Uncertainty Preventing Investments in Hydel Projects: Power Minister Piyush Goyal

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Mines
27-June, 2017 18:05 IST
Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines chairs 5th Geoscience Advisory Council Meeting

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, addressed the 5th Geoscience Advisory Council (GAC) Meeting in New Delhi today. Mines Secretary Shri Arun Kumar, DG GSI Shri M Raju and other Ministries’ Official members, Scientific Institutions and Non-Official members of the GAC participated in the daylong deliberations.

The 5th GAC discussed issues related to Geophysical techniques for exploration of concealed/deep seated mineral deposits, Mineral System Research and advanced techniques for exploration of subsurface mineral deposits, and the strategy for exploration, augmentation of mineral resources and mining of Rare Earths/Rare Minerals and other strategic resources. Shri Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power @MinOfPower, Coal @CoalMinistry, New and Renewable Energy @mnreindia and Mines @MinesMinIndia, asked the scientific community working in the field of geosciences and mineral system research to add value to the mineral wealth of the country especially in the area of strategic and critically important metals and minerals. At the same time there has to be a harmony between wealth creation and preservation of ecology and environment for sustainable development.

Geoscience today constitutes a huge and fast expanding canvas. Apart from Ministry of Mines, the members comprise Secretaries of Earth Sciences, Science and Technology, Environment and Forests, Atomic Energy, Niti Aayog, Space, Water resources, Coal and Steel. Other Official members are heads of the scientific organisations like Geological Survey of India, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, Indian Metrological Department, National Institute of Oceanography, Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Birbal Sahani Institute of Palaeobotony, National Geophysical Research Institute and Head of Geology ONGC. Up to 12 non-official members are nominated by the Ministry of mines from amongst the persons who have long experience and expertise on geophysical policy and R&D.

The GAC advises the Ministry of Mines on geoscientific policy matters in general and the role and direction of the GSI in particular prioritizing GSI thrust areas etc.

YSKataria/GAC
(Release ID :166922)

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the 5th Geoscience Advisory Council, in New Delhi on June 27, 2017.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the 5th Geoscience Advisory Council, in New Delhi on June 27, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Mines, Shri Arun Kumar is also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
29-June, 2017 15:25 IST
India Can Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into the Electricity Grid, Reveals Study

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy, Shri Piyush Goyal released the first part of the study “Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India’s Electricity Grid” at an event organized here today. The second volume, to be released in July, takes a more in-depth look at system operations in the Western and Southern regions.


The study, developed under the U.S.-India bilateral program “Greening the Grid”, confirms the technical and economic viability of integrating 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy into India’s power grid by 2022, and identifies future course of actions that are favorable for such integration. The Government of India in 2015 had set the ambitious target of adding 100 GW of solar energy and 60 GW of wind energy into the country’s energy mix.


The report resolves many questions about how India’s electricity grid can manage the variability and uncertainty of adding large amounts of renewable energy into the grid. The results demonstrate that power system balancing with 100 GW solar and 60 GW wind is achievable at 15-minute operational timescales with minimal reduction in renewable energy output. India’s current coal-dominated power system has the inherent flexibility to accommodate the variability associated with the targeted renewable energy capacities.


Some of the key operational impacts that came out of the report were: (1) large-scale benefits of fuel savings and reduced emissions due to increased renewable energy production; (2) existing fast-ramping infrastructure is sufficient to maintain grid balance; and (3) in post-175 GW clean energy scenario, coal plants operating at part capacity will need suitable incentives for flexibility. The study also evaluates the value of strategies to better integrate renewable energy and demonstrates the importance of policy and market planning.


A multi-institutional team from India’s Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) produced the report using advanced weather and power system modeling, under the leadership of Ministry of Power and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with co-sponsorship from the World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and the 21st Century Power Partnership.


