Jindal ITF begins ferrying coal to NTPC...

 

The barge was launched from Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) jetty in the presence of Indresh Batra, Vice chairman– Jindal ITF Ltd.

Also present at the occasion was Vishwapati Trivedi – IAS, Secretary, Shipping, Government of India, Amitabh Verma – Chairman, IWAI, Ministry of Shipping, Government of India and Subrata Bakshi– MP, South Kolkata.

Speaking on the occasion, Indresh Batra said “Waterways is the most eco-friendly modes of bulk cargo movement and must be used to its full capacity. This mode of transport consumes lesser fossil fuel than traditional means of transportation and owing to minimal congestion ensures reliable and on-time delivery of shipment to the destination. Jindal ITF is committed to consolidate its operations further in this sector.”

“This project that begins operations today, will surely give impetus to local economy. We thank the Honorable Minister Vasan for his support and presence. We appreciate the support we have got from the Ministry of Shipping and the State Government," he said.

The company said that the estimated outlay for the project is in excess of Rs 500 crore. Fleet of 23 barges would transport three million tonnes of imported coal to NTPC’s power plant at Farakka per annum through inland waterways for seven years.

It said this marquee project is to introduce the concept of a trans-shipper on the East Coast of India which has a capacity to handle Panamax vessels. Panamax ships are vessels designed to fit in the Panama canal's locks, hence the name, denoting that they both maximise the freight transported and that they are the biggest ships able to pass through the canal.

The Jindal barges will be specially constructed to fit the width and depth of the waterways to Farakka. Each barge will have a storage capacity at least of 60,000 metric tonne.

The project will be developed on PPP model on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis, which will have assets to include fixed infrastructure at Farakka and floating infrastructure like transhipper, vessels, barges etc. A conveyor belt will take the coal from the jetty to the coal stockyard.

Jindal ITF will also unload and transport imported coal from high seas to the Farakka plant, for which they have created infrastructure, including a mid-sea transfer point, all the way to the NTPC coal stock yard.

In 2011, state-run power producer NTPC inked a tripartite agreement with IWAI and the infrastructure arm of Jindal SAW, Jindal ITF for transportation of coal to its 2,100 MW power plant located at Farakka through inland waterways.

Inland water transport (IWT) is widely acknowledged as among the cheapest form of transport for goods and is used extensively in countries such as China, Germany and the US by utilities for transporting bulk cargo.

In China, navigable inland waterways total more than 100,000 km and there are a large number of inland port facilities with berths for large vessels. IWT accounts for almost 10 per cent of the freight tonnage.

In Bangladesh, about 35 per cent of the freight movement is by inland waterways, according to figures from the Asian Development Bank. India is estimated to have nearly 14,500 km of navigable inland waterways.

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Biomass plant set up in Mahendergarh, Haryana...

 

A 9.9 MW biomass project has been set up in Mahendergarh district at a total cost of Rs 60 crore and a similar project of 9.5 MW in Bhiwani district is at its final stage of completion, an official spokesman said today.

 

The official of Haryana's Renewable Energy Department said three more biomass projects of 12 MW each are under installation in the state.

 

For generation of power from industrial waste, 14 projects of 34.

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Punjab to offer cheapest power to consumers...

 

Claiming that Punjab would soon become a power-surplus state, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Monday said that electricity would be supplied to consumers at cheapest rates in the country.

Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the first unit of the 1,980 MW Talwandi Sabo power plant in Baanwala village of Mansa district, 230 km from Chandigarh, Badal said that Punjab would become a power-surplus state with the commissioning of new plants in coming months.

The 660 MW first unit of the 1,980 MW super critical thermal power plant here, which has been built by the private sector Vedanta Group, was commissioned by Badal Monday. Once complete, the power plant will cost of Rs.11,000 crore.

Badal said the power project would boost industrialization in the Malwa belt of south-west Punjab.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the first unit of the 1,400 MW Rajpura Thermal Power Plant would be commissioned Dec 8.

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Nine cos submit preliminary bids for Odisha UMPP...

 

Nine companies including Tata Power and Adani Power have submitted preliminary bids for the 4,000 MW Odisha ultra mega power project.

 

"Nine participants -- NTPC, Tata Power, NHPC, Adani Power, JSW Energy, Jindal Steel and Power, Sterlite Infraventures, CLP India and Larsen and Toubro have submitted initial bids for the Odisha UMPP," said a source.

 

Power Finance Corporation, the nodal agency for UMPPs, invited preliminary bids in September.

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Kalpataru Power Transmission bags orders worth Rs 1,007 crore...

