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Power(9 News Items)
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General
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The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution
Company Limited (MSEDCL) has started sending SMSes
carrying disconnection notices to consumers who owe dues of more than two
months.
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The stern measure, which asks for payment of dues
within 15 days, has evoked sharp criticism with a section of consumers
citing weak financial condition due to the pandemic situation and curbs
associated with it.
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As per section 56 (1) of the Indian Electricity Act
(IEA) 2003, it is mandatory for MSEDCL to serve notices to consumer 15
days prior to the disconnection. To comply with the laid down norm, the state
power utility establishes necessary communication through registered
mobile number of consumers.
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“There exist genuine reasons for consumers for
non-payment of power bill. The MSEDCL cannot go hammer and tong against
such consumers who are at the receiving end of Covid-19 in many ways,”
said Asha Majalgaokar,
a consumer from the CIDCO area said.
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The MSEDCL Aurangabad zone, which covers Aurangabad
and Jalna districts, has over 6.83 lakh
residential consumers besides over 70,000 commercial and industrial
consumers, among other categories.
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When contacted, acting chief engineer for
Aurangabad zone of MSEDCL Sanjay Akode said
that the SMSes in question carrying
disconnection notices are being sent to defaulter consumers through the
central system.
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“These are system-generated messages which get
shoot by default if consumers fail to pay their bills for around two
months. It will be policy decision of the state government whether to
carry out recovery drive during the current pandemic,” he said.
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Notably, the recovery of power bills and possible
waiver had stoked major controversy last year during the first-wave of
Covid-19 with different ruling party leaders taking different stands.
Eventually, consumers were made to pay dues in instalments
among other easy options without any waiver.
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Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday expressed confidence that
lithium-ion batteries would be manufactured fully in the country in the
next six months and India will become number one electric vehicle maker
in the world in due course of time.
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Addressing the Amazon's Smbhav
Summit virtually, Gadkari further said that the
government wants to encourage automakers to introduce flex-fuel engines
in India and he is in the final discussion with manufacturers.
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"India is moving ahead towards making electric
vehicles. In due course of time we will be the number one electric vehicle(EV) maker in the world. All reputed brands are
present in India," the Road Transport and Highways minister said.
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Gadkari, who also
holds the MSME portfolio, said indigenous battery technology will make EV
the most effective means of transport.
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"India has got tremendous capability for making
green power... Within six months, I am confident that we will be in
position to make 100 per cent lithium-ion battery in India, there is no
shortage of lithium," he asserted.
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Gadkari also said that
the government is also working to launch hydrogen fuel cell (HFC)
technology. HFC technology uses chemical reactions between hydrogen and
oxygen (from air) to generate electrical energy, eliminating the use of
fossil fuels.
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Noting that India imports Rs
8 lakh crore of crude oil and it is going to
double in the next 4-5 years which will have a huge impact on the
economy, he said it is important to look for an efficient and alternative
mode of energy.
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"E mobility will be the important tool to
develop pollution free transport," Gadkari
said.
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The Union minister also pointed out that in the
next two years, the cost of electric vehicles will come down and will be
as competitive as petrol and diesel vehicles.
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He emphasised that the
quality of EV manufactured in India should be of international standard. Gadkari said he wants to make Indian automobile
industry the number one manufacturing hub in the world.
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"For that purpose we are now encouraging
ethanol, methanol, bio- CNG, electric and hydrogen fuel cell," he
said. Gadkari also stressed on the need for
diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector.
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"We have sugar surplus, wheat surplus, rice
surplus and that is the problem that our minimum support price (MSP) is
higher than international price and market price," he argued.
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Presently, the turnover of our automobile industry
is Rs 7.5 lakh crore,
out of which our export is Rs 3.5 lakh crore.
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A severe thunderstorm accompanied by lighting and intermittent
rain lashed several areas of Himachal today, disrupting power supply, and
damaging fruit, vegetable and rabi
crops. The standing wheat crop in lower and mid hills ready for
harvesting was flattened while lightning struck at several places, piercing
through trees.
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Widespread rain occurred in the state and Dalhousie
and Mandi were the wettest with 26 mm of
rainfall, followed by Dharamsala 18 mm, Bharmaur 16 mm, Jogindernagar
15 mm, Udaipur 13 mm, Sujanpur Tihra 12 mm, Kothi 11 mm,
Shimla, Keylong and Baldwara
10 mm each. Fresh snowfall occurred at isolated places in tribal areas; Keylong and Hansa received
3 cm and 2 cm of snow.
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The minimum and maximum temperatures dropped by
five to eight degrees and Keylong was the
coldest in the region with a low of 1°C while Una
was the hottest with a high of 30.2°C. — TNS
Zirakpur residents reel
under 9-hr power cut
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Most residents of Zirakpur
reeled under a 9 am to 6 pm power cut here today.
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Baltana, Pabhat, Chhat, Rampur Bhudda, Sunny Enclave, Nagla,
Aerocity, Lohgarh and
Preet Colony were the worst affected areas.
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Gourav Mehta, a
resident of Shiva Enclave, said, “People had to bear the heat the whole
day. Even inverters give up during long power cuts.”
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Parents of children, who had to attend online
classes in the evening, complained, “Itis
unbearable for our kids to attend classes in such hot conditions without
a fan.”
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“Even batteries of mobile phones were drained by
the evening,” said Sumita Mahajan,
a resident of Preet Colony.
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Officials of the Punjab State Power Corporation
Limited said it was a scheduled power cut. The announcement regarding
power cut was made yesterday, they added.
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Due to the maintenance work of a feeder of a Pabhat power grid, the power supply was interrupted,
said a powercom official.
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India may build new coal-fired power plants as they
generate the cheapest power, according to a draft electricity policy document
seen by Reuters news agency, despite growing
calls from environmentalists to deter use of coal.
