monitoring of fly ash generation and utilization data of Thermal Power Plants and a mobile based application titled “ASHTRACK” has been launched that will help to establish a link between fly ash users and power plants executives for obtaining fly ash for its use in various areas.

To enhance fly ash utilization from Pithead power plants, trial for bulk transportation of fly ash to consumption centre was carried out successfully by NTPC Ltd. with the help of Indian Railway from Shaktinagar Railway Station (NTPC Rihand) to M/s Prism Cement, Satna on 19/20 April 2017.

As informed by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) fly ash generation and its utilization by 155 thermal power plants for which data has been collected for the year 2016-17 is as below:

Description

Year 2016-17

• Nos. of Thermal Power Stations from which data was received

155

• Installed capacity (MW)

1,57,377.00

• Coal consumed (Million tons)

509.46

• Fly Ash Generation (Million tons)

169.25

• Fly Ash Utilization (Million tons)

107.10

• Percentage of fly ash Utilization

63.28



This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Coal
14-March, 2018 17:44 IST
CIL’s Wage Agreement with Workers’ Unions

The 10th Wage Agreement for CIL and SCCL was finalized in the 10th Meeting of JBCCI-X, consisting representative of Management of CIL/Subsidiaries & SCCL and Representatives of Central Trade Unions (CTUs), held on 10.10.2017 at New Delhi.

The period of the 10th Wage Agreement for CIL and SCCL is from 01.07.2016 to 30.06.2021 (i.e. for 5 Years). After finalization of the 10th Wage Agreement, instructions have been issued to make payment of revised wages from the salary of October 2017, payable in November 2017. To implement other provisions of the Agreement, so far 12 Implementation instructions have been issued.

The details of estimated annual impact of 10th Wage Agreement are as under:-

1. Basic Pay, VDA, SDA & Attendance Bonus = Rs. 3138 crore
2. Benefits & Allowances = Rs. 1684 crore
3. Pension & Post-Retirement Medical Benefits = Rs. 845 crore

Total = Rs. 5667 crore



The Welfare activities of Coal India Limited for welfare of its employees and their families through the subsidiaries are given below:-

1. Housing facilities:-

CIL has achieved 100% housing satisfaction of the workers.

1. Water Supply

To provide clean drinking water to the employees and their families, many water supply schemes have been taken up. Supply of Water through natural resource like river, tank etc. are supplemented by underground mine water after proper treatment.

1. EDUCATION FACILITIES

The subsidiary companies of CIL have been providing financial assistance and infrastructure facilities to schools operating in Mine areas like DAV, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Delhi Public School etc. and other Educational Institutions run by the State Government to provide quality education to the employees’ children. In addition, financial assistance and infrastructure facilities are also provided by the companies to certain privately managed schools and other educational institutions functioning around coalfield areas.

1. Coal India Scholarship Scheme:

For employees’ children two types of scholarships, namely Merit Scholarship and General Scholarship, are being provided every year under prescribed terms and conditions.

• a) In Merit Scholarship , students securing 1st to 20th position in Madhyamik/H.S. or any State Board or securing 95% and above marks in ICSE, CBSE / ISC Exam (Class-X & XII) are given scholarship as follows:

Courses pursuing

Rate of Merit Scholarship per month

a)

Studying (XI & XII)

Rs.300/-

b)

Studying General Course B.A/ B.Sc & B.Com etc.

Rs.350/-

c)

Studying Engineering / Medical /Applied Sciences/ Professional & Technology including Management, Computer Science, Accounting, Company Secretary after class -XII

Rs.700/-



General Scholarship is admissible to Students studying Class-V onwards up to Graduation /Post- graduation level in any discipline subject to prescribed percentage of marks as follows:

Sl.No.

Class /Standard

Minimum percentage of Marks to be obtained in the last Annual Examination (in aggregate)

Rate of Scholarship per Month

i)

Class V to VIII

Minimum 80% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.60/-

ii)

Class IX & X

Minimum 75% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.75/-

iii)

Class XI & XII

Minimum 70% Marks in the last Annual Examination

Rs.100/-

iv)

Graduation and Post Graduation like BA, B.Sc, B. Com, MA, M.Sc, M.Com, MBA, CA, ICWA, Company Secretary etc. affiliated to a Govt. recognized University/ Institute.