Speaking at the launch, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said: “It is time for the people of India to get ready and embrace the change with a ‘New Mindset’ of a ‘New Grid’ for a ‘New India’, which is ready to integrate large amount of renewable energy. It is appropriate time following on Honorable Prime Minister’s meeting with the U.S. President under a robust and focused U.S.-India Energy Partnership. The ministry is extremely appreciative of the continued engagement and support from USAID and congratulates all the stakeholders including POSOCO, NREL, LBNL on the achievement of this outcome. Combined and collaborative efforts such as these are labour and data intensive and detailed and often go unsung but are critical to creating the backbone for a reliable grid.”


Highlighting the importance of the study and U.S.-India collaboration on clean energy, Michael Satin, Director of Clean Energy and Environment at USAID/India, said: “USAID has a long-standing collaboration with the Government of India in the area of energy. Energy is a key determinant of growth and India needs sustainable energy sources to continue to grow at 7-8 percent annually. Introducing renewable energy solutions into established energy systems often requires changes to well-established policy, institutions, and market structures. This study will prove to be helpful in scaling up renewable energy in India effectively and sustainably.”


The results were based on a number of key assumptions including transmission planning existing within each state but not necessarily on corridors between states; compliance of all coal plants with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission regulation that coal plants be able to operate at 55 percent of rated capacity; and a better load forecast. Input data, assumptions and study results were validated extensively by more than 150 technical experts from central agencies including the Central Electricity Authority, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL), and NTPC; state institutions including grid operators, power system planners, renewable energy nodal agencies and distribution utilities; and the private sector, including renewable energy developers, thermal plant operators, utilities, research institutions, market operators and industry representatives.


Other Dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri P.K. Pujari, Secretary Power, Shri R.K. Verma, CEA Chairman, Shri K.V.S. Baba, CEO, POSOCO, Shri I.S Jha, CMD PGCIL and other senior officers from Ministries of Power and MNRE.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal releasing the report “Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India’s Electric Grid- National Study”, in New Delhi on June 29, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri P.K. Pujari and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the release of the report “Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India’s Electric Grid- National Study”, in New Delhi on June 29, 2017.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the release of the report “Pathways to Integrate 175 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy into India’s Electric Grid- National Study”, in New Delhi on June 29, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri P.K. Pujari and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal launching the ‘MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency)’, at a function, in New Delhi on July 05, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal launching the e-bidding portal for providing e-Bidding solution to States to select Independent Power Producers (IPPs), at a function, in New Delhi on July 05, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal addressing at the launch of the ‘MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency)’, and e-bidding portal for providing e-Bidding solution to States to select Independent Power Producers (IPPs), in New Delhi on July 05, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal in a group photograph at the launch of the ‘MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency)’ and e-bidding portal for providing e-Bidding solution to States to select Independent Power Producers (IPPs), in New Delhi on July 05, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
20-July, 2017 16:02 IST
Adequate Supply of Coal to Power Sector

During the period April, 2016 to December, 2016, the coal based power generation grew by 6.18 per cent to 674.492 Billion Units over the same period in the previous year. Dispatch of coal and coal products to power sector from Coal India Limited (CIL) sources in October, 2016 was 31.91 Million Tonnes (MT) as against 34.50 MT in October, 2015. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. This was due to more than adequate availability of coal in stock at power plants and better quality of coal resulting in improvement of Station Heat Rate and reduction in coal consumption per unit of power, despite higher generation.

The Minister further stated that the target of coal production for CIL for 2017-18 has been as 600 MT. The coal production of CIL have been 462.422 MT, 494.238 MT, 538.754 MT and 554.14 MT in the years 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 & 2016-17 respectively. There is a continuous annual growth in coal production by CIL, the Minister added.

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Ministry of Coal20-July, 2017 16:00 IST

Rs. 3653 Crore of Amount Received from Allocation of Coal Blocks

The Coal bearing State Governments have received an amount of Rs. 3653 crores till June 2017 from the allocation of Coal blocks/Mines under the provisions of Coal mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015. Under the aforesaid Act, provisions of the entire revenue from allocation (auction and allotment) of coal blocks / mines under the accrues to the coal bearing State Government concerned. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

The Minister further stated that utilization of the revenue generated from the allocation of coal mines / blocks under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 is the prerogative of the coal bearing State Government, the Minister added.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
21-July, 2017 17:39 IST
PPAs signed for first Wind Auction totalling 1050 MW

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal presided over the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for purchase of 1050 MW of wind power under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)’s first Wind Auction Scheme here today. The PPAs were signed between PTC India Ltd., the trading company, and the successful wind power developers.