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Coal's contribution to electricity generation in
India fell for the second straight year in 2020, marking a departure from
decades of growth in coal-fired power.
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Still, the fuel accounts for nearly three-fourths
of India's annual power output.
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Environmental activists have long rallied against
India adding new coal-fired capacity.
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Solar and wind energy prices are falling to record
lows, which would help the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter
cut emissions.
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US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John
Kerry this month said India was "getting the job done on climate,
pushing the curve," as he began talks with government leaders aimed
at cutting carbon emissions faster to slow global heating.
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But a 28-page February draft of the National
Electricity Policy (NEP) 2021 – which has not been made public – showed
India may add new coal-fired capacity, though it recommended tighter
technology standards to reduce pollution.
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"While India is committed to add more capacity
through non-fossil sources of generation, coal-based generation capacity
may still be required to be added in the country as it continues to be
the cheapest source of generation," the NEP draft read.
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All future coal-based plants should only deploy
so-called "ultra super critical" less
polluting technologies "or other more efficient technology", it
added.
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Cabinet approval needed
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State-run NTPC Ltd, India's top electricity
producer, said in September it will not acquire land for new coal-fired
projects. Private firms and many run by states across the country have
not invested in new coal-fired plants for years saying they were not
economically viable.
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A source with direct knowledge said a government
panel of various power sector experts and officials will discuss the
draft and could make changes before seeking cabinet approval.
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India's Power Ministry did not immediately respond
to a request for comment on Sunday.
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The draft document also proposed trade of renewable
energy in day-ahead markets, creating separate tariffs for electric
vehicle charging stations and privatising
electricity distribution companies.
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Alternate sources
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The NEP 2021 is India's first attempt at revising its
electricity policy enacted in 2005, when the country produced negligible
renewable energy.
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Experts say phasing in renewable energy sources and
phasing out conventional sources such as coal and natural gas rapidly
could lead to instability in the electricity grid, potentially causing
blackouts.
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While suggesting flexible use of coal-fired and
natural gas-fired power to ensure grid stability in the coming years, the
draft policy lists promoting clean power as its primary objective.
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The policy draft suggested expediting adoption of
"cost effective" pumped hydro storage to support the
electricity grid, adding that only 4.8 gigawatts
(GW) of a potential 96.5 GW of pumped storage capacity has been developed
so far.
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The policy also recommends compensating natural
gas-fired plants for operating at reduced efficiency to ensure grid
stability, and for suffering higher wear and tear due to fluctuations in
generation.
Discom staffers urge govt
to halt transfers
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Chairman and managing director (CMD) of Central Power
Distribution Company Limited (CPDCL), J Padma Janardhan
Reddy, has asked superintending engineers (SEs) to take up transfer of
junior level staff through counselling. He
instructed the SEs to complete the transfers of junior and senior
assistants within two days from April 22.
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Several employees in the power utility in almost
all the divisions have been tested positive for Covid-19. While many of
them have been admitted to different hospitals for treatment, a few are
recovering in home isolation. “It is highly objectionable to take up
transfers as Covid-19 is spreading among employees. We request the state
government to intervene and suspend the CMD’s decision to execute the
transfers,” said Ch Purushotham
Rao, divisional secretary, AP Electricity Employees
Union.
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According to information at least 25 staffers in
CPDCL corporate office in Vijayawada tested positive in the last two
weeks. This is 30 percent of the total strength of employees in the
corporate office.
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Similarly, 18 employees were tested positive in
CPDCL SE office in Guntur last week. About 15 employees have gone on
leave due to suspicious symptoms of Covid-19. At least two DE and ADE
rank officers were treated in ICU in different hospitals in the city.
“Many more might be falling victims to the virus as nearly 150 people are
working from a small building in Guntur SE office,” said a senior
official.
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CPDCL CMD instructed the SEs to transfer all those
completed five years of service in one place and three years of service
in post. Earlier, only 30 per cent of the employees who completed five
years of service were used to get transferred while the present circular
insisted for transfer everyone who completed five years of service.
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Employees are worried over the CMD’s decision to
take up the transfers as it would force gathering of about 300 to 400
people in each district headquarter. EPDCL and SPDCL have not taken a
decision regarding the transfer of employees keeping in view of the
Covid-19 second wave.
Rajasthan: Govt asks energy dept
to ensure 24/7 power supply to oxygen plants
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Since oxygen is being used for Covid
patients as a life-saving therapy, state government is ensuring that the
oxygen plants run by private players should not be affected due to power
cuts and failures amid rising demand of oxygen in hospitals. The 38
private oxygen plants identified by the state government are producing
23,341 cylinders per day.
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The health department has shared a list of oxygen plants
run by private players, which are supplying oxygen to hospitals for
medical purposes for treatment of Covid
patients.
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Among the list are units which produce oxygen by
air separation procedures, while 14 produce oxygen through liquid medical
oxygen (LMO). The plants, which are using air separation, are procedures
producing 14,771 cylinders per day.
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A health department officials said, “There are
plants which do not have power back-up and they require uninterrupted
power supply. We cannot afford any oxygen plant to stop production as it
is useful for Covid treatment. We have written
to the energy department asking to ensure uninterrupted power supply to
the areas where the oxygen plants are situated,” said a senior health
department official.
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Also, 14 oxygen plants in the private sector are
producing liquid medical oxygen. They are producing 8,570 cylinders per
day.
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According to the health department officials, the
demand for oxygen in hospitals for medical purpose has risen to 11,000
cylinders daily but the state government has a capacity of production of
29,000 cylinders per day. Since the demand of oxygen is continuously
rising, the state government is taking all possible measures to ensure
its availability. Directions have been issued to all district collectors
to ensure availability of buffer stock. Also, divisional commissioners
have been asked to ensure coordination between collectors for
inter-district supply of oxygen depending on demand and availability
indifferent districts.