Minimum 60% Marks in the Last Annual Examination / or in Hons. Group.

Rs.250/-

v)

a)

Technical Education :

Industrial Technical Certificate Course (ITI) recognized by State / Central Govt (after Class-X)

Minimum 75% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.125/-

b)

Polytechnic e.g. Diploma Engineering (after X and studying in Govt. recognized Institute)

Minimum 75% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.150/-

c)

Degree Course in Engineering and Medical Colleges affiliated to a Govt. recognized University.

Minimum 70% Marks in the last Annual Examination

Rs.400/- subject to condition that the son/ Daughter will secure 60% in all subsequent Semesters.

SC or ST students may be given relaxation of 10% (Ten Percent marks to different class/ Standard of education) as prescribed for granting of General Scholarship.

1. Cash Award and certificate of appreciation:- Every year Cash Award of Rs.5000/- and Rs.7000/- respectively are provided to the Meritorious wards of CIL employees who secure 90% or above marks in aggregate in 10th and 12th standard Board level examination.
2. Considering the high cost of technical and medical education in the country, Coal India Limited is providing financial assistance towards meeting the cost of education of the dependent children of Wage Board Employees to the extent of tuition fees and Hostel charges who secure Admission in Engineering in such colleges viz., IITs, NITs, ISM and other Govt. Engg. and Medical colleges.

5. Medical Facilities: Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries are extending medical facilities to the employees and their families through various medical establishments from the dispensary level to the central and Apex Hospitals in different parts of the coalfields.

In addition, special emphasis has also been given on Occupational Health, HIV /AIDS awareness programme for the employees and their families.

1. STATUTORY WELFARE FACILITIES: In accordance with the provision of the Mines Act 1952 and Rules and Regulations framed there under, subsidiaries of Coal India Limited are maintaining various statutory welfare facilities for the employees such as Canteen, Rest shelters and Pit- Head Baths.

7. NON-STATUTORY WELFARE MEASURES: In order to supply essential commodities and consumer goods at a cheaper rate in the collieries, Central Co-operative and Primary Co-operative stores are functioning in the Coalfield Areas of CIL. In addition, Co-operative Credit Societies are also functioning in the Coal Companies.

1. BANKING FACILITIES: The Management of Coal companies are providing infrastructure facilities to the various Nationalised Banks for opening their Branches and Extension Counters in the Coalfields for the benefit of their workers. Workers are educated to draw their salaries from Bank/Extension Counters and they are also encouraged to practice thrift for the benefit of their families.
2. Holiday Homes: Coal India Ltd. has maintained seven Holiday Homes for its employees & their families.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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Ministry of Coal
14-March, 2018 17:40 IST
Auction of coal mines to bring efficiency into the coal sector

Auction of coal mines for sale of coal is expected to bring efficiency into the coal sector due to increased competition and deployment of best possible technology into the sector. The higher investment will create direct and indirect employment in coal bearing areas especially in mining sector and will have an impact on economic development of these regions.

Enabling provisions have been made in the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 for allocation of coal mines by way of auction and allotment for the sale of coal. The methodology for auction for coal mines/blocks for sale of coal under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 has been approved by the Government and Order in this regard has been issued on 27.02.2018. The auction of coal mines for sale of coal shall be undertaken as per the aforesaid methodology. Terms and Conditions / modalities including eligibility criteria shall be decided as the same are part of Tender Conditions.

The methodology gives highest priority to transparency, ease of doing business and ensuring that natural resources are used for national development. There shall be no restriction on the sale and/or utilization of coal from the coal mine. As the entire revenue from the auction of coal mines for sale of coal would accrue to the coal bearing States, this methodology shall incentivise them with increased revenues which can be utilised for the growth and development of backward areas. This will ensure assured coal supply, accountable allocation of coal and affordable coal leading to affordable power prices for consumers.