As per the PPAs signed, Mytrah Energy, Inox Wind and Ostro Kutch Wind Pvt. Ltd. would supply wind power of capacity 250 MW each. Further, Green Infra would supply 249.9 MW and Adani Green Energy 50 MW from their wind power projects through inter-state transmission system at a tariff of Rs. 3.46 per kWh discovered through the open and transparent competitive bidding process. PTC India has tied-up this wind power for sale to DISCOMS of a number of States. Under this, Uttar Pradesh would get 449.9 MW, Bihar 200 MW, Jharkhand 200 MW, Delhi 100 MW, Assam 50 MW and Odisha 50MW for meeting their Non-Solar Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).

For these projects Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) conducted e-reverse auction on 23rd February 2017 and issued Letter of Award (LoA) to the successful wind power developers on 5th April 2017. The wind power projects under first wind auction are likely to be commissioned by September 2018.

Congratulating all stakeholders of the sector on their coordinated efforts to drastically bring down renewable energy prices, Shri Piyush Goyal encouraged everyone to keep the interests of the end consumers as their priority. The Minister also floated the idea of doing away with the requirement of separate Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) for different renewable energy sources and allow the States to independently decide their energy mix.

Shri Goyal desired that wind energy bids should be brought out every month, though he also advised the senior officials of the Ministry to calibrate the pace of this process keeping in mind the affordability of renewable energy for common man. Industry players which are inefficient would either evolve and face competition in the sector or finally wind up. “I welcome the churning happening in the industry and look forward to healthy competition and affordable power for all through increase in scale”, the Minister added.

Shri Goyal also informed that the Ministry is working to bring robust guidelines for the wind energy bidding and is in discussions with regulators for better forecasting and scheduling of renewable energy in the grid. The Minister also informed that with every unit of renewable power generated in the country, jobs are being created to the tune of 5-7 times as compared to power generated through conventional energy sources.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary MNRE, Shri Anand Kumar informed that the Ministry has done away with the Inter State Transmission levies on transfer of Renewable Energy from windy States to non-windy ones, which would aid the latter to meet their RPOs and keep the costs of power affordable.


Earlier, MNRE had sanctioned a scheme for setting up of 1000 MW inter-state transmission system (ISTS) connected Wind Power Projects on 14th June 2016 with the objective to encourage competitiveness through scaling up of project sizes and introduction of efficient and transparent e-bidding and e-auctioning processes.

Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri A.K. Bhalla, Secretary Power, Shri Deepak Amitabh, CMD PTC India, Dr. Ashvini Kumar, MD SECI and other senior officers of the Ministry and Industry partners.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
27-July, 2017 16:11 IST
Reduction in Coal Imports

Coal imports have fallen from 217.78 Mte in 2014-15 to 203.95 Mte in 2015-16 and further to 190.95 Mte. in 2016-17. The trend of fall in import of coal has continued in 2017-18. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

The Minister further stated that as per Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics (DGCI&S), during April-June 2017-18, 52.74 Mte. (Provisional) of coal was imported as compared to 57.38 Mte. in the corresponding period of 2016-17 showing a decline of 8.1%. The fall in imports is largely on account of enhanced production by CIL, due to which the country has moved from a regime of coal scarcity to a coal surplus situation. The vendible stock of CIL has increased form 53.62 Mt. as on 01.04.2015 to 61.92 Mt. as on 01.04.2017. The off-take / dispatch of coal of CIL has also increased from 488.86 Mt in 2014-15 to 542.82 Mt. in 2016-17. The vendible stock of CIL even on 01.07.2017 was 49.90 Mt. 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, the Minister added.