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Also, divisional commissioners will coordinate with
each other to ensure inter-division supply in case of surplus
availability of oxygen at one place and shortage at another.
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National Green Tribunal has directed Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee
(DPCC) to take remedial action against the three waste-to-energy plants
in Ghazipur, Okhla
and Narela-Bawana. CPCB had audited the WTE
plants and found violations at three units, before giving its
recommendations to NGT.
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NGT said CPCB may utilise
the experience of functioning of waste-to-energy plants in Delhi for
similar steps elsewhere, particularly metro cities.
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For the Okhla plant, CPCB
recommended it implement measures to improve ambient air quality,
including PM2.5 concentration, in and around it. “Plant is to properly
control production process and pollution-control equipment to ensure that
all parameters, including dioxin, furans and HCI, are within the
stipulated norms,” the board said, adding that 100% fly ash should be
repurposed, like manufacturing bricks.
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The Okhla plant has to
give an action plan and specify the timeframe within which an online
continuous ambient station will be installed to monitor air quality.
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For the plant in Bawana,
CPCB recommended processing the waste as per the consented capacity and optimising the production process. “Plant has to
properly control production process and apply pollution-control measures
to ensure that all parameters are within the stipulated norms. It should
implement necessary measures to improve ambient air quality, including
PM2.5 & PM1O concentration, in and around it,” the board said.
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CPCB recommended time-bound action plan to be
submitted for implementation of fly ash and inert-material utilisation measures for plants in Bawana and Ghazipur. “The Ghazipur unit has to upgrade its production process
and emission control measures to ensure that the emission levels of all
parameters — including PM, HCL, NOx, dioxin and
furans — are within the stipulated limits,” said the board.
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The Ghazipur unit has
been asked to provide a facility for treatment of wet waste. “The plant
should upgrade its leachate treatment procedure to improve its quality
before spreading it over land. The segregation process of the plant’s
municipal solid waste has to be made operational to improve its
efficiency,” said CPCB, adding that the plant has to obtain valid consent
to operate from DPCC as well.
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Power consumption in the country grew nearly 45 per
cent in the first half of April to 60.62 billion units (BU) over the corresponding
period a year ago, showing robust recovery in industrial and commercial
demand of electricity, according to power ministry data. Power
consumption in the first half of April last year (from April 1 to 15,
2020) was recorded at 41.91 BU.
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On the other hand, the peak power demand met, which
is the highest supply in a day, during the first half of this month
remained well above the highest record of 132.20 GW in the same period in
April 2020.
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During the first half this month, peak power demand
touched the highest level of 182.55 GW on April 8, 2021, and recorded a
growth of 38 per cent over 132.20 GW recorded in the entire month of
April last year.
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Power consumption in April last year had dropped to
84.55 BU from 110.11 BU in the same month in 2019. This happened mainly
because of fewer economic activities following imposition of lockdown by
the government in the last week of March 2020 to contain the spread of
deadly COVID-19.
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Similarly, peak power demand met also slumped to
132.20 GW in April last year from 176.81 GW in the same month in 2019,
showing the impact of lockdown on economic activities.
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Experts are of the view that high growth in power
consumption as well as demand in the first half this month is mainly
because of base effect.
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They said, "The power consumption remained low
in April last year due to lockdown. Now the the
high growth rate of power consumption clearly indicates healthy recovery
in commercial and industrial demand."
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However, they cautioned that local lockdowns across
the country to curb the surge of COVID-19 positive cases may impact
commercial and industrial power consumption adversely in coming days.
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After a gap of six months, power consumption had
recorded a 4.6 per cent year-on-year growth in September and 11.6 per
cent in October. In November 2020, the power consumption growth slowed to
3.12 per cent, mainly due to the early onset of winters. In December,
power consumption grew by 4.5 per cent while it was 4.4 per cent in
January 2021.
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Power consumption in February this year recorded
higher at 104.11 BU compared to 103.81 BU last year despite the fact that
2020 was a leap year.
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In March this year, the power consumption grew
nearly 23 per cent to 121.51 BU compared to 98.95 BU in the same month of
2020.
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During the entire fiscal of 2020-21, power
consumption dipped by one per cent to 1,271.54 BU from 1,284.44 BU in
2019-20.
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Renewable(7 News Items)
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Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA),
one of the largest foreign infrastructure investors in India, plans to sell
around 450MW of solar power projects for an estimated equity value of
around $300 million, said two people aware of the development.
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Around 330MW of these operational solar assets were
acquired from Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt. Ltd.
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MIRA is hopeful of commanding a premium on the sale
of Indian solar assets, given that the off-takers for the electricity
generated at a higher tariff from most of these projects are Gujarat
state-owned electricity distribution companies (discoms),
with a history of timely payments.
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The sale process for the proposed deal is yet to
start and comes at a time when India’s solar power tariffs have touched a
record low of ₹1.99 per unit. This, in turn, has resulted in tariff
shopping by discoms with India’s clean energy
space already facing problems such as power procurement curtailment and
delayed payments.
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A Macquarie Group spokesperson declined to comment.
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“The reason why these assets are expected to
command a premium is because a large part of this capacity is located in
Gujarat, which has a history of timely payments. Also, when solar tariffs
have gone south, these projects have power purchase agreements that were
signed at a higher tariff," said one of the two people mentioned
above, requesting anonymity.
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“The process is yet to be launched and there is a
lot of interest in these assets. A formal sale process is likely to start
sooner rather than later," said the second person mentioned above,
who also did not want to be named.
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The sale plan by Macquarie comes against the backdrop
of India’s quasi-sovereign wealth fund, the National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund, emerging as the buyer of the hybrid annuity road
assets of Ashoka Concessions Ltd as reported by
Mint earlier. Ashoka Buildcon
Ltd has a 61% stake in Ashoka Concessions,
while the remaining 39% is held by MIRA.