The allocattee is required to comply with all applicable Laws and observe Good Industry Practice for the protection of the general health, safety, welfare, social security and minimum wages of employees engaged at the Coal Mine, including employees of any contractor or sub-contractor and of all other persons having legal access to the area covered by the Agreement.

This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
15-March, 2018 15:49 IST
Policy measures for promotion of new & renewable energy

Total capacity of 65 GW renewable energy installed in the country so far

The Government of India has undertaken a number of policy measures for increasing share of renewable energy in India’s energy mix. These, inter-alia, include:

a) Provision of Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) under the National Tariff Policy;

b) Notification of the long term growth trajectory of RPO for solar and non-solar energy for next 3 years from 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19;

c) Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects;

d) Development of power transmission network through Green Energy Corridor project;

e) Making roof top solar as a part of housing loan provided by banks;

f) Waiver of Inter-State Transmission Charges and losses;

g) Repowering of Wind Power Projects for optimal utilization of wind resources;

h) Offshore wind energy policy for development of offshore wind energy in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone;

i) Supporting research and development on various aspects of renewable energy including with industry participation;

j) Financial incentives for off-grid and decentralized renewable energy systems and devices for meeting energy needs for cooking, lighting and productive purposes; and

k) Permitting 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment in sector through automatic route.


The Government of India has set up a target of installing 175 GW capacity through renewables by 2022. As on 28.02.2018, a total capacity of 65 GW had been installed in the country.


The lowest tariff discovered for solar at Bhadala solar Park in Rajasthan in May 2017, and for wind in the tariff-based capacity auction of Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd in December 2017 were Rs. 2.44/KWh and Rs 2.43/KWh respectively. However, the cost of production of energy from solar and wind energy sources varies from place to place depending upon, inter-alia, insolation, wind speed, cost of land, cost of financing and basic infrastructure. It is true that in some projects tariff of solar and wind power discovered is in the range or even lesser as compared to the cost of coal based thermal power plants.


This information was provided by Shri R.K. Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.


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[Hindustani78]

On the power sector, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of breaking silos, and finding solutions. He said the Power Ministry, Renewable EnergyMinistry andCoal Ministryare now working as one unit. He said that India is moving from Power Shortage toPower Surplus, and from Network Failure toNet Exporter.

The Prime Minister said that today people believe that India can leave its weaknesses behind, and march forward. He said this belief is the foundation of Rising India. He said that today, the whole world is acknowledging India's rise. He said India is giving a new direction, not just to its own development, but also to development of the whole world. He said India is leading the solar revolution today, as demonstrated by the recently held Conference of the International Solar Alliance. He said that at international platforms, such as G-20 and United Nations, India has raised issues which affect the entire world, such as terrorism, black money and corruption.

The Prime Minister said that on the economic front, in the last three to four years, India has lent strength to global economic growth as well. He said the country is performing well on all macro-economic parameters. He said rating agencies are revising India's ratings upwards.

The Prime Minister said that the Government is working with a holistic approach keeping in mind the aspirations of the poor, lower-middle and middle classes. He said that the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana has become an effective means to empower youth and women.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
17-March, 2018 19:30 IST
Shri R K Singh dedicates 4,611 smart LED streetlights to the people of Ara, Bihar; calls it a moment of great pride and joy

These 4,611 smart LED lights installed in a record time of just three weeks; Approx 3 lakh more such lights to be installed in all 38 districts of Bihar Social audit shows 90 per cent people in Ara are satisfied with the new lighting levels

Shri R K Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, today dedicated 4,611 smart and energy-efficient LED lights to the people of Ara, Bihar, today. These LED lights have been installed in a record time of just three weeks under the Street Light National Programme (SLNP) of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. Ara Municipal Corporation is expected to save 27 lakh kWh energy/year, and Rs. 13.6 crore over seven years.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri R K Singh, “It is a moment of great pride and joy to dedicate the smart, future-ready and energy-efficient LED streetlights to the people of Ara. These lights will not only illuminate the streets but also enable better and safe mobility for the citizens. I commend the efforts of Ara Municipal Corporation and EESL for their relentless work to complete the installation of smart LED street lights in a record time. I am sure such commitment and effort will be replicated across Bihar.”

“The government is working effortlessly to integrate centre, state and the industry through this programme. This collaboration is leading to better opportunities for consumers to enable savings as well as help the nation towards energy sufficiency and cleaner environment” he added.

SLNP is the world's largest streetlight replacement programme being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)- a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. The Government of Bihar had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December 2017 with EESL to retrofit and install approximately 3 lakh conventional street lights with LEDs in all 38 districts. Within a record time of only three weeks, EESL has replaced 4,611 conventional lights with LEDs and completed the infrastructure work for segregation of street light circuit from normal electricity distribution circuit in the city.

As a part of this drive, EESL is collaborating with all 143 ULBs in 38 districts of Bihar, including 12 Nagar Nigams, 46 Nagar Parishads and 85 Nagar Panchayats. Once all these conventional street lights are replaced with LEDs, these LED lights will help the ULBs as well as the nation to save over 7 crore deemed units of energy annually, with an avoided peak demand of 17 MW. The retrofitting drive will also lead to an annual reduction of over 57,400 tonnes of CO2 playing a crucial role in India’s climate goals.

These ‘smart lights’ are connected through a web-based monitoring system that enables remote operations and additional operational savings. EESL has installed 89 panels of Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) with GIS mapping for remote control and monitoring of street lights.

Shri Suresh Kumar Sharma, Minister for Urban Development & Housing Department, Government of Bihar and Shri Rajeev Sharma, Chairman, EESL were among the dignitaries present at the event.

Background:

The procurement price of the LED streetlights has reduced from Rs. 135/watt to Rs. 70/watt due to mass procurement by EESL making LEDs affordable and accessible. EESL makes the entire upfront investment in retrofitting the streetlights. Municipalities pay EESL from the savings in energy and maintenance cost over seven years. EESL aims to create market innovations through solutions-driven approach and novel business model of Zero-Subsidy, Zero-Capex and pay-as-you-save. EESL also undertakes social audits in all states post completion of the project.

EESL’s procurements conform to BIS specification and carry a seven-year warranty against technical defects. EESL conducts appropriate quality checks right from the bidding stage to the field level. This has resulted in the LEDs’ overall technical fault being less than 2 per cent in over 50 lakh lights installed by EESL in the country. EESL has maintained an uptime of 97 per cent for all street lights across the country.

EESL has a stringent complaint redressal mechanism wherein consumers can write to us on Twitter and Facebook - for Twitter @EESL_India and for Facebook @EESLIndia for registering complaints. The official EESL complaint registration email ID is helpline@eesl.co.in. Consumers can also register their complaints at the EESL complaint logging portal - http://support.eeslindia.org/.





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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
27-March, 2018 19:20 IST
Ministry of Power joins hands with Skill India to support electrification scheme ‘Saubhagya’

A special project under the PMKVY launched in Six States - Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh Around 47,000 Distribution Lineman-Multi Skills and Technical Helpers will be trained in these six focus states to give fillip to rural electrification

Giving a further fillip to the Government’s mission of bringing electricity to every household and to empower the rural youth, Ministry of Power partnered today with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to train the manpower in six states for speedy implementation of its SAUBHAGYA scheme.

SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country in a time bound manner. Around 4 crore households are expected to get electricity connections under the scheme.

Thanking the Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri R.K. Singh said that this partnership would be of great help as lack of trained manpower has been the main constraint in speedy implementation of the Government’s electrification programme under SAUBHAGYA. He said that a large number of trained manpower is required for implementing various programmes in the power sector, and SAUBHAGYA alone needs more than 35,000 trained persons. Once this trained manpower is available, it will help us in meeting our daily targets for electrification, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said, “SAUBHAGYA is a scheme with estimated expenditure of 16000 crore, out of which 25 per cent is estimated to be spent on wages and human resource deployed for the project. This is a big employment opportunity for skilled workforce and we will work jointly with Ministry of Power across the nation to ensure that we avail this opportunity for our youth and help them better their livelihood.”

