Maharashtra has no plan to order CAG audit of Tata Power, R Infra...

 

Mumbai electricity consumers will have to wait for an audit by the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) for their distributors namely Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure as the Congress led government in the state has not taken any formal decision in this regard.

The state government has so far not indicated its plan to adopt Aam Aadmi Party led government's model of conducting CAG audit for Mumbai power companies.

Reliance Infrastructure has a consumer base of over 2.8 million while Tata Power with .42 million consumers. When contacted Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure declined to comment.

A state government official, who did not want to be identified, told "Currently, Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure carry out their annual audits by deploying leading audit firms. There is no proposal as of now before the government to order CAG audit of these two companies for their Mumbai operations.''

However, the official admitted that CAG audit of these companies can be possible under section 20 of the CAG Act, 1971 which regulates the audit of accounts of authorities or bodies that are otherwise not subject to audit by the CAG.

Section 20 reads "'The Comptroller and Auditor-General may propose to the President or the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, that he may authorised to undertake the audit of accounts of any body or authority, the audit of the account of which has not been entrusted to him by law, if he is of opinion that such audit is necessary because a substantial amount has been invested in."

Central Electricity Regulatory Commission's (CERC)  former chairman Pramod Deo said CAG audit of Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure can be done. He however, added that the state government will have to take a call in this regard.

Ashok Pendse, consumer representative at the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission shared Deo's views saying that CAG audit of Tata Power Reliance Infrastructure will be a reality. ''However, at the end of the day what will come out of CAG audit should not be like what atually appears out of magician's hat,'' he noted.

D Radhakrishna, power analyst said CAG audit should be carried out of the generating companies as in the power supply the contribution of Discoms is only limited to 20% but remaining 80% cost attributed to the generation and transmission.

''Thus CAG audit for Mumbai power companies can be done as per Sec 20 of CAG Act 1971. The state government can order such audit,'' he added.

Source: Business Standard

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Coal imports rise 20% to help fuel new power plants...

 

The coal imports rose 20% to 105.8 million tonnes in April-October from a year earlier as power producers turned to Indonesia to help feed new plants, according to data from mjunction services, an online market operator.

Regulatory and bureaucratic delays in adding new mines and expanding existing ones have made India the No. 3 importer of coal, even though it sits on what BP ranks as the world's fifth-largest reserves. Imports leaped 34% to 137.56 million tonnes in 2012/13.

April-October shipments of thermal coal, used in power generation, jumped 28% to 81.6 million tonnes, according to mjunction services, which is jointly owned by Tata Steel Ltd and SAIL.

India's generation capacity increased in the seven months with the addition of new plants, while benchmark thermal coal prices fell, reaching their lowest levels in almost four years in September.
Imports of coking coal for making steel, the second-biggest contributor to total shipments, were nearly flat at 19.35 million tonnes.

The Indian government does not regularly release data on coal imports.

Its domestic production, 81% of which is from state-owned Coal India Ltd , could fall short of demand by 155 million tonnes this fiscal year, according to the Coal Ministry. That could lead to a 13 percent rise in imports.

Coal India has fallen short of its production target for at least the past six years due to difficulties in obtaining environmental approvals, lack of railway access and other issues. Its April-December output of 319.2 million was 4% less than its target for the period.

The world's largest coal mining company launched its first tender in November, seeking to import 5 million tonnes of coal to supply power producers until March 2015.

The need for reform of the coal mining sector means India is expected to remain a big importer, with Coal India estimating a shortage of 350 million tonnes for 2016-17.

Indonesia could be the biggest beneficiary. It already accounts for more than 50 percent of India's coal imports, ahead of Australia and South Africa.

Several coal blocks allocated to companies from 1998 to 2009 for development are yet to start production. Recent court-mandated investigations into the allocations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have further delayed mining.

The CBI said last week it had registered two cases regarding the alleged supply of low quality Indonesian coal by a private company to fuel power plants operated by National Thermal Power Corporation.

Source: Business Standard

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NTPC signs initial pact for Chhattisgarh geothermal project...

 

NTPC has signed an initial agreement with the Geological Survey of India to set up a geothermal power project at Tattapani in Chhattisgarh.

"A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between NTPC and Geological Survey of India today...for preparation of DPR (Detailed Project Report) for geothermal power project at Tattapani," NTPC said on Tuesday in a statement, without providing financial details.

Ajit Kumar, ED (Business Development) at NTPC, and PB Sarolkar, Deputy Director General, GSI, signed the agreement. NTPC had earlier signed an MoU with the Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency to set up the project at Tattapani. Geothermal power projects use heat from rocks and fluids in the earth's crust to generate electricity.

NTPC's current installed generation capacity is 42,454 MW. The company plans to add about 20,000 MW by 2017. It has about 1,500 MW of hydro power capacity under construction and operates about 4,000 MW of gas-based power plants in the country.

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GSECL’s Dhuvaran 3 Gas based power project stranded due to no gas allocation...

 

Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) is finding itself in a complex situation with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas rejecting company’s request to utilise unused natural gas from Dhuvaran unit 1 and 2 of the power plant for the commissioning of the third unit.

As a result GSECL is finding it difficult to commission its third unit at Dhuvaran. According to petroleum ministry Dhuvaran 3 does not qualify for diversion of gas.