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In 2012, Macquarie, through its first India-focused
fund, had bought the Ashoka Concessions stake
for ₹800 crore. It had finalized the deal
jointly with State Bank of India.
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MIRA and its managed funds oversee investments in
12.4GW of green energy capacity. It is a part of Macquarie Asset
Management, the asset management arm of Macquarie Group, which has assets
under management of around €339.9 billion.
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A Bangalore based start-up is looking to commercialise a solution that lowers the time
required to charge the batteries of electric vehicles.
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Sequoia Capital backed Log 9 Materials, which has
its core competence in graphene (a carbon
material) nanotechnology, has developed two-wheeler and three-wheeler
battery packs using supercapacitor expertise
whereby these batteries could be charged faster than the plain lithium
ion batteries fitted in electric vehicles.
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According to the company, a normal 15-20 ampere
plug point in households can charge an existing two-wheeler electric
vehicle battery in 3-5 hours.
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With supercapacitors,
this can be brought down to around 15 minutes. CEO and founder Akshay Singhal, a graduate
in materials engineering from IIT Roorkee, said
Log 9 Materials is working with companies such as Amazon, Shadowfax, Delhivery, Vogo which are looking to
move towards electric vehicles for last mile delivery and mobility.
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“We have already done the pilot. Commercial
production is starting in October this year and the aim is to grow five
times next year. We have our assembly lines in Bangalore which will be
scaled up as demand grows,” said Singhal.
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The company has also developed aluminium
fuel cells that work on aluminium, air and
water combined with graphene-based cathode to
harness electricity using cheap and recyclable technology.
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Singhal said that graphene can be made in India unlike lithium which is
primarily imported. Moreover, existing lithium batteries can power a car
for 200 kilometres and tend to be replaced
typically after around three years.
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Aluminium fuel cells can
provide a bigger range with no emission and can address electrification
of long haul and heavier vehicles. The company is in discussions with
vehicle manufacturers on a wider adoption of the technology.
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“Today more than 50 per cent of the cost of
electric vehicles is on account of batteries. If the range is to be
increased to say around 600-700 kilometres, the
overall cost could go up significantly. Added to that is the lack of
charging infrastructure and long charging time which acts as a bottleneck
to electric vehicle adoption today. The idea is to address some of these
concerns,” said Singhal.
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The start-up was founded in 2015 and is also
working on other areas of applications of graphene
such as cigarette filters and oil absorbents.
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Adani Renewable
Energy Holding Fifteen Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) has received a
letter of award from Torrent Power Limited for setting up a 150MW solar
power project.
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The AGEL’s subsidiary had participated in a tender
issued by the power generation and distribution company Torrent Power for
the procurement of power through competitive bidding from grid connected
solar photovoltaic power projects to be set up in Gujarat.
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The AGEL company has been
awarded a project capacity of 150MW, AGEL said in a regulatory filing
with the stock exchanges.
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“The fixed tariff for this project capacity is Rs 2.22 per kWh (unit) for a period of 25 years. The
project is expected to be commissioned by the third quarter of fiscal
2023,” AGEL added in its communication with the bourses.
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With the award of this project, AGEL now has a
total portfolio of 15,390MW of renewable energy project capacity, out of
which 11,870MW projects are under implementation. Of its total portfolio,
AGEL has 3,520MW of operation renewable energy projects.
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The green energy arm of the Ahmedabad-headquartered
Adani Group, AGEL develops, builds, owns,
operates and maintains utility-scale grid-connected solar and wind farm
projects.
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Facebook today announced two sustainability and
renewable energy milestones. As of 2020, Facebook’s global operations are
supported by 100 per cent renewable energy and have reached net zero
emissions. In the last three years, greenhouse gas emissions have been
reduced by 94 per cent, exceeding the company’s 75 per cent reduction
goal set in 2018.
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Facebook also announced a new partnership with CleanMax, India’s leading B2B renewable energy
provider today. This agreement will support Facebook’s sustainability
ambitions in India with renewable power from wind and solar facilities,
supplying renewable power into India’s electrical grid in states where
Facebook facilities are also present.
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The first project to be brought online in the
agreement is a 32MW wind project located in Karnataka, India. While CleanMax will own and operate the projects, Facebook
will provide long-term support by committing to purchase 100 per cent of
the environmental attribute certificates (EACs) from the projects for
years to come.
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“At Facebook, we understand the challenges we face
due to climate change and are keen to help address this issue in APAC.
Our global commitment to renewable energy has resulted in an estimated
US$8 billion in project investment, supporting tens of thousands of jobs
during construction, including on-site infrastructure and installation as
well as along the global supply chain to produce solar panels and wind
turbines and towers. Facebook is one of the largest corporate buyers of
renewable energy globally and our partners in the region have played an
instrumental role in helping us drive towards a more sustainable future
for APAC.” - Dan Neary, Vice President, APAC at
Facebook.
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In Singapore, Facebook has renewable energy
partnerships with Sunseap Group, Terrenus Energy, and Sembcorp
Industries (Sembcorp). Announced in 2018 and
currently under construction, Facebook’s data center in Singapore is
being designed from the ground up with new features to minimize the use
of water, energy, and land. Once operational, the data center will be 100
per cent supported by renewable energy. The company has set a goal to
reach net zero emissions for the value chain in 2030.
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Since March 2020, a struggle has been waged by Karbi and Adivasi farmers
of Mikir Bamuni Grant
village in Nagaon district of Assam against the
forceful takeover of their lands to construct a solar power plant by
Azure Power Forty Private Limited. In each formal statement, Azure Power
continues to parrot that they are not in violation of the law, as they
have legally purchased the land in question on a willing seller-willing
buyer basis and are not in contravention of the law.
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This, despite several news reports and other
interactions pointing out to them that their “willing sellers” did not
have the legal right to sell them the land in the first place. The
question of land and the system of land rights is central to the story of
the conflict in Mikir Bamuni.