 

Kalpataru Power Transmission (KPTL), a leading global EPC player in the power and infrastructure contracting sector, today said it has bagged orders worth over Rs 1,000 crore in domestic and international markets.
 
The company has secured a Rs 630 crore order in Egypt for construction of Suez Gulf/Samalaut 500 KV D/C overhead transmission line, a statement issued here stated.
 
Second order in the international market includes supply and installation of 220 KV transmission systems worth Rs 246 crore in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
 
In the domestic market, the KPTL has bagged a Rs 131 crore contract from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation for installing cross-country pipeline.
 
"The order inflow for the year to date is satisfactory having received orders over Rs 2,750 crore, with international segment being major contributor. We are expecting similar traction going forward," company's Managing Director Ranjit Singh said.

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Andhra coast unsafe for N-power plant: Expert...

 

A coastal site in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, earmarked for locating imported nuclear power plants, is unsuitable from the safety point of view, cautions a leading tsunami expert.

Pune-based seismologist Arun Bapat's calculations show that in the event of a tsunami arising from a high-intensity earthquake in the Sumatra region -- similar to the deadly Dec 26, 2004, quake - the Kovvada site will suffer considerable damage because much of the tsunami energy will be directed towards it.

Instead, the location of the nuclear plants could be shifted further north near Paradip in Odisha "which could be an ideal site", Bapat, who has analyzed the past tsunamis affecting India, said.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India has assigned the Kovvada site to the US-based firm GE Hitachi for building six Boiling Water Reactors to generate total power of 9,564 MW of power. The contract is yet to be firmed up.

Bapat is one of the associate scientists of the International Earthquake and Volcano Prediction Center based in Orlando, Florida, in the US. He had predicted the Dec 26, 2004, tsunami long before it happened.

According to Bapat, the occurrence of tsunamis is a result of large magnitude earthquakes. "The large geological or tectonic faults in the Sumatran and Andaman regions have generated a number of moderate to large magnitude earthquakes during the last 100 years or so," he said in a recent report published in the journal Current Science.

"If we know the fault plane solutions of these past historical seismic events, then the likely direction of tsunami waves could be easily determined," he says.

As a thumb rule, he says, the energy and height of tsunami waves are minimum in the direction along which the fault ruptures, and are highest at right angles to the direction of rupture.

Bapat points out that the proposed location of atomic plants on the Andhra coast "is at about 40 to 45 degrees to the direction of rupture" of fault in the Sumatran region and hence vulnerable to tsunamis.

Paradip in the Orissa coast lies almost in the direction of rupture and hence is less at risk.

In support of this analysis, Bapat points out that during the Dec 26, 2004, earthquake, the rupture extended towards northwest along the Sunda trench for 1,200 km to the Andaman Islands.

The resulting tsunami severely damaged the Nagapattinam area on the east coast of India that was almost at right angles to the northwest end of the rupture.

The city of Galle in Sri Lanka and the Thailand coast that was at right angles to the direction of rupture also suffered heavy damages while Cocos Island, which was roughly in the direction of rupture, recorded tsunami waves of only 42 cm.

He says the analysis also explains why Kolkata, Sundarbans and Bangladesh -- lying almost in the direction of the rupture -- did not suffer from the tsunami attack.

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12 companies including tata, adani, NTPC and Vedanta have shown interest in bidding for Odisha, Tamil Nadu UMPPs...

 

As many as 12 companies, including Tata Power, Adani Power, Vedanta and state-run NTPC, are in the fray for two proposed ultra mega power projects in Odisha and Tamil Nadu.

 

Five companies have shown interest in the Odisha UMPP and seven utilities have lined up for the Cheyyur UMPP in Tamil Nadu, according to sources who did not provide a break-up of the bids.

 

UMPPs are large power projects that use domestic or imported coal.

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TN will remain on top in terms of Power Generation from renewable Energy Sources...

 

Tamil Nadu will continue to lead in generation of power from renewable sources with capacity addition of 7,353 mega watt by 2017, according to a Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report.

Out of the total capacity addition of 32,713 MW of renewable energy sources – wind, solar and small hydro - Tamil Nadu is expected to add 22 per cent of the total addition during the end of the 12th five-year Plan in 2017, said a CEA report, titled ‘Large scale grid integration of renewable energy sources – way forward’.

It added that Rajasthan would follow Tamil Nadu with 5,694 MW addition and Andhra Pradesh, with 4,827 MW in the envisaged capacity addition. Of the projected 32,713 MW capacity addition, about 20,432 MW would be from wind power and 10,220 MW from solar energy.

Tamil Nadu, which accounts for 40 per cent of wind-installed capacity in India, will be adding a maximum of 4,339 MW of wind power, while Maharashtra will see the second highest addition of 3,763 mw. For capacity addition in solar power, Rajasthan will be adding 3,513 MW followed by Tamil Nadu with 3,014 MW.

At present, India’s total renewable generation is 28,184 MW as on August 31, 2013. At the end of the 12th five-year Plan, the co­untry is expected to have a total installed generation capacity of 60,897 MW, the report said. The total installed capacity of renewable energy in Tamil Nadu will go up to 15,415 MW from 8,062 MW, while Rajasthan will have the second highest capacity of 9,060 MW.

A senior Tangedco official expressed hope that the state would be able to meet the renewable energy capacity addition target. “As per the state’s solar energy policy, we are planning to add 3,000 MW of solar power to the grid by 2015. We have already received bids from 52 companies who will be setting up plants with a total capacity of 698 MW,” the official said, adding that capacity addition in the wind energy sector is expected to pick up once the wind power evacuation infrastructure is improved.

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CERC, upon petition of Bajaj Hindustan, directed NLDC to issue RECs to Bajaj Hindustan for the captive generation...

 

Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) while ruling on the petition filed by Bajaj Hindustan Limited (BHL)  regarding the issuances of Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) by the National Load Despatch Center (NLDC) has given its order in favor of BHL.

 

Bajaj Hindusthan (petitioner) had filed a petition before the CERC against NLDC for refusing to issue Renewable Energy Certificate, which it claims to deserve rightfully. The petition filed by BHL requested CERC to pass an order for issuance of RECs and compensate them for the delay in issuance of RECs and for the legal costs incurred by the petitioner.

NLDC, the respondent, justifying its refusal to issue RECs brought out the Government of Uttar Pradesh notification under Section 3 of the UP Electricity Duty Act, 1952 imposing electricity duty on power consumed by an entity from his own source of generation through Bagasse based power plant.

While Govt. of UP subsequently has abolished the electricity duty imposed on power consumed by an entity from his own source of generation, NLDC claims that exemption of payment of electricity duty amounts to waiver of electricity under the second proviso to Regulation 5 of the REC Regulations, and as such, considers that REC may not be issued.

Deliberating over the matter in details during the CERC hearing in August, 2013, the Commission considered that abolishing the electricity duty on consumption from own sources of generation cannot be treated as waiver of electricity duty for the purpose of REC Regulations. Pertinently, the Commission ordered NLDC to process the case of the petitioner for issuance of RECs.

The above mentioned order can be downloaded from here.

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Nava Bharat Ventures to achieve financial closure for its coal/thermal project in Zambia...

 

Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd is close to achieving financial closure for its coal mine-cum-thermal power project in Zambia.

The Zambian mine project is set to begin work on the 300-MW thermal power plant.

According to D. Ashok, Chairman, the company’s subsidiary expects to achieve financial closure for the long-term debt finance of $560 million of the $800-million project.

In a communication to shareholders and exchanges, he mentioned that they were seeking participation of leading development financial institutions such as African Development Bank and some Chinese lenders.

He said that other overseas projects are in various stages of development under the Singapore subsidiary.

Referring to the company’s performance in the first-half of this financial year ended September 30, Ashok said the performance was satisfactory when reviewed in the backdrop of challenges and seasonal patterns resulting in drop in profits. The company posted a lower net profit of Rs 97.4 crore during the first half against Rs 127.5 crore for the same period last year.

The company expects the 150-MW unit of the subsidiary, which commenced merchant power operations from April, will add to the numbers. However, in the first-half of this fiscal, the merchant power rates were lower, in spite of the huge power demand-supply gap. This was due to the weak financial health of State utilities to purchase power.

Mentioning about the ferro alloys division, the company stated that due to supply constraints of chrome ore, ferro chrome conversion had to be stopped for almost four months, depriving the company of value addition for power through captive use.

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NHPC's Subansiri Hydro project cost may double to Rs 12,000 crore...

 

The total cost of state-owned NHPC's Subansiri project in Assam is likely to be around Rs 12,000 crore, nearly double than envisaged initially, following delays on account of various hindrances.

The country's largest hydro power producer, NHPC is executing the 2,000-MW Subansiri hydel plant in Assam. The original cost of the project was Rs 6,285 crore.

"Local issues, contractual issues, geological surprises, delay in decision making and poor risk-taking assessment have impacted the progress on the Subansiri project, which is now likely to cost nearly Rs 12,000 crore," a senior company official told PTI.

The project has been stalled since December 2011, after the local people raised issues related to its safety and downstream impact.

"Assam also wanted to increase its total share of power from the project," the official said, adding that the state was earlier granted 208 MW of electricity from the hydel station which has now increased to 300 MW.

Besides, the state is expected to get 25 MW or more free power from the plant which is likely to resume construction work next month.

The project, earlier expected to be fully commissioned by December 2012, is now likely to be operational by December 2017.

We are hopeful that the construction work on the project would start again from December, next month," the official said.

According to sources, the Power Ministry had a meeting with the state government earlier this month and achieved some breakthrough on the issues.

Once commissioned, Subansiri (250x8) will be India's biggest hydroelectric project. The project is located near North Lakhimpur on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The estimated annual energy generation from the project is 7,421 million units.

NHPC generates 5,702 MW electricity from 17 hydel stations in the country. As many as seven power stations with total capacity of 4,095 MW are under construction.

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GVK and Aurizlon reached a significant milestone for the development of Australia coal resources...

 

GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd has informed BSE that Aurizon and GVK Coal Infrastructure (Singapore) Pte Ltd (GVK Hancock) have reached a significant milestone towards their proposed transaction for the joint development of a rail line and a new coal terminal at the existing Abbot Point Port to unlock the Galilee Basin’s coal resources, including GVK Hancock’s Alpha, Alpha West and Kevin’s Corner coal projects.

In this regard, the Company has issued a Press Release titled "Aurizon and GVK Hancock reach a major milestone towards signing the proposed Galilee Basin Rail and Port Transaction".

 

Download the Press Release from here.

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ANERT to set up 2-MW solar farm in Palakkad...

 

Kerala’s first solar farm on the Mega Watt scale is expected to become operational at Kuzhalmandam in Palakkad district by March next year. The Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) will implement the project estimated to cost Rs.16 crore.

Utilising crystalline silicon technology, the grid-fed solar power plant of 2 MW capacity will come up on 12 acres of land. Designed in-house by ANERT, it features flat plate collectors and intelligent inverters. Once commissioned, the farm will feed 30 lakh units of power to the grid every year.

Officials said the project was designed to assist in research and development of grid-interactive power plants. The farm would be established as a turnkey project.

DPR released

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy released the detailed project report (DPR) of the solar farm during the inauguration of the new headquarters building of ANERT here on Wednesday.

He said the availability of quality power was a critical element in Kerala’s development.

He said the power situation in the State warranted a focus on non-conventional energy sources and energy conservation.

Mr. Chandy said mini-hydel projects and solar power offered clean and eco-friendly means of power generation ideal for a State like Kerala.

Solution to power crisis

Delivering the presidential address, Electricity Minister Aryadan Mohammed said non-conventional energy sources were the obvious solution to the power crisis faced by the State.

“With no further scope for additional generation through conventional means, the State will have to make maximum use of wind and solar power to bridge the widening gap between demand and supply.”

Pointing out that 5,000 houses across the State had been provided with subsidized rooftop solar panels generating a total of 5 MW, he stressed the need to popularise the initiative. Mr. Mohammed stressed the need to equip government buildings with green features to save energy.

Saving energy

Highlighting the need for energy conservation, he directed the officials at the open-air venue to switch off the lights that were kept on in broad daylight.

With a built-up area of 25,000 sq ft., the new headquarters complex of ANERT is built on the Green Building concept. It will feature a roof top solar power plant of 15 kW capacity, solar-wind hybrid system, biogas plants, and solar water heaters.

K. Muraleedharan, MLA, Additional Chief Secretary Niveditha P. Haran, and ANERT director M. Jayaraju were among those who spoke.

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CREDA bags 2 awards in renewable energy sector...

 

Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) has won two national-level awards for outstanding achievement in the field of renewable energy sector.

DV Kapoor former power secretary, Government of India, and founder chairman and managing director of NTPC gave away the awards to CREDA chief executive officer S K Shukla on Friday at New Delhi.

Enertia Foundation provides these awards every year for outstanding performance in renewable energy sector. One award is given to CREDA for being the best national nodal agency for renewable energy in the country and the second is given to CREDA CEO SK Shukla, for acknowledging him as the best performing bureaucrat in India, in power sector, considering his outstanding achievement in the field.

So far, CREDA has installed more than 7,000 off-grid solar systems of aggregate capacity more than 25MW in educational institutions, industries and commercial & government buildings in the state, which is the largest in the country till date.

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3 companies evince interest in drawing power from UP's thermal plants...

 

In a bid to extract power from the 1980 Mw thermal power plant proposed in Lalitpur and Ghatampur, three big players in power sector have evinced interest in laying transmission lines and construction of sub-stations.

Energy department sources said Reliance, Isolux and Sterlite have shown interest in the project that seeks to add a significant power input, if not to make the state self-reliant. Sources said the companies had been provided request for proposal (RFP) by the bid evaluation committee of the state government.

While Reliance power is already engaged in power generation, Isolux has been involved in construction of transmission lines. Reliance has always been close to the Samajwadi Party. Sterlite too happens to have shown interest in setting up a power plant in Uttar Pradesh under the Memorandum of Understanding route.

According to sources well placed and privy to the meeting of the bid evaluation committee, the three companies were shortlisted based on their experience and the bids they came up with.

The companies will be engaged in laying transmission lines of 765 Kv capacity from Agra and even Ghatampur which is situated about 30-40 km from southwest from Kanpur and about 120 km from the state capital. The project, a joint venture of UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam and Neyveli Lignite corporation, the project of 1980 Mw capacity was inaugurated last year by union coal minister Shri Prakash Jaiswal and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Interestingly, the Isolux has fallen into a deep controversy over proposal to change the configuration of the transmission lines in the Rs 10,000 transmission project. It was only after the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) cracked the whip on Spanish Transmission Company that the company agreed to the conditions that it agreed to during the bid process. Isolux Corsan has been showing interest in installing wires made out of aluminum, termed as All Aluminum Alloy Conductors (AAAC). The company, although, had bid for installation of ACSR conductors instead. Interestingly, in July last year, the UP Transmission Corporation (UPTCL) had told the commission that the AAAC conductors' line losses will increase by 7% to 11%.

The letter issued by the UP Transmission Corporation said by using AAAC conductors the company will be saving significantly in the capital cost due to lighter towers, lighter foundation and longer span, which will have a commercial implication on project cost and also on the tariff. The UPPTCL said such post contract changes are not possible as per Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines.

The UPERC, in its order dated April 8, said since the conductor type to be used in the transmission line has been associated with ACSR conductor under the scope of work in the bid document, the panel has decided that only ACSR conductors shall be used in the construction of line. The commission also asked the corporation to submit its acceptance of conductors within two weeks from the date of the order under intimation to the commission.

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Kerala coir pith to fuel 10 MW power plant...

 

A path-breaking initiative by the Kochi-headquartered Coir Board has proved that electricity can be generated from the spongy coir pith.

The successful experiment by the Coir Board's research and development wing has prompted the organisation to set up a 10 MW power generation project in Thiruvananthapuram district - a first in the country.

Till now, coir pith was considered waste and used for nothing more than filling low-lying lands.

"We are in talks with a Mumbai-based firm to set up a 10 MW plant that would produce power using coir pith," G. Balachandran, chairman of the Coir Board, said Sunday.

The proposed unit will be set up with an estimated investment of Rs.50 crore, he added. Power will be generated after removing moisture from the coir pith.

"The Mumbai firm has got patent rights for the special drier," said Balachandran.

For continuous availability of raw material for the power unit, the Coir Board is launching a Kerala-level programme to guarantee scientific procurement of coconut husk.

Currently, only 30 per cent of the husk is being converted into coir.

"Tractors of the Coir Board will take rounds of houses and farms that grow coconut trees and collect the husk," said Balachandran.

Kerala depends heavily on Tamil Nadu for coir industry husks.

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PFC Consulting Ltd Transfers wholly owned subsidiary to Techno Electric and Engineering Company Ltd....

 

PFC Consulting Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation Limited) has transferred on November 13, 2013, its wholly owned subsidiary namely "Patran Transmission Company Limited", incorporated for development of Independent Transmission System for Patran 400 kV S/S to "Techno Electric and Engineering Company Limited", successful bidder selected through "Tariff based Competitive Bidding Guidelines for Transmission services" issued by Ministry of Power, Government of India.

Shares of Power Finance Corporation Ltd was last trading in BSE at Rs.148.80, up by Rs.4.40 or 3.05%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.150 and low of Rs.145.10.

The total traded quantity was 2.58 lakhs as compared to 2 week average of 2.98 lakhs.

Shares of Techno Electric and Engineering Company Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs.85.55, up by Rs.0.85 or 1%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.86.40 and low of Rs.83.05.

The total traded quantity was 818 as compared to 2 week average of 0.11 lakhs.

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