The launch of this parnership was done through a video conferencing with States where eminent dignitaries including Ministers from State governments, were present. The Ministers engaged to discuss local challenges and targets to support the project to have the best output.

The scheme is undertaken as a special project under the government’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Around 47,000 Distribution Lineman-Multi Skills and 8,500 Technical Helpers will be trained to meet the requirement of power sector. The workforce already engaged by contractors implementing this project will be considered first for the skill development programmes. Incase if any shortfalls arise, these will be met by ITI Electrician trade pass-outs from the local ITIs. Total 48 hours of training (12 hours Orientation + 36 hours Bridge course) will be provided to the existing workforce of the contractors and 120 hours of training will be provided to the fresh and ITI (Electrician Trade) pass-outs.

As the scheme is to be implemented across the country with 200 districts as major focus area, the skilling initiatives are proposed to be delivered in a decentralized mode at district level. The training infrastructures available with ITI’s at district level as well as the infrastructures available with the State Power Distribution Utilities will be utilized for skill training of the candidates ensuring successful implementation of the scheme.

SAUBHAGYA is more than a mission to provide electricity to the entire nation and ensure energy security. Since SAUBHAGYA offers many collateral benefits, which includes creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for the rural youth, it will end up in bringing new hope and happiness into people’s lives.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
30-March, 2018 18:40 IST
Shri R K Singh lays foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project in Uttarkashi; says development and environment can go hand in hand

The project on Tons river to give 265.5 Million Units of renewable energy to grid and cut CO2 emissions by 0.21 Million Tons annually

Shri R K Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, laid the foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP) along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat in Uttarkashi today.



Speaking on the occasion Shri RK Singh emphasised the role of electricity in socio-economic development and reiterated the Government’s commitment to bring power to every household- specially the most deprived and marginalised ones. Calling hydro-power a clean and green source of energy, the Minister stated that development and environment can go hand in hand. "As Indians we are equally, if not more, concerned about our own environment and we are duty-bound to leave a better world for future generations," he said. He congratulated the people of Uttrakhand for Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project.



The Proposed Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP) is located on the river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. This run-of-the river project was allocated to SJVN Ltd by the Government of Uttarakhand. SJVN Ltd is a Mini Ratna PSU under administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Govt. of India.

With environment clearance accorded in 2016, all statutory clearances for the project are in place. Major civil works were awarded in December, 2017 and the project is scheduled to be completed by December, 2021, in a period of 4 years. It will have two underground generating units of 30 MW each. The estimated project cost at October 2016 PL is Rs. 648.33 crore with a debt equity ratio of 70:30. Levelised tariff is Rs. 6.39 per unit.

Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project will add 265.5 Million Units of renewable energy to the grid and would result in CO2 emissions reductions to the tune of 0.21 Million tons annually. Besides socio-economic development and employment generation, the project would provide 12 per cent free power to Government of Uttarakhand and 1 per cent additional for Local Area Development Fund (LADF).

All precautions have been taken to minimise the environmental impact of the project. Compensatory afforestation will be done on double the forest land acquired for the project, with a total cost is Rs. 3.74 crore. A provision of Rs. 1 crore has been made for construction of fishway for better fisheries management and muck disposal plan has also been put in place to stabilise the dumping sites.

Secretary, Power; CMD, SJVN; Joint Secretary (Hydro); Director, SJVN and many eminent personalities from Uttarkashi graced the occasion.

Technical details of the Project:

• NMHEP envisages construction of 30.50 m high barrage located at d/s of the confluence of Rupin and Tons rivers at village Naitwar, 4.33 km long Head Race Tunnel having 5.6 m dia., 51.65 m deep surge shaft with a dai of 18 m.
• The project utilizes a net head of 90.76 m. to generate 265.50 MU in a 90 per cent dependable year.

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