Delving deeper into this question and a close look at the documents, as
well as testimonies of the residents of Mikir Bamuni, this article exposes the web of lies,
manipulations and underhanded manoeuvres
coordinated between the local administration, landholders and police
forces that together orchestrated the theft of peoples’ lands. While
stating this, it is equally important to reiterate that this does not
absolve Azure Power, a nearly 400-million-dollar company listed on the
New York Stock Exchange, of responsibility in the gross violation of the
rights of the cultivators. Despite being in the know of the legal
provisions of the Assam (Temporarily Settled Areas) Tenancy Act 1971, it
appears their legal team has not yet bothered to understand the
documents, which, contrary to what they believe, do exist and are in
possession of the cultivators. All they had to do was ask. But more on
Azure Power later.
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Last year, December 29 witnessed the latest round
of police aggression against the protesting farmers with one of them, Buku Mardi, allegedly beaten senseless and arrested
in the daytime, followed by a midnight raid where police personnel are
then said to have forced themselves into the homes of the farmers in the
middle of the night, with faces covered, and arrested Sikari
Rongpi, Lakhiram
Mardi and Bhaity Timung.
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To sharpen the protest, the farmers began an
indefinite sit-in at the plant site from January 26, demanding the return
of their lands and the release of their friends and family members from
jail. The 4 arrested spent 63 days in jail and were released on bail only
on March 2. Meanwhile, on March 1 the Guwahati High Court ordered status
quo on the land in question given the ongoing civil dispute in this
matter in the Nagaon district court. Since the
order, construction work on the power plant has ceased. This has provided
some relief to the protesting farmers and a fresh lease of life to their struggle, that will end only when they win back their
lands.
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Environment Minister Prakash
Javadekar on Sunday said India is increasingly
leveraging renewable energy to fuel its growing power consumption as it
scales programmes like Aatmanirbhar
Bharat. India has only 3 per cent contribution in the historical
emissions and that the US, Europe and other regions have contributed more
to harmful emissions over the last 150 years, the Minister said at Amazon
Smbhav event.
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"Though we are not part of the problem, we
want to be part of the solution. Even today's current emissions of the
world, we are only 7 per cent of the world emissions...our programmes for Aatmanirbhar
Bharat, for development growth are based on sustainability, energy
transition, industrial transition, building common resilient
infrastructure, disaster resilient infrastructure," he said.
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He added that India has taken the lead in not only discussions
about climate change but also to show the world how these changes can be
implemented.
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Javadekar said the
country has taken a number of steps towards embracing sustainable energy,
and solar energy production has grown 14-fold over the last six years.
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"We have reduced our emission intensity by
nearly 26 per cent. We have increased our share to 38 per cent of
renewable energy in our energy capacity mix...solar energy and renewable
energy all put together, we have now 136 gigawatt,
we're inching towards our goal of 175 gigawatts
by 2022," he said.
·
India has set up a larger target of having 450 GW
of renewable energy by 2030. Also, under Fame I and II programmes, subsidy to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore has been
given for deploying 6,500 electrical buses in 65 cities.
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"...in 25 cities, they are running. Other
cities are in the advanced process of purchasing. So, they are
sustainable, modern as well as the best possible zero pollution, zero
emission vehicles," he added.
·
Javadekar said India
will require more energy as that is the basic input of the growth.
·
"But as of today, our per capita consumption
per year is 1,200 kilowatts units of electricity. Many countries -
America, Europe has more than 12,000 kilowatts per year...We don't
consume that much electricity, but our electricity consumption will grow
because there are aspirations for development," he said.
·
India has started building simultaneously a
sustainable way of life through renewable energy programme,
he added.
·
The Minister also pointed out that private
enterprises in the country are also playing a part and have set goals for
a sustainable future by adding more green cover on the campus, utilising more renewable energy and lowering
emissions. SR MR
SPDA seeks more time from govt for commissioning solar projects amid
pandemic
·
The Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) has
urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to give three more
months for commissioning solar projects amid the the
raging pandemic. The association has highlighted the continued challenges
that the solar power industry is facing for the last year.
·
It has requested MNRE for a blanket extension of an
additional three months in SCoD (scheduled date
of commissioning) of solar power projects in addition to five months
granted by MNRE earlier, an SPDA statement said.
·
The government had taken the problems into
cognizance and provided relief in blanket extension for five months
through an office memorandum on August 13, 2020.
·
The body said the second wave of the pandemic has
been advancing swiftly, with a big spike registered across Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan,
etc.
·
Various state governments have announced
restrictions affecting the movement of personnel, labour,
and delay in multiple approvals from state authorities.
·
Due to the curbs, solar power developers are
witnessing scarcity of workforce at sites again, putting the project
construction on hold again, it added.
·
There is a general apprehension that if the
situation continues like this, there can be a significant delay in
commissioning the projects, it opined.
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Oil & Gas(5 News Items)
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Natural Gas
·
As India is on the quest to promote Hydrogen as a
clean fuel for the mobility sector, Hydrogen-blended CNG is emerging as
an excellent interim technology for achieving emissions reduction and
import substitution. The Government of India is planning to invest about
US$200 million to promote the use of hydrogen use in the transportation
sectors.
·
"India will spend $200 million over the next
five to seven years to promote the use of hydrogen," said Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry
of Renewal New & Renewable Energy at a virtual industry event on
Thursday.
·
The Ministry has asked oil and gas companies to set
up seven hydrogen pilot plants by the end of this financial year,"
said Tarun Kapoor,
Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas at the Hydrogen
Economy - New Delhi Dialogue event.
·
Governments and energy companies around the world
are now betting on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to
lower greenhouse gas emissions, though its future uses and costs remain
uncertain.
·
Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said
that the government planned to scale up the use of hydrogen blended with
compressed natural gas (H-CNG) as a transportation fuel.