As per the guidelines on clubbing/diversion of gas between power plants, the clubbing/diversion is possible only among original gas allottees and Dhuvaran 3 has no allocation. Further, the petroleum ministry has noted that higher production of electricity after undertaking the proposed diversion has not been certified by the power ministry and on these grounds also the ministry has rejected GSECL’s request.

GSECL’s Dhuvaran Combined Cycle Power Plant, at present, has two units, both of which were taken under commercial operation since November 2007.

While the unit one has total installed capacity of 106.617 MW, unit two has total capacity of 112.45 MW.

Dhuvaran 3 proposes to add another 375 MW generation capacity. Originally, Dhuvaran thermal power station had 6 units of oil and gas based power plants with a total generation capacity 534 MW which were retired from service between 2007 and 2010 after their useful life.

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Delhi Government cannot afford power subsidy: Ex-CERC chief...

 

It is increasingly becoming clear that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) put little thought in announcing its freebies, especially in the power sector.
 
In a conference call by foreign broker Jefferies, former Chairperson of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission of India and the longest serving electricity regulator in the country, Dr Pramod Deo, said Delhi cannot afford to meet the subsidy burden announced by AAP.
 
The way the Kejriwal government has managed it is by giving only Tata Power the subsidy amount and adjusting the amount due from Reliance Infra. This is contestable as the law is clear that any subsidy amount announced by a political party has to be paid upfront. The section 65 of the Electricity Act 2003 is clear on this part that if the state government announces subsidy, then they have to pay the amount upfront, says Deo.
 
If the state government wants to give benefit to any consumer, they are free to do that but they have to pay the difference to the distribution company.
 
The idea being that whatever the political decisions are taken they should not affect the performance/commercial operations of distribution companies, Deo pointed out in the conference call.
 
The former CERC chief made it very clear that if the state government does not give subsidy, tariff cannot be reduced.
 
Kejriwal had said that Tata Power will be given a Rs 61 crore subsidy while the amount due to Reliance will adjusted against payment dues to government owned generating and transmission companies.
 
The Delhi government will have to pay much more than what was announced by the chief minister, Deo said, if Reliance contests the mode of subsidy payment. 
 
On the issue of CAG audit, Deo said that all items in the P&L related to sales, operating and maintenance cost are approved by the regulator and are based on normative tariff, so these cannot be inflated.
 
CAG audit can be mainly related to the capital expenditure incurred by these companies over the years to improve the service and availability of power in the state. Distribution companies have been accused to gold plating their capital expenditure.
 
In the case of distribution companies, capital expenditure is important as the amount is transferred to the equity capital of the company based on which they get a return of 12%. Thus gold plating capital expenditure would mean higher profits for the companies.

Source: Business Standard

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Kirloskar Brothers constructed world's largest water pumping system at Tata Power's Mundra UMPP...

 

Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) has done India proud. The leading global fluid management company has collaborated with Tata Power and installed the world’s largest water pumping system for Tata Power’s Mundra UMPP (Ultra Mega Power Plant).

A mammoth 10.5 million litres of water is circulated with the help of KBL’s 10 sets of Concrete Volute Pumps every minute. The Coastal Gujarat Power Limited (CGPL), Tata Power’s wholly-owned subsidiary, which has implemented the 4000 MW (800 MW x 5 units) UMPP requires an enormous amount of water to condense the heat generated in the production of power.

On a turn-key basis, KBL created an open loop type of circulating water system for Tata Power’s subsidiary, wherein sea water from the Arabian Sea is used as heat sink to condense the steam in the condenser. Cold water from the sea is pumped by KBL’s unique circulating water pumps through the condenser going back to sea through an outfall structure. All of 10.5 million litres in 60 seconds!

Ravindra Ulangwar, Associate Vice President & Head - Power Sector, KBL said: “The World’s largest water pumping system is a salute to Indian engineering. The Mundra UMPP is India’s first and most energy efficient 800 MW unit coal-based thermal power plant, using supercritical technology to create lower greenhouse gas emissions. Its main power generation equipment is sourced from Japan and Korea. And thus came about Indian technology to create a water pumping system that rubs shoulders with world leaders.”

He added: “The layout of the pumping system is designed in such a way that large fluctuation in the water level due to tidal variation in the Arabian Sea is taken care of. The motors are installed above the high tide level, where as pumps are installed in such a way that enough submergence is possible during low tide levels. To accommodate this, the motors are connected with a pump shaft with specially designed cardon shaft. The length of the cardon shaft with universal coupling is 12 meters long, making it one of the longest pump shaft. The size of the entire pumping system is so large that it has become the largest circulating water system in the world.”

In order to ensure a perfect flow pattern for smooth operation of the pump, KBL also conducted Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis followed by a physical model study for fore-bay and sump at Hydraulic Research Centre at Kirloskarvadi factory. A prototype physical model was built with 1:12 scale ratio. KBL also conducted the pump model study to establish the Hydraulic Performance of the Concrete Volute pumps.

As reported earlier, the Mundra UMPP will meet 2% of India’s power needs and 16 million domestic, industrial and agricultural consumers in power starved Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab.

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REC mechanism not being honoured by most States; Rays Power taps APTEL...

 

Most States are still not honouring the renewable energy certification (REC) mechanism available for solar photovoltaic power plants subjecting them to financial strain, according to Rays Power Experts.

A turnkey solutions provider for solar PV projects having set up three solar parks in Rajasthan, the company has knocked at APTEL (Appellate Tribