Uncertainty Preventing Investments in Hydel Projects: Power Minister Piyush Goyal

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
11-April, 2018 20:19 IST
MNRE calls for ‘Expression of Interest’ for first offshore wind energy project of 1000 MW capacity

Plans to install at least 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2022

The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) an autonomous body under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has called for ‘Expression of Interest’ (EoI) for the first offshore wind energy project of India. The global EoI is intended to shortlist prospective offshore wind energy developers for a 1000 MW offshore wind energy project in Gulf of Khambat, off the coast of Gujarat. The proposed area is located 23-40 km seaward side from Pipavav port. MNRE plans to install at least 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2022.

As per the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy notified on October, 2015, National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai is the nodal agency to carry out the necessary studies/surveys before final bidding and act as a single window for facilitating necessary clearances required for development of offshore wind project in India.

The first offshore LiDAR was installed in Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat for measurement of wind resource and NIWE is collecting wind speed data from November, 2017 onwards. Areas off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are two identified areas for development of offshore wind power. The second LiDAR would be installed off Tamil Nadu coast by September, 2018. In addition NIWE is planning to set up few more LiDARs for assessment of offshore wind resources. Besides necessary Geo-Technical and Geo-Physical studies off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are underway.

At global level, it has been observed that, offshore wind energy while being better than onshore wind in terms of efficiency is also becoming competitive and comparable in terms of tariffs. With a large energy market in India, the EoI is expected to evince keen interest from leading players of offshore wind turbine manufacturers and developers. Indian industry can also participate along with suitable tie up with global players.

With the announcement of this first offshore wind energy project, the Government is attempting to develop this sector in India and envisages to replicate similar success as on-shore wind power sector. This would help the country towards attaining energy security and achievement of National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) targets.



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[Hindustani78]

Vice President's Secretariat
12-April, 2018 19:23 IST
Centre and States must work as a team to develop the nation: Vice President

Bridge urban rural divide, reach out people in rural areas; Interacts with students of Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Centre and States must work as a team to develop the nation and country cannot progress without States. He was interacting with the students of Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE), in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh today.

Talking on the need to bridge the gap between Rural and Urban areas, the Vice President said that development must reach people in rural areas. Connectivity is crucial in developing rural areas, he added.

The Vice President said that the right energy mix of Solar, Thermal, Hydel, Wind, Oil and Gas will be a solution for India's growing energy demand. He further said that IIPE intends to promote the quality and excellence in the education and research in the petroleum and hydrocarbons and it plans to fill in the skill gap in the Oil and Gas sector. Petroleum and its products provide fuel for heating and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries, he added.

The Vice President said that Industrialization, Rapid Urbanization, Rising Income Levels, and other factors are spurring demand for oil and gas. He further said that India has 18% of world population and the per capita energy consumption is estimated only about 5.5% of the world’s energy. Every Indian citizen aspires for better living standard and hence the requirement of energy is bound to increase in India, he added.

That Vice President said that there is huge potential for solar energy and we have not exploited even one percent of the Solar Energy potential in the Country. He quoted the Prime Minister as saying India’s Energy Future has four pillars – Energy Access, Energy Efficiency, Energy Sustainability and Energy Security.

That Vice President said that India today has a predominantly young population, and the time has come to tap the skills and talent of the youngsters to achieve what is commonly described as demographic dividend. He further said that India has a very rich heritage, culture and traditions. We must go back to our roots to find solutions to the modern day challenges, he added.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
30-April, 2018 18:21 IST
Clarification on designation of villages as 'electrified'

Definition of Village Electrification:

Definition of village electrification is a legacy issue which, though, mandates electrification of at least 10 per cent households in a village, but does not imply restricting household electrification only to 10 per cent.As per recent reports from the States, household electrification level in rural areas is more than 82per cent ranging from 47to 100per centacross various States. Had the definition been cause, such level of household electrification could not have been achieved. The variation in level of electrification across various regions and states within the country is primarily because of its size, heterogeneity in terms of topography; location; resources and also because of varying efforts made by the States for household electrification. The Government has already moved out of this dichotomy and launched ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’- Saubhagya to achieve universal household electrification in the country by 31stDecember 2018. Therefore, the debate over definition of village electrification in the present scenariohas lost the significance.

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Ministry of Power
30-April, 2018 13:17 IST
Govt. launches Pilot scheme Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW for three years.

The Government kicks off a Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW on competitive basis for 3 (three) years under medium term i.e. from generators with commissioned projects but without Power Purchase Agreement. The Ministry of Power had recently issued the model bid documents, model PAPP and PPSA on 6th April, 2018. The Guidelines for the said scheme were issued on 10th April, 2018.

PFC Consulting Limited (A wholly owned subsidiary of PFC Ltd) has been appointed as Nodal Agency and PTC India Limited as the Aggregator. PTC India would sign three-year (mid-term) Agreement for Procurement of Power with successful bidders and Power Supply Agreement with the Discoms.

Under the scheme a single entity can be allotted maximum capacity of 600 MW. The Scheme assures a minimum off-take of 55 per cent of contracted capacity. The Tariff will be fixed for three years without any escalation.

PFC Consulting Limited is in process of inviting the bids in first week of May, 2018 under the scheme. The bidding will be conducted on the DEEP e-Bidding Portal and with L1 matching for bucket filling without reverse auction.

This scheme is expected to revive the power demand which has affected the generators not having Power Purchase Agreements.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
01-May, 2018 15:42 IST
Clarification regarding electrification status of certain villages

Village electrification targets under‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna’ (DDUGJY) have been achieved well before time.The Union Government, State agencies and all other stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in this program deserve appreciation and applause for putting in unprecedented efforts to ensure completion of task within the targeted time frame.

It is worthwhile to mention that most of the remaining villages were located in remote and inaccessible areas with difficult hilly terrain, deep forest areas, Left Wing Extremism affected areas and therefore probably remained neglected for electrification.

The progress of village electrification in three years from 2012-13 to 2014-15, prior to commencement of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY), on an average was only 1730 villages per year, including lowest ever figure of 1197 villages in 2013-14.

There are reports in some sections of media that some villages are still un-electrified, contrary to the Governments’ claim of achieving 100 per cent village electrification. In this connection, it may be reiterated that the Government had taken up electrification of remaining un-electrified census villages, duly identifiable as per census code, reported by the States as on 01.04.2015, under ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’ (DDUGJY). Electrification of all these villages has been reported complete by all the concerned States. Some of the households in sub-village units viz. habitations/hamlets/Dhanis/Majras/Tolasmay not be having electricity as of now, and it is felt that certain news agencies are reporting about such habitations.

The Government has already launched ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’- ‘Saubgaya’ to provide last mile connectivity and service connections to all remaining households in both rural and urban areas to achieve universal household electrification.All the remaining households including located in the habitations/hamlets/Dhanis/Majras/Tolas associated with the Census villages and households attached to urban settlements would be covered under ‘Saubhagya’.

Most of the villages reported in the news reports are in fact habitations / hamlets / Dhanis / Majras / Tolasand not the Census village, as described below-

(i) Madhya Pradesh

The 3 villages in Alirajpur District namely Jhandana, Amba and Chameli are situated in submerged areas of SardarSarovar. The villagers have been shifted to Kakrana village which is electrified but some villagers have shifted to another nearby locality which is a habitation not yet electrified.

In Raisen District, Khananpura village is already electrified and intensive electrification in associated Tola is under progress. The other 5 villages of Raisen district namely Jaitgarh, Bili, Pond, Ramgarha and Gopalpur are forest villages wherein households have been electrified with solar power.

(ii) Rajasthan

All inhabited revenue / census villages in Dholpur district are reported to be electrified. The names of villages reported in the news articles are in fact Dhanis and not the revenue / census village. Intensive electrification works of GolekaPura and Shankar PuraDhanis have been completed and in remaining Dhanis, namely Ghuraiya Hera, Hathiyakhar, KehrikaNagla, Haripura, and Thakur Pura, the intensive electrification works are in progress.

The Rajghat village is presently covered under municipal area of Dholpur and as such the households in urban areas are having access to electricity unless disconnected.

(iii) Jharkhand

The Saprumvillage reported in the news reports is an electrified village but power is disrupted since long.



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Ministry of Power
01-May, 2018 15:42 IST
Clarification regarding electrification status of certain villages

Village electrification targets under‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna’ (DDUGJY) have been achieved well before time.The Union Government, State agencies and all other stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in this program deserve appreciation and applause for putting in unprecedented efforts to ensure completion of task within the targeted time frame.

It is worthwhile to mention that most of the remaining villages were located in remote and inaccessible areas with difficult hilly terrain, deep forest areas, Left Wing Extremism affected areas and therefore probably remained neglected for electrification.

The progress of village electrification in three years from 2012-13 to 2014-15, prior to commencement of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY), on an average was only 1730 villages per year, including lowest ever figure of 1197 villages in 2013-14.

There are reports in some sections of media that some villages are still un-electrified, contrary to the Governments’ claim of achieving 100 per cent village electrification. In this connection, it may be reiterated that the Government had taken up electrification of remaining un-electrified census villages, duly identifiable as per census code, reported by the States as on 01.04.2015, under ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’ (DDUGJY). Electrification of all these villages has been reported complete by all the concerned States. Some of the households in sub-village units viz. habitations/hamlets/Dhanis/Majras/Tolasmay not be having electricity as of now, and it is felt that certain news agencies are reporting about such habitations.

The Government has already launched ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’- ‘Saubgaya’ to provide last mile connectivity and service connections to all remaining households in both rural and urban areas to achieve universal household electrification.All the remaining households including located in the habitations/hamlets/Dhanis/Majras/Tolas associated with the Census villages and households attached to urban settlements would be covered under ‘Saubhagya’.

Most of the villages reported in the news reports are in fact habitations / hamlets / Dhanis / Majras / Tolasand not the Census village, as described below-

(i) Madhya Pradesh

The 3 villages in Alirajpur District namely Jhandana, Amba and Chameli are situated in submerged areas of SardarSarovar. The villagers have been shifted to Kakrana village which is electrified but some villagers have shifted to another nearby locality which is a habitation not yet electrified.

In Raisen District, Khananpura village is already electrified and intensive electrification in associated Tola is under progress. The other 5 villages of Raisen district namely Jaitgarh, Bili, Pond, Ramgarha and Gopalpur are forest villages wherein households have been electrified with solar power.

(ii) Rajasthan

All inhabited revenue / census villages in Dholpur district are reported to be electrified. The names of villages reported in the news articles are in fact Dhanis and not the revenue / census village. Intensive electrification works of GolekaPura and Shankar PuraDhanis have been completed and in remaining Dhanis, namely Ghuraiya Hera, Hathiyakhar, KehrikaNagla, Haripura, and Thakur Pura, the intensive electrification works are in progress.

The Rajghat village is presently covered under municipal area of Dholpur and as such the households in urban areas are having access to electricity unless disconnected.

(iii) Jharkhand

The Saprumvillage reported in the news reports is an electrified village but power is disrupted since long.



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The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing a press conference on achievement of the 100 per cent village electrification target, in New Delhi on May 01, 2018.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing a press conference on achievement of the 100 per cent village electrification target, in New Delhi on May 01, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
08-May, 2018 15:07 IST
Environmentally Healthy and Clean India is at the Core of the Government’s Long Terms Goals: RK Singh

Environmentally Healthy and Clean India is at the core of the Government’s long term goals says the Minister of State (I//C) Power and New and Renewable Energy Shri RK Singh. Inaugurating NTPC’s two day conference on Agro Residue and Municipal Solid Waste to Power, today he said the intent is to generate power keeping the environment health and contributing to Swachh Bharat. The Minister added that social objective is that of a healthier planet and there are costs attached to attain this objective. The intent is to design policies so that long-term social goals are met for clean India. Agro residue and municipal solid waste can both be used for power generation, this just need to address the challenges to optimally leverage this process.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri A.K. Bhalla, Secretary, Power said NTPC is the flagship company of the whole country and complemented the management for bringing in the spirit of innovation to tackle these issues for a clean environment. The conference is an ideal platform for all stakeholders to collate and interact on imperatives and issues facing the sector and use them at power projects on Pan-India basis.

In its effort to curb air pollution, the NTPC had invited tender for procurement of agro residue based biomass pellets. It has been successful in obtaining the commitment for receiving approximately 200 metric tonnes per day of agro residue based fuel at NTPC Dadri. It will generate approximately 150 MU of renewable electricity annually.

NTPC is actively working to find out the solution for Agro residue and Municipal Solid Waste to Power the workshop is deliberating issues amongst policy makers, pellets manufacturers, regulators, financiers and power professionals, waste to energy experts and companies in the field of waste to energy.

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The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing at the NTPC Conference on Agro Residue and Municipal Solid Waste to Power, in New Delhi on May 08, 2018.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh addressing at the NTPC Conference on Agro Residue and Municipal Solid Waste to Power, in New Delhi on May 08, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
14-May, 2018 18:32 IST
MNRE issues National Wind-solar Hybrid Policy

The Policy provides framework for promotion of large grid connected wind-solar PV hybrid system A scheme for new hybrid projects under the policy is also expected shortly.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has issued National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy here today. The objective of the policy is to provide a framework for promotion of large grid connected wind-solar PV hybrid system for efficient utilization of transmission infrastructure and land. It also aims at reducing the variability in renewable power generation and achieving better grid stability.



On technology front the Policy provides for integration of both the energy sources i.e. wind and solar at AC as well as DC level. The Policy also provides for flexibility in share of wind and solar components in hybrid project, subject to the condition that, rated power capacity of one resource be at least 25 per cent of the rated power capacity of other resource for it to be recognised hybrid project.



The Policy seeks to promote new hybrid projects as well as hybridisation of existing wind/solar projects. The existing wind/solar projects can be hybridised with higher transmission capacity than the sanctioned one, subject to availability of margin in the existing transmission capacity.



The Policy provides for procurement of power from a hybrid project on tariff based transparent bidding process for which Government entities may invite bids. Policy also permits use of battery storage in the hybrid project for optimising the output and further reduce the variability. It mandates the regulatory authorities to formulate necessary standards and regulations for wind-solar hybrid systems.



With significant capacity additions in renewables in recent years and with Hybrid Policy aiming at better utilisation of resources, it is envisaged that the Hybrid Policy will open-up a new area for availability of renewable power at competitive prices along with reduced variability. A scheme for new hybrid projects under the policy is also expected shortly.





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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Finance
22-May, 2018 17:12 IST
One day Regional Conference on “Clean and Renewable Energy” as a lead up event to 3rd Annual Meeting of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) held in Bhopal;

Due to various tax incentives and other initiatives of the Government of India in last 3-4 years, investment in Renewable Energy Sector has increased manifold; Recommends among others creation of Payment Security Fund to deal with the delays in DISCOM payments; PPP, Inventing Storage Technologies and Capacity Development etc. would be critical for success of investments in the Sector.

The Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Shri Narayan Singh Kushwah inaugurated the one day Regional Conference on the theme of “New and Renewable Energy” in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh yesterday. This was sixth such Regional Conference in the series in a lead-up to 3rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which is being hosted by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with AIIB, Government of Maharashtra, RIS and CII among others in Mumbai on 25th and 26th June, 2018. The one day Seminar in Bhopal was also organized by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).



In his Address, the Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Shri Kushwah said that the Government of MP is putting a lot of focus on the infrastructure development for promoting the New and Renewable Energy in the State. He said that Madhya Pradesh is among the front runners in the country as far as generation of power through renewables is concerned. Shri Kushwah mentioned that the State of Madhya Pradesh is generating about 3,900 MW of power through renewables at present and contributing about 18% of the total consumption of power in the State while it was generating only 438 MW in 2012. The Minister said that the theme of the Conference “Clean and Renewable Energy” will provide an opportunity to do an in depth analysis of the infrastructure related issues to this sector. He thanked the Ministry of Finance, Government of India for choosing Bhopal for this Conference and hoped that the discussions there in will help in resolving various technical, financial and Regulatory issues related to this important Sector.



Following are the major outcomes of the discussions held during different Sessions of the one day Conference on ‘Clean and Renewable Energy’ in Bhopal :

• There exists immense transformative potential of renewable energy in India both in view of meeting rising energy demand and from the well-being of the society.

• Power sector is experiencing profit in certain segments even though the sector as a whole requires a major turnaround.

• Per capita energy consumption is rising in India; hence the renewable energy sector would be a supplementary source of energy in the country.

• Stringent rigidities in this Sector have to be addressed for better outcomes.

• Due to various tax incentives and new initiatives of the Government of India in last 3-4 years, investment in Renewable Energy Sector has increased manifold.

• A rational view of markets needs to be taken while planning for any energy transition. In other words, market forces have to be respected.

• Besides cleaner sources of energy, the clean parameters apply equally to transmission and consumption as well.

• Solar and wind prices have gone down substantially which is good to consumers. Unlike the usual case, investments in the sector have not fallen due to fall in rates.

• Renewable energy has become more economical in the recent years than before.

• Bankability of projects is the key to attract sustained flow of capital to the RE sector. It is estimated that the sector may utilize the $3 trillion potential investment in the sector provided that the projects are bankable.

• Payment Security Fund may be created to deal with the delays in DISCOM payments.

• Public Private Partnership (PPP), inventing storage technologies and capacity development etc would be critical for success of investments in the Sector.

• International Solar Alliance focuses on massive deployment of technology which would contribute significantly to energy transition and the future energy mix.

• Climate change adaptation and mitigation are being factored into energy projects.

• Issues in roof-top solar have to be addressed amicably.

• Instead of project-based bonds, innovative instruments like bridge equity, patient capital, green bonds may be explored.

• De-risking of projects is necessary.

• Governance, predictability and rate of return are three pillars that determine the flow of capital to the RE sector. It is not just the rate of return but the governance and predictability part is equally important for the success of investment in RE>

• Concentration of RE projects in some states necessitates proper RE policy in other states as well.

• Viability of distributed panels needs to be addressed.

• Integrating different sources of renewable energy is an efficient model of meeting energy demand at affordable prices.

• The idea of socializing a part of the costs of RE may be thought of.

• Distribution companies can take the responsibility of payment assurance. Likewise, other innovations may be explored.

• Potential of Floating solar can be taken into consideration in the RE mix.
• Co-financing, securitization, masala bonds are the possible instruments of raising resources in the markets and tackling financing requirements of the RE sector.

• Financing is not the issue, but efficient financing matters.

• Geothermal energy is also a potential source of energy in in the North Eastern parts of India.

• Disparity in terms of regulatory landscape, capability, potential and willingness across the states.

• Challenges of the import dependence and then challenges in terms of technology deployment, financial mechanism, land availability, storage capacity are to be addressed.

• IT can play important role in smart grid management. Likewise, government programmes like Make-in India and skill development can be crucial for exploiting of RE.

• There is need for economical financing in order to bring down the tariffs.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
29-August, 2018 17:40 IST
Shri RK Singh releases book on “Weather Information Portal for Indian Power System”

It’ll facilitate enhanced utilization of Weather Portal in all spheres of Power Sector

Shri R K Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy visited Power System Operation Corporation limited (POSOCO) here today, and released a book on “Weather Information Portal for Indian Power System”. This reference document has been developed by POSOCO in collaboration with IMD to facilitate enhanced utilization of Weather Portal in all spheres of Power Sector.

While addressing the employees of POSOCO, he appreciated their onerous responsibility of operating All India Synchronous Grid, one of the largest in the world, ensuring reliability and security. POSOCO manages the Inter-State Transmission of Power to utilities across India. POSOCO also operates Electricity markets through coordination with thousands of entities every day for balancing demand and generation every 15 minutes.

The Minister interacted with System Operators and appreciated the efforts being made by them in maintaining the security and reliability of Power System. He advised that in the advent of complexities being encountered by the Power System, lot of controls and automation are required.

During the visit, the Minister was accompanied by Shri Ajay Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Pankaj Batra, Chairman, CEA, Dr. K.J. Ramesh, Director General, Indian Meteorological Department, Ms. Bharati, Joint Secretary (Trans.) and other Senior Officials of Ministry of Power.

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The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh releasing the book on “Weather Information Portal for Indian Power System”, during his visit to POSOCO, in New Delhi on August 29, 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 the Employees of POSOCO, during his visit to POSOCO, in New Delhi on August 29, 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 the Employees of POSOCO, during his visit to POSOCO, in New Delhi on August 29, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla is also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
14-September, 2018 16:16 IST
Power Ministry launches ambitious program on energy efficiency in Chillers

Chillers consume more than 40 per cent of the total energy in commercial buildings Chiller star labelling program to save more than 500 million units of electricity in 2019 along with Green House Gases reduction

Ministry of Power, Government of India launched an ambitious program to encourage the deployment of Energy Efficient chiller systems in the country here today. The Chiller Star Labelling Program has been formulated by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The program envisages providing star rating in terms of its energy performance. Initially, the program is launched on voluntary basis and will be valid upto 31st December 2020.

Launching, this key program, Shri A.K. Bhalla, Secretary, Power, emphasised the need to improve energy efficiency in space and process cooling sector, considering the occasion of 24th World Ozone Day and the 31st Anniversary of Montreal Protocol, which will be observed on 16th September 2018. “This initiative will promote advancement technology for central HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and will also facilitate energy efficient solutions for the large commercial and industrial applications”, Shri A.K. Bhalla added.

Chillers are used extensively for space conditioning of buildings and for industrial process cooling applications. The size of Indian chiller market which stood at 1 Million Tonne per year at 2017, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.6 per cent fuelled by a growth in the retail, hospitality and infrastructure projects. Chillers, being energy intensive system, contribute more than 40 per cent of the total energy consumption in commercial buildings. Therefore, it is important to optimize energy performance of chillers and create awareness amongst the end users to adopt transition towards energy efficient chillers.

BEE has developed an online registration platform for easy and expeditious approval under this initiative. The manufacturers will be able to register online for availing appropriate star rating of chiller equipment. Based on the test certificate from designated agencies and after due verification from BEE, the star label (1 to 5) will be awarded, with 5 star being the most efficient chillers.

Through Chiller star labelling Program, it is estimated that more than 500 million units of electricity would be saved in 2019 along with Green House Gases (GHG) reduction of 0.5 million-ton equivalent of CO2. It is also anticipated to save more than 4 Billion units of electricity in the year 2030 with CO2 emission reduction of 3.5 million ton through this program.

The chiller manufacturers, Air Conditioner association and testing labs also endorsed and appreciated this flagship program. The program was attended by senior officials from CEA, BIS, CPRI, MoP, MoEFCC, technical partners, air conditioning manufacturers, RAMA and other key stakeholders.



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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
19-October, 2018 16:56 IST
Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania awards 4th annual Carnot Prize to Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal

Carnot Prize is the Kleinman Center’s annual recognition of distinguished contributions to energy policy through scholarship or practice Recognition of the pathbreaking transformations in India’s energy sector under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Acknowledgement of India’s climate conscious and development driven energy governance that is fuelling the aspirations of 125 crore people



Recognising the pathbreaking transformations in India’s energy sector under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design is awarding its fourth annual Carnot Prize to Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways & Coal and former Minister of Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Government of India.



The Carnot Prize is the Kleinman Center’s annual recognition of distinguished contributions to energy policy through scholarship or practice. The most prestigious award in the energy sector, Carnot Prize is named after French physicist Nicolas Sadi Carnot who recognised that the power of the steam engine would “produce a great revolution” in human development. The Carnot Prize is intended to honour those leading revolutions in energy policy to further progress and prosperity.



Just like Carnot visualised the progress of mankind, the Carnot Prize recognises pioneering scholarship and path breaking policies in the energy sector. Previous winners include: Dr. Daniel Yergin, Vice chairman of IHS, Dr. Fatih Birol, Director of International Energy Agency, Gina McCarthy is a career public servant in fields of energy and environment.



The 2018 Carnot Prize is a recognition of India’s efforts under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, as the nation charts the path towards eliminating energy poverty with sustainable energy solutions.The rural electrification drive gave a significant breakthrough to the mission of ‘24x7 Affordable, Environment Friendly Power for all’, as India eliminated decades of darkness in more than 19,000 villages on 28th April, 2018. With real-time monitoring, India’s energy starved people in the remotest villages of 19,000 villages saw electricity for the first time. With the Saubhagya Programme, the last-mile connectivity to every household in the villages is being fast tracked, with 51% of the 3.1 crore rural households electrified. Mark Alan Hughes, founding faculty director, Kleinman Center, commended India’s electrification drive - “Providing power to the world’s energy poor turns on the lights—and also empowers education, sanitation, and health care. It closes the gap between the haves and have nots.”



India has taken rapid strides towards translating the country’s ancient ethos of environment conservation in our ambitious renewables and energy efficiency programmes. As Hon’ble Prime Minister has called climate conservation an article of faith for India, the massive thrust to green energy is reflected in India’s 175 GW target by 2022, being the world’s largest renewable expansion programme with 72 GW already achieved. As solar and wind energy market prices achieve parity in India with record low tariffs, renewables are set to become the mainstay of development in the coming years. With India becoming home to the world’s largest solar park, solar plant and single rooftop plant, the Carnot Prize recognises India’s “solid footing to reach a 40% renewable mix by 2030” (Kleinman Center for Energy Policy). As Prime Minister Modi gave the vision of “one world, one sun, one grid” while addressing the member nations of the International Solar Alliance, India is playing its role as a committed solar leader through steady progress on all green energy goals.



In the last four years, energy efficiency has become a people’s movement in India, making the Government’s UJALA scheme the world’s largest LED distribution programme, and along with private sector participation, 130 crore LED bulbs have been distributed, making India brighter and cleaner. It is a matter of immense pride that in several newly electrified villages, the first consumers of electricity are using LED bulbs and rooftop solar panels, realising India’s vision of sustainable, universal, and affordable energy access.

The Carnot Prize is a recognition of India’s climate conscious and development driven energy governance that is fuelling the aspirations of 125 crore people.

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SVS/ENS

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
31-October, 2018 17:30 IST
Agreements signed for 1900 MW capacity under Aggregated Power Procurement Scheme on Medium Term basis; tariff discovered as Rs. 4.24 per unit

The PPAs expected to lessen the burden and lead to efficient utilization of capacities of some of the coal based stressed power plants

A major milestone in the evolution of the medium term market for power was achieved on 29th October, 2018 with the signing of agreements for 1900 MW capacity under Aggregated Power Procurement Scheme on Medium Term basis with PFC Consulting Limited as Nodal Agency and PTC India Ltd. as Aggregator.

The PPAs are expected to lessen the burden and would lead to efficient utilization of capacities of some of the coal based stressed power plants. This scheme endeavors to achieve a balance in allocation of risk-reward to the transacting parties.

Ministry of Power in April 2018 had issued Guidelines for a pilot schemeto facilitate aggregation of procurement of power (2500 MW for 03 years) from commissioned coal based power plants through competitive bidding.PFC Consulting Limited conducted theBid Process for selection of capacity on DEEP e-bidding Portal from different projects. Subsequent to the bidding process tariff was discovered as Rs. 4.24 per unit and projects with aggregate capacity of 1900 MW were declared as the successful bidders.

The agreements under the scheme were signed with the successful bidders and procuring DISCOMson 29th Oct 2018.

The seven successful bidders are -

RKM Powergen (550 MW),

Jhabua Power Ltd. (100 MW),

MB Power Ltd. (175 MW),

SKS Power (300 MW),

Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd. (125 MW),

IL&FS Energy (550 MW),

JP Nigrie (100 MW)

The procuring DISCOMs are - Telangana and Tamil Nadu for 550 MW each, West Bengal and Bihar for 200 MW eachwhile Haryana has consented to sign for 400 MW



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