·
"We are looking forward to introducing H-CNG
as an intermittent technology in a big way for both automotive and
domestic cooking applications," he said.
·
Last year in October, Pradhan
had launched Indian Oil's compact reformer plant along with the trial run
of 50 Hydrogen-blended CNG buses at Rajghat in
Delhi.
·
H-CNG is a blend of hydrogen and CNG, the ideal
hydrogen concentration being 18%. Compared to conventional CNG, the use
of H-CNG can reduce the emission of carbon monoxide up to 70%, besides
enabling up to 5% savings in fuel, according to test reports by the
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and Indian Oil
Corporation Ltd (IOCL).
Ashoknagar floats in oil
dreams in poll season
·
Ashoknagar is growing up.
The sleepy district town of not-so-distant past is witnessing a boom —
floating in oil dreams.
·
In 2018, oil and gas reserves were discovered on
the outskirts of this town, just around 50km from Kolkata. And last
November, ONGC put this area on India’s oil map after it was found that
oil and gas extraction here could be commercially viable.
·
So, the mofussil town,
set up by Bidhan Chandra Roy around the Baigachi Airfield built by the British Royal Airforce during World War II to defend Kolkata, is
now teeming with people in orange and red overalls and shops in Kachua and Gol Bazar
markets are doing brisk business.
·
Workers in fluorescent overalls can been seen
purchasing cell phone chargers, getting their numbers recharged,
purchasing groceries and eating out at local eateries. Ashoknagar is looking at a future of prosperity.
·
Over the past few months, there has been an influx
of workers, managers, government officials here. And with that, demand
for accommodation, white goods and eateries has
outpaced the supply.
·
“This small town has a few hotels that are all
reserved now. The oil company is renting spaces in the homes of
residents,” said Samaresh Mazumdar,
a resident of Ashoknagar Kalyangarh.
·
Ashok Modak had a small
shop of gift items in Gol Bazar. After the
pandemic he shut the shop and started a small tea stall near the oil
field. “The lockdown has affected everyone in this town. Many people have
lost their jobs and others suffered huge losses. But oil field has come
up as a boon with almost all households are gaining in some way or the
other,” said Modal, who also recharges cell phones
·
Market of electronic and white goods is already
going through a boom in Ashoknagar with
residents going on a buying spree for air-conditioners, washing machines,
beds, mattresses, chairs and dinning tables.
·
Residents are, however, scared that the discord
between the state government and the Centre might mar the chances of Ashoknagar to make it to the oil map of the world.
“We would want both the governments to set aside their political
differences after the election and chalk out a roadmap on how to develop
the area,” said Mazumdar.
General
·
Skyrocketing fuel prices across the country over
the last several months are impacting people relying on fields as diverse
as aquaculture and insurance, including the fishermen who go into the sea
for their catch in Andhra Pradesh.
·
In a state like Andhra Pradesh, which is majorly an
agrarian state, some farmers who converted their paddy fields into
aquaculture ponds have emerged as the unlikely sufferers of high fuel
prices.
·
As part of the baby-like care they are required to
take for the shrimps, these farmers have to run aerators in the ponds to
increase oxygen supply in the water and thereby nurture the growth and
safety of the prawns.
·
Many prawn farmers manage to get a power connection
to run the aerators and incur an average monthly power bill of Rs 5,000 for a pond of 4 acres in the Godavari
districts.
·
However, a good number of aquaculture farmers are
not so fortunate to get a power connection and end up installing engines
or auto rickshaw engines on the banks of a pond and run them with diesel.
·
"For a 4-acre prawn pond, it costs me Rs 90,000 per month just for fuel while it is only Rs 5,000 for a pond with electric power connection to
run the aerators," Kumar, an aquaculture farmer, told IANS.
·
Highlighting the massive Rs
85,000 difference, he said those without access to
electric power are being compelled to limit their aerator
operations.
·
Kumar said this predicament is mostly common with
aquaculture farmers whose ponds are located far away from the villages,
and admitted that it would not be easy for power lines to be established
there as the non-firm black soil may not hold the electric poles, while
disunity among farmers is also a cause.
·
"Running aerators with electric power has the
convenience of a monthly bill but in the case of diesel powered engines,
it demands a daily cost of about Rs 3,000 for a
4-acre pond," he said.
·
Because of this exorbitant cost, aqua farmers have
reduced aerator operations by 3-4 hours a day. Earlier, they used to run
the aerators all through the night for 12 hours and for another four
hours in the morning.
·
"The fuel burden has drastically diminished
the profitability in aquaculture. From around Rs
64 a litre of diesel some time ago, it has now
risen to nearly Rs 90 oer
litre," he lamented.
·
In the event of power cuts, even those farmers with
electric power are forced to use generators to rotate their aerators and
get a taste of the diesel blues suffered by some of their fellow farmers.
·
Not just aquaculture farmers, even many paddy
farmers pump water into their fields from irrigation canals using engines
powered by diesel.
·
This is a very old practice, preceding aquaculture
by more than 40 years. However, centuries old agricultural practices are
changing with the massive adoption in aquaculture.
·
Likewise, fishermen who go into the sea in
diesel-powered mechanised boats are also
feeling the heat of exorbitant fuel prices.
·
Aquaculture farmers, who go to the hatcheries to
buy prawn seeds to culture them in their ponds, have heard the
fishermen's side of the story.
·
"The government gives around Rs 6 subsidy on diesel for fishermen, but that is not
of much help. Mechanised boats require a high
amount of diesel while venturing into the sea," said Venkat from Srikakulam, who
hails from a fisherman's family.
·
Unlike a cab driver who can pass on the higher fuel
costs to the customer, Venkat reasoned that
fishermen may not have that luxury as they deal with perishable goods,
and are always on the lookout to quickly sell their catch before they get
spoiled.
·
In similar fashion, Bhaskar,
an insurance agent from Vijayawada, complained that the fuel allowance he
receives from his employer is just one-fourth the cost of the fuel
charges he incurs in a month.
·
"I get Rs 2,000 fuel
allowance but my monthly fuel bill is Rs 6,000.
I ride about 150 km a day as part of my job," said Bhaskar.
·
He lamented that exorbitant fuel prices have raised
the cost of living, imposing a heavy burden on the common man.
·
Curiously, global crude prices and Indian retail
fuel prices do not go hand in hand with respect to prices at the fuel
stations, as has been promised since 2017.
·
Back then, state-owned oil companies Indian Oil,
Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation synced
their retail fuel pump prices to the international crude prices with the
mandate of daily dynamic pricing, reflecting international crude prices.
However, that was a short lived promise shortchanging crores
of Indians.
·
One of those companies even said in a statement
back then that the 'benefits' of even the smallest change in
international oil prices could percolate to the dealer and then to the
masses.
·
Indians, who had weathered the storm of $147 per
barrel of crude in 2008 during the regulated petrol prices regime, are
now suffering peak prices when the crude barrel not even costs $75.
·
For more than six years already, the Indian
government has been enjoying lower crude prices, including reneging on
the promise of passing on the benefits to people for a long time and
conveniently resorting to the practice of raising taxes with impunity.
·
Oil marketing companies (OMC) kept petrol and
diesel prices unchanged for the third straight day across four metro
cities.
·
In the national capital, petrol was sold for Rs 90.40 per litre on Sunday.
·
Similarly, price of the fuel in Mumbai, Chennai and
Kolkata also was unchanged at Rs 96.83, Rs 92.43 and Rs 90.62 per litre, respectively.
·
In line with petrol, prices of diesel also were
same for the third straight day.
·
Price of the fuel in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and
Kolkata was Rs 80.73, Rs
87.81, Rs 85.75 and Rs
83.61 per litre, respectively.
·
Fuel prices have been unchanged after declining on
April 15. Fuel prices in the country have been unchanged as OMCs decided
to go on a pause mode and analyse the global
developments on oil prices before effecting a revision.
Maharashtra: Nanar refinery will lead to pollution and
deprive farmers of water
·
After the Shiv Sena
strongly opposed the proposed oil refinery at Nanar
in Konkan, there’s a demand from some quarters
to shift it to Vidarbha. It’s an ambitious
project between the IOC, HPCL and BPCL and Saudi Arabian petroleum giant
Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
·
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an
industrial/chemical processing plant where crude oil is converted into
petrol, gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG) and jet fuel. In India, there are 24 oil refineries out of
which only three are private.
·
The project is not only infeasible for Vidarbha, but would prove to be a big health hazard
for citizens here due to pollution. It would require huge land of farmers
and also the water used for their fields. Already, the region’s
irrigation backlog is 1.60 hectares. When our farmers are not getting
water for their crops, from where the government will provide water for
the refinery?
·
Already, Vidarbha has so
many power plants that produce 59% of Maharashtra’s power. All these
plants consume a lot of water, leaving the poor farmers in lurch.
·
Moreover, what’s the guarantee that only the youth
of Vidarbha will benefit? Just under the
pretext of creating employment opportunities, farmers’ land can’t be put
at stake. It is better to bring information technology (IT) parks, health
cities and textile parks that can create job opportunities along with
economic consideration and without risk of pollution. Also when there are
talks about bringing in solar powered vehicles by 2030, then why the need
for a refinery in Vidarbha?
·
In fact, it will be feasible to set up the refinery
in neighbouring Marathwada
which is relatively closer to the coast than Vidarbha.
Today, we import more than 80% of India’s crude oil which comes by sea.
If a refinery comes to Vidarbha, the crude oil
will have to cross a distance of 700km by road from the coast. How
financially viable will it be for the government?
·
It might provide employment, but it involves
heating and chemical processes, which pollute the environment. Chemical
emissions cause air pollution due to toxic gases released. These gases
are harmful and can cause serious health problems. Research shows
children in schools next to refineries are 40 % more likely to have
respiratory problems than others.
·
It’s economically feasible to have a refinery where
there is a large customer base for petrol, diesel, oil
and aviation fuel. Most of the world’s population lives in big cities in
coastal areas. So, most of the refineries in the world are on or off the
coast.
·
Refineries use large amounts of steam and cold
water. Generally, one barrel (159 litres) of
crude oil requires 1.5 barrels of water to process. That's why most of
the oil refineries are on the beach, where the river meets the sea, so
they can take advantage of the water and also for transportation.
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Coal(4 News Items)
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Linkage issues
·
India may build new coal-fired power plants as they
generate the cheapest power, according to a draft electricity policy
document seen by Reuters news agency, despite
growing calls from environmentalists to deter use of coal.
·
Coal's contribution to electricity generation in
India fell for the second straight year in 2020, marking a departure from
decades of growth in coal-fired power.
·
Still, the fuel accounts for nearly three-fourths
of India's annual power output.
·
Environmental activists have long rallied against
India adding new coal-fired capacity.
·
Solar and wind energy prices are falling to record
lows, which would help the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter
cut emissions.
·
US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John
Kerry this month said India was "getting the job done on climate,
pushing the curve," as he began talks with government leaders aimed
at cutting carbon emissions faster to slow global heating.
·
But a 28-page February draft of the National
Electricity Policy (NEP) 2021 – which has not been made public – showed
India may add new coal-fired capacity, though it recommended tighter
technology standards to reduce pollution.
·
"While India is committed to add more capacity
through non-fossil sources of generation, coal-based generation capacity
may still be required to be added in the country as it continues to be
the cheapest source of generation," the NEP draft read.
·
All future coal-based plants should only deploy
so-called "ultra super critical" less
polluting technologies "or other more efficient technology", it
added.
·
Cabinet approval needed
·
State-run NTPC Ltd, India's top electricity
producer, said in September it will not acquire land for new coal-fired
projects. Private firms and many run by states across the country have
not invested in new coal-fired plants for years saying they were not
economically viable.
·
A source with direct knowledge said a government
panel of various power sector experts and officials will discuss the
draft and could make changes before seeking cabinet approval.
·
India's Power Ministry did not immediately respond
to a request for comment on Sunday.
·
The draft document also proposed trade of renewable
energy in day-ahead markets, creating separate tariffs for electric
vehicle charging stations and privatising
electricity distribution companies.
·
Alternate sources
·
The NEP 2021 is India's first attempt at revising
its electricity policy enacted in 2005, when the country produced negligible
renewable energy.
·
Experts say phasing in renewable energy sources and
phasing out conventional sources such as coal and natural gas rapidly
could lead to instability in the electricity grid, potentially causing
blackouts.
·
While suggesting flexible use of coal-fired and
natural gas-fired power to ensure grid stability in the coming years, the
draft policy lists promoting clean power as its primary objective.
·
The policy draft suggested expediting adoption of
"cost effective" pumped hydro storage to support the
electricity grid, adding that only 4.8 gigawatts
(GW) of a potential 96.5 GW of pumped storage capacity has been developed
so far.
·
The policy also recommends compensating natural
gas-fired plants for operating at reduced efficiency to ensure grid
stability, and for suffering higher wear and tear due to fluctuations in
generation.
General
·
State-owned CIL announced incorporation of two
wholly-owned arms. The two subsidiaries are CIL Solar PV Ltd and CIL Navikarniya Urja Ltd, Coal
India Ltd (CIL) said in a filing to BSE.
·
CIL Solar PV Limited has been incorporated for
manufacturing in solar value chain (Ingot-wafer-Cell Module) and CIL Navikarniya Urja Limited
for renewable energy, the filing said.
·
Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of
domestic coal output. The PSU is eyeing 1 billion tonnes
of output by 2023-24.
·
The Department of Steel and Mines of Odisha government granted the mining lease of Utkal-E coal block to National Aluminium
Company Limited (NALCO) through a notification issued on April 12, the
public sector enterprise informed on Friday.
·
NALCO is a leading producer of alumina and aluminium in the country. As per the notification,
the mining lease of the Utkal-E coal block is
over an area of 523.73 hectares in villages Nandichhod,
Gopinathpur Jungle, Kundajhari
Jungle, Kosala and Korada
under Chendipada Tahasil
of Angul District.
·
"The initial capacity of Utkal-E
coal block is 2 million tonnes per year with a
total mineable reserve of approximately 70 million tonnes,"
the notification said.
·
"NALCO has already executed the mining lease
for the Utkal D Coal block in March 2021. With
the grant of Utkal D and E coal blocks, the
total mineable coal reserve of the company will be 175 million tonnes, which will be pivotal in meeting the coal
requirement of its Captive Power Plant at Angul
in Odisha," it said.
·
CMD of NALCO Sridhar Patra
has thanked the state and the Central governments for sanctioning the
mining lease and said that the NALCO team is very optimistic about
starting the mining operation from the Utkal-D
coal block in this financial year.
·
"With the grant of the mining lease of Utkal E coal block, the planned expansion activities
of the Company will get a boost and will contribute significantly to the
bottom line of NALCO," he said.
·
A Delhi Court granted interim bail to Vikas Mishra, brother of Trinamool
Congress (TMC) leader, arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in
connection with coal mining scam.
·
The Court has granted bail to Mishra till May 15 on
medical grounds. Special Judge Anurag Sain in an order passed on Friday said: "The
interim bail has been granted to accused solely on the basis of medical
grounds of the accused and for a period of one month starting from today
till May 4, 2021 and accused is directed to surrender before the Tihar Jail on or before the approved date."
·
In case the accused has violated any of the
condition of the bail, ED has right to move appropriate application for
cancellation of bail, the judge added.
·
"....Vikas Mishra is
admitted to interim bail till May 15, 2021 on his furnishing personal
bond in the sum of Rs. 2,00,000/-
with one surety. Accused shall not interfere in the investigation of the
matter in any manner and shall join the investigation as and when called
by investigation officer...." the Court added while imposing several
conditions.
·
The Court also noted that the detailed medical
report of accused was filed by the doctor and as per the report and the
submissions made by the doctor, the medical
conditions of the accused are not good.
·
The medical report submitted by the doctor stated:
"Inmate patient admitted in MI Room but his symptoms are persisting
and his general condition is deteriorating and currently in view of
COVID-19 pandemic the outside OPD referral is avoided to control the
spread of the virus in Jail inmates as well as restricted availability of
treatment due to pandemic restrictions of these higher approved referral centres."
·
Advocate Amit Mahajan, Central Government Standing Counsel along
with NK Matta, Nitesh
Rana, Special Public
prosecutor appeared for ED and Senior Advocate Sidharth
Luthra with Advocate Neeraj
Shekhar had appeared for accused Vikas Mishra in the matter.
·
According to the ED, on November 27, 2020, a case
was registered by CBI, Kolkata against Amit
Kumar Dhar, the then general manager, Kunustoria area, ECL Jayesh
Chandra Rai, general manager ECL, Kajora Area, Tanmay Das,
chief security, ECL Asansol, Dhansnjay Rai, Area
Security Inspector ECL, Debashish Mukerjee, Security in charge, Kajora
area, ECL, Anup Majee
and unknown officials of ECL, CISF, Railways, other department and
unknown private persons for alleged commission of cognizable offence
various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
·
Earlier, ED explained in detail in the remand
application that the investigation was taken up to trace the proceeds of
crime as it was revealed that "large proceeds of crime" were
generated and laundered as a result of illegal coal mining.
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