Clean energy still a far cry for small firms in Tamil Nadu...

  Small enterprises should look at climate change as a business opportunity. Growing uptake of solar power and wind energy in Tamil Nadu should be seen by fledgling entrepreneurs as new avenues opened by the shift to clean energy, said K. Gopalakrishnan, President, Tamil Nadu Small and Tiny Industries Association. “The role of small...

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Industry users unite against high power tariff in Maharashtra...

  High-tension industry consumers in Maharashtra with a monthly consumption of 100,000 units are up in arms against the high power tariff in the state. Industry bodies have argued that tariff charged by state-run Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MahaVitaran) is higher by Rs 2 to 2.50 per unit compared to other states....

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Power from private plants to cost more in Punjab...

  Punjab may be declared power surplus after commissioning of two thermal units in the private sector in the near future but the electricity tariff is going to increase. Owing to less allotment of indigenous coal, the private power plants will import it from abroad and will pass on the extra cost to the consumers. The power with...

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Singapore’s Equis Funds raises investment in Dans Energy to $64M...

  Hydreq Pte Ltd, an arm of Singapore-based energy and infrastructure investor Equis Funds Group (Equis), has invested Rs 120 crore ($18.96 million) more in Dans Energy Consulting Pvt Ltd. It was the first of its kind PE investment by an overseas fund in the hydro power sector in India. With this, the total investment by Equis in...

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NTPC’s Chhatti Bariatu coal block will last 40 years...

  NTPC’s Chhatti-Bariatu South Coal block is spread over 750 ha land and has net geological reserves of 358.35 MT with total mineable reserves of 262.42 MT. NTPC hopes to mine the field for 40 years with annual production of 7 MTPA of coal. The coal block for which NTPC has presented mining plan recently is located in North Karanpura...

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Lack of clearances, stranded projects and helpless power ministry...

  If the number of power projects getting stranded due to lack of clearances is any indication, the Union Power Ministry is slowly but surely becoming powerless much to the chagrin of project developers. With its intervention with other ministries and the state governments having no impact, the Power Ministry has now approached the...

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Tamil Nadu Electricity Commission issued order on net metering for the rooftop solar projects...

  TN Electricity Regulatory Com­mission has issued its order on ‘net metering’ with regard to the state’s solar energy policy 2012, paving the way for the installation of grid connected rooftop solar photo voltaic (SPV) plants. However, the pending court cases could prevent the enforcement of the order.   The commission’s...

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Ministries of coal, power up in arms over MoEF proposal...

  The proposal for a longer and arguably more "realistic" timeline for clearance to projects needing forest land has two key ministries up in arms. The Ministry of Power and Ministry of Coal are opposing the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) move to double the 150-day limit for processing forest clearance proposals to 300...

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Neyveli's mining project in Rajasthan recommended for clearance...

  An high-level panel has recommended environment clearance to Neyveli Lignite's (NLC) mine in Rajasthan but with certain conditions. Expert Appraisal Committee "after deliberation recommended the project for EC (Environment Clearance) with conditions," according to an official document. NLC's Bithnok opencast mining project in...

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New business model to power solar sector: ABB’s Maxine Ghavi...

  India's ambitious target to scale up solar power generation capacity to 20,000 MW by 2022 from around 2,100 MW now looks achievable if the country reduces policy uncertainties to induce confidence into inventors, Maxine Ghavi, ABB's head of solar business, told ET in an exclusive interview. Earlier this year, ABB's global rivals...

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NTPC gets nod for Rs 1,750 crore tax-free bond...

  The infrastructure bond market is in for some big action. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has allowed state-run generation utility NTPC to issue tax-free bonds aggregating Rs 1,750 crore in the remaining part of the current fiscal. This would be the first of the Rs 50,000 crore tax-free infrastructure bonds that the government...

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Karnataka Government should Remove VAT on solar products...

  Magsaysay Award winner and Managing Director of Selco India Harish Hande said that the Karnataka State government should remove the 5.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on solar products. Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Hande said some states such as Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh had exempted solar products from VAT. Even in Karnataka,...

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