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Ministry of Coal
27-July, 2017 16:10 IST
Transparent Mechanism for Coal Allocations

A policy on “Signing of Fuel Supply Agreements (FSA) with Letter of Assurance (LoA) holders of Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) - Fading Away of the existing LoA-FSA Regime and Introduction of a New More Transparent Coal Allocation Policy for Power Sector, 2017 – SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing the and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India)” has been issued on 22.05.2017. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. The salient features of the policy are:

(i)FSA shall be signed with the pending LoA holders after ensuring that the plants are commissioned, respective milestones met, all specified conditions of the LoA fulfilled within specified timeframe and where nothing adverse is detected against the LoA holders. The outer time limit is 31.03.2022.

(ii) Medium Term PPAs, to be concluded after the issue of this policy, shall also be eligible for linkage coal.

(iii) New linkages to State/Central Gencos or their Joint Ventures (JVs) shall be based on recommendation of Ministry of Power.

(iv) Coal linkages shall be granted on notified price to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) having already concluded long term PPA, where IPPs shall participate in auction and bid for discount on the tariff.

(v) Coal linkages to IPPs without PPAs shall be through an auction process and the IPPs shall bid on premium above notified price.

(vi) Coal linkages also earmarked for fresh PPAs by the States. The States may undertake tariff based bidding for long term or medium procurement of power. The States may also grant these linkages to capacities covered under exception and proviso clause of para 5.2 of the Tariff Policy of 28.02.2016.

(vii) Power requirement of group of States can be aggregated and procurement of such power can be made by a designated agency. Coal linkages to the designated agency shall be provided based on recommendations of Ministry of Power.

(viii) Coal linkages for full normative quantity shall be considered for Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs), based on recommendations of Ministry of Power.

(ix) Coal linkages shall also be made available for IPPs having PPA based on imported coal. This shall be subject to availability of coal and subject to the condition that such supply does not adversely impact the availability of coal for plants based on domestic coal.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
27-July, 2017 16:50 IST
Government takes steps to Ease Stress in Stalled Thermal Power Projects: Shri Piyush Goyal

The Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal, while giving a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today, informed the House that Government has reviewed the status of 34 stressed Thermal Power Projects, as per the list provided by Department of Financial Services (DFS), with an estimated debt of about Rs. 1.77 lakh crore. The Minister also informed that as per DFS data, the total advances towards electricity generation sector reported by Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) is about Rs. 4.71 lakh crore and most of them are stranded assets.

Shri Goyal stated that Neyveli Lignite Corporation of India Limited (NLCIL) has identified Ragunathpur Thermal Power Station- Phase-I (2x660 MW), a stressed asset of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) for acquisition. NLC has also shortlisted two suitable stressed power assets for possible acquisition to augment its power generation capacity. Currently, NTPC has no proposal to acquire stressed power projects or enable their lenders to operate on contract basis, the Minister added.

Government has identified the major reasons for stress in the Power Sector, which are as follows:

• Non-availability of regular fuel supply arrangements

• Lack of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) tie-ups

• Inability of the Promoter to infuse the equity and service debt

• Regulatory and Contractual issues

Shri Goyal informed that the Government has also taken a number of steps to ease stress in the sector. These include:

 For grant of regular coal linkages, Govt. of India has approved New Coal Allocation Policy, 2017, for Power sector, on 17.05.2017 viz. SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India) under which coal is made available to Public Sector Undertakings of Central and State Government, and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) against already concluded long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and long-term & medium-term PPAs, to be concluded in future.

 To encourage increased purchase of Power, following measures have been taken:

• Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme for Financial and Operational Turnaround of power distribution utilities (DISCOMs) of the country.

• Power For All (PFA) initiative with States and UTs for bringing uninterrupted quality of power to each household, industry, commercial business, small & medium enterprise and establishment.

• Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) for Rural Electrification; strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution networks in the rural areas; separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders and metering of distribution transformers/ feeders/consumers in the rural areas.

• Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution networks in the urban areas; Metering of distribution transformers / feeders / consumers in the urban areas and IT enablement of distribution sector.

• Augmenting Transmission capacity to remove transmission constraints.

• Flexibility in utilization of domestic coal for reducing the cost of power generation.

Shri Goyal also informed that RBI has notified schemes such as (i) Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A) and (ii) Strategic Debt Restructuring Scheme (SDR) for the revival of stressed assets. Due diligence and financial restructuring by Banks to make projects viable would attract new promoters or States to bring in fresh equity investments. The issue of setting up of a fund has been discussed among other options with stakeholders, he added.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
31-July, 2017 14:37 IST
NHPC scheduled to generate 4458.69 MUs additional power from Parbati-II and Kishanganga Projects: Shri Piyush Goyal

Government takes a series of steps for expeditious commissioning of pending projects

Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today, informed that NHPC is scheduled to generate 4458.69 Million Units (MUs) additional power (based on design energy) from two of its present under construction hydro projects, viz., Parbati-II H.E.P (800 MW) in Himachal Pradesh, scheduled to be commissioned in October, 2018 and Kishanganga H.E.P (330 MW) in Jammu & Kashmir scheduled to be commissioned in January, 2018.

Informing about the status of progress of hydro-electric projects in the country, Shri Goyal stated that presently 41 H.E.P. (above 25 MW), aggregating to 11792.5 MW, are under construction in the country. All the above projects are running behind schedule due to various reasons including natural calamities, geological factors, delays in forest clearances & land acquisition and law & order problems, the Minister added.

Shri Goyal informed the House about the steps taken by the Government for expeditious commissioning of pending projects, which are as follows:-

• Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is monitoring the under construction hydro power projects (above 25 MW) in pursuance of Section 73 (f) of Electricity Act, 2003. The progress of each project is monitored continuously through site visits, interaction with the developers & other stake holders. Chairperson, CEA holds review meetings with the Power Projects Monitoring Panel (PPMP) and monitoring divisions of CEA.

• Power Project Monitoring Panel (PPMP), set up by the Ministry of Power, independently monitors the progress of the hydro projects.

• Ministry of Power also reviews the progress of ongoing hydroelectric projects regularly with the concerned officers of CEA, equipment manufacturers, State Utilities / CPSUs / Project developers, etc.

• In case of Central Power Sector Undertakings’ (CPSUs) projects, the project Implementation parameters / milestones are incorporated in the annual Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between respective CPSU’s and Ministry of Power (MoP) and the same are monitored during the quarterly performance review meetings of CPSU’s and other meetings held in MoP/ CEA. The issues related to erection and supply of Electro-Mechanical equipment is expedited with BHEL in various meetings held in CEA / MoP and other local issues affecting the progress of works are taken up with respective State Governments by the Concerned CPSU / MoP.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
10-August, 2017 15:30 IST
Solar Energy Installed Capacity Touched 13652 MW

As on 31.07.2017, the cumulative Solar Energy capacity installed, as on 31.07.2017, is 13652 MW while the same at the end of 2014-15 was 3743.97 MW. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.



The States of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have crossed the solar installed capacity of 1 GW, as on 31.07.2017. State-wise details are as follows:-



Sr. No.
State/UT
Total cumulative capacity till 31-07-17 (MW)

1.
Andhra Pradesh
2048.82

2.
Gujarat
1262.10

3.
Karnataka
1260.58

4.
Madhya Pradesh
1116.64

5.
Rajasthan
2022.72

6.
Tamil Nadu
1697.32

7.
Telangana
1609.27



The Minister further stated that the Government of India has revised the National Solar Mission target of Grid Connected Solar Power projects from 20,000 MW by 2022 to 100,000 MW by 2022. The same is sought to be achieved through rooftop solar projects (40,000 MW) and ground mounted solar projects (60,000 MW), the Minister added.



In a written reply to another question, the Minister said that No specific ‘Solar Energy Policy’ has been formulated. However, the Government has launched following schemes to promote solar energy,:


i. Solar Park Scheme for setting up of over 50 Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects targeting over 40,000 MW of solar power projects.


ii. Scheme for setting up 1000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) and Government of India organisations with Viability Gap Funding (VGF).


iii. Scheme for setting up 300 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by Defence Establishments and Para Military Forces with VGF.


iv. Pilot-cum-demonstration projects for development of grid connected solar PV power plants on canal banks and canal tops.


v. Bundling Scheme - 15000 MW grid-connected solar PV power plants through NTPC Ltd./ NVVN.


vi. VGF Scheme for setting up of 2000 MW of Grid Connected Solar PV Power Projects through SECI.


vii. VGF Scheme for setting up of 5000 MW of Grid Connected Solar PV Power Projects through SECI.


viii. Installation of Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Power Plants.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
18-August, 2017 15:13 IST
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Inaugurates/ Dedicates Various Initiatives pertaining to State of Karnataka

Salient Features of Projects launched today

1. Commencement of work of Hotgi-Kudgi-Gadag Doubling.


● At present, Hotgi-Kudgi-Gadag route is a single line rail link between Guntakal-Pune-Mumbai and Hospet-Hubli-Goa rail routes.

● A number of Integrated Steel Plants/Power Plants/Cement Plants are coming up along the Hotgi-Kudgi-Gadag route. This doubling work will provide the necessary line capacity for introduction of additional trains and smooth movement of rakes to/from the industries/power plants.

● Part length for this Doubling project, i.e. from Hotgi-Kudgi (134 km) has been taken up under “Customer Funding Model” with National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC). NTPC is setting up the Thermal Plant at Kudgi station of 4000 MW capacity.

 

[Hindustani78]

NTPC Ramagundam Executive Director D. K. Dubey speaking at a workshop in Ramagundam on Saturday. | Photo Credit: By arrangement
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...record-in-ash-utilisation/article19567448.ece

More companies are using flyash
The NTPC Ramagundam has achieved 105 % ash utilization in the first four months (April to July) of this financial year, NTPC Ramagundam Executive Director D. K. Dubey said and expressed the hope that they would be able to maintain high percentage in future also.

Participating in a one-day workshop on ‘Ash utilisation’ by flyash brick, block and others at NTPC Ramagundam on Saturday, he said that the NTPC station had achieved 93.89 % of ash utilization during the last financial year. Earlier, the ash was considered as waste material.

Better acceptance

Of late, it had gained importance with its increasing utilization by brick, cement, underground mine stowing by the Singareni and other agencies.

During this meet, Forest Fresh Hydraulic limited, New Delhi Area manager Atul Kumar Singh gave a presentation on various aspects of ash utilisation. Manager (ash utilization) Vasudev Murthy made a presentation on the progress of ash utilization and present system of ash procurement.

Around 130 ash user customers from manufacturing of flyash brick/block and RMC plants were present and participated in the discussion.

Earlier, AGM (EMG &AU) Y. S. Gupta welcomed the guests and highlighted the initiatives taken by the power station for ash utilization.

General Manager (O&M) Ravindra, GM (Project) M. N. Prasad, GM (Maintenance) A. K. Jain, GM (C&M) Rajiv Gupta, CMO Sasmita Dash, GM (Technical Services) P. K. Laad and AGM (EMG) S. K. Jain were present.

 

[Hindustani78]

PTI
New Delhi, August 28, 2017 18:44 IST
Updated: August 28, 2017 18:44 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/business/In...power-plant/article19576187.ece?homepage=true

The consortium of 17 lenders had a total loan exposure of ₹5,902.43 crore in Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd (JITPL), as per the bid document. | Photo Credit: AP

A consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India (SBI) has invited bids to sell 51% stake in Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd (JITPL) located in Odisha. JITPL, a B.C Jindal group company, was formed in 2001 as a special purpose vehicle for development of a coal-based thermal plant located in Odisha’s Angul district.

As on June 30, 2017, the consortium of 17 lenders had a total loan exposure of ₹5,902.43 crore in JITPL, as per the bid document. SBI has the highest exposure of ₹1,413.89 crore (23.95% of the total loan amount), followed by Punjab National Bank ₹985.38 crore (16.69%); Axis Bank ₹584.89 crore (9.91%); ICICI Bank Rs 406.05 crore (6.88%) and Bank of Baroda Rs 337.01 crore (5.71%).

UCO Bank has loan exposure of ₹295.45 crore (5.01%); Union Bank of India Rs 289.67 crore (4.91%) and United Bank of India ₹278.28 crore (4.71%).

The remaining lenders - LIC, Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, Dena Bank, Canara Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Indian Bank, Vijaya Bank and Indian Overseas Bank - have lending stake in range of 3.96% to 1.35% in the company.

“Security Trustee to the lenders holds 51% equity shares of JITPL on behalf of the lenders of the company. The lenders now propose to sell these shares along with management control in JITPL,” according to the bid document inviting expression of interest for the stake sale.

Further, it said the transaction related to stake sale is proposed by way of bidding process and “the debt on balance sheet of JITPL may be refinanced based on discussion/proposal submitted by prospective investors“. The consortium of lenders have engaged SBI Capital to find a new promoter.

The 1,200 mega watt coal based thermal power plant built at a total cost of ₹7,061 crore or ₹5.88 crore per megawatt has been set up in two phases of 600 MW each. Phase I & II of the power project were commissioned in 2014-15. The project has been funded at a debt to equity ratio of 75:25.

On the fuel arrangement, the company has linkage from Coal India to supply over 2.687 MMTPA fuel on long term power purchase agreement (PPA) for 600 MW, and the balance coal is being procured through e-auction and special forward e-auction from Talcher mines in Odisha.

The company had registered a net loss of ₹310.21 crore for the nine months from the December of 2016-17, as per the bid document.

In 2015-16, the net losses were ₹262.60 crore and in 2014-15, the company had registered a net loss of ₹23.83 crore. However, in 2013-14, there was a net profit of ₹5.65 crore on the books of the company.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Human Resource Development
31-August, 2017 18:09 IST
Navodaya Vidyalayas to go Solar

Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar today directed the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to take measure for adoption of solar energy in all Navodaya Vidyalayas. Chairing the 35th Meeting of Executive Committee of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti in New Delhi today, he asked the Samiti to seek the guidance of Ministry of Power to speed up the process.

He applauded the performance of the Navodaya Vidyalaya students in 10th and 12th Board and particularly the impressive performance of NV students in IIT-JEE Advance and NEET. He noted with satisfaction that out of the 14183 NV students who appeared in NEET, 11875 qualified in the examination of which 7000+ already placed in various good medical colleges. Navodaya Vidyalayas have already become a brand for quality education and the recent successes have further enhanced its brand.

Acknowledging the important role being played by some of the NVS alumni in guiding students voluntarily to prepare for competitive examinations, Shri Javadekar directed the NVS to use social media network to connect with more such NVS alumni. This, he said, would broad-base the voluntary involvement of alumni and have a positive impact on the progress of Vidyalayas. He also appealed to NV alumni to come forward in a big way to support their Alma matter.

Shri Javadekar also desired that the teachers who are deputed for training abroad through scholarship should be asked to share a report on their learning and its utility for the system.

He also directed that water and solar energy harvesting should form part of proposals in the new building plans and explore the possibility of having water harvesting and Bio-Gas plants in existing campuses.

While reviewing the functioning of NVS, the Minister directed the Samiti to conduct study of positive impact of: 1) Student-Teacher living together 2) Teachers living together in school campus and 3) Health improvement of students.

The minister appreciated the efforts of the Samiti in filling up all posts of teachers in North Eastern region.

Hon’ble Minister of State of Human Resource Development Shri Upendra Kushwaha, Secretary School Education Shri Anil Swarup, Joint Secretaries and Financial Advisor of MHRD and NVS Commissioner, other Members and senior officials from the Samiti were also present.



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[Hindustani78]

A view of the Meenvallom power project. | Photo Credit: K_K_Mustafah;K_K_Mustafah -

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/meenvallom-has-a-profitable-ride/article19626360.ece

Three years after commissioning Meenvallom as India’s first mini-hydroelectric power venture by a local-self government, the project, located in the Bharathapuzha river basin at Karimba near here, is being termed a success.

Since its launch on August 29, 2014, the project, controlled by the Palakkad district panchayat, could generate 1,84,74,400 units of power. The initiative has turned profitable with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) buying each unit by paying ₹4.88 to the panchayat.

After deducting operational costs and expenses of periodic maintenance, the power project has generated profits of ₹6.5 crore in three years.

“The success of the project, started on an experimental basis, is now prompting us to commission three more mini and micro-hydel projects. Though the poor flow during peak summer days disrupted the power generation at Meenvallom, the generation has been good during monsoon days,” said district panchayat president K. Santhakumary.

She said the work on the second mini-hydel project of the panchayat was fast progressing close to the Chindillam waterfalls at Palakuzhy, near Kizhakkanchery.

The Chindillam project would have a capacity to generate 1 MW of power. It is expected to generate 3.78 million units annually after commissioning, which is expected in two years.

The district panchayat has purchased 7 acres of private land for the project apart from securing 0.3 hectares of forestland.

The other proposed projects would be located at Koodam, near Agali, and Chempukatti, near Kottopadam, in Mannarkkad. The Attappady project would have an estimated generation capacity of 4.5 MW while the Mannarkkad project would have 6.5 MW.

Company floated

In Meenvallom, the panchayat is now planning a micro-hydroelectric project to utilise the tail race water to generate 8.4 million units of power.

To streamline its power generation initiatives, the district panchayat recently floated a company titled Palakkad Small Hydro Company Ltd.

“When the panchayat mooted the idea of power generation, many experts doubted the feasibility. Now experts from many foreign countries are visiting Meenvallom to study the project. It also helped the panchayat win the Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi National Award for Best Local Body twice,” said Ms. Santhakumari.

The project was established by spending ₹11 crore.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
13-September, 2017 14:39 IST
Secretary, Ministry of Coal reviews the coal supply position to the Thermal Power Plants

Secretary, Ministry of Coal Shri Susheel Kumar reviewed the coal supply position to the Thermal Power Plants in the country. The meeting was attended by CMD CIL and all the CMDs of the subsidiary companies of CIL.

There has been growth of 17% in coal based thermal power generation, this is primarily on account of reduction in hydro power generation by 12%, in nuclear power generation by 36% and others by 7% in August, 2017 over August, 2016. CMD CIL expressed that the TPPs had earlier regulated and reduced their coal intake and presently when the production in the coal companies and off take from them is sporadically restrained on account of excessive rainfall, there has been a sudden increase in coal based power generation which has resulted in dwindling coal stock at the TPPs. CMD CIL also stated that there has been a growth of 17.8% in coal off take in August, 2017 as compared to August, 2016 and the overall cumulative growth in coal off take is 7.2% in the current year corresponding to the same period last year.

To meet the emergent situation of coal supply, Secretary, Ministry of Coal issued the following directions to CIL:

(i) The coal loading through railway rakes shall be increased to 250 rakes per day by CIL;

(ii) The Ministry of Railways has been requested to position these rakes in consultation with CIL subsidiaries;

(iii) Of these, 225 rakes per day shall be supplied to the power sector;

(iv) For every power plant, one subsidiary of CIL has been assigned the role of lead company. The lead company shall be responsible to monitor and ensure that the power plants linked to it are out of criticality;

(v) A control room at CIL shall monitor the coal supply position to the TPPs on 24x7 basis;

(vi) The offer of coal on ‘as is, where is’ basis shall be made by CIL to all the power plants. CIL shall also request Ministry of Power to direct the pithead TPPs to augment coal supplies through this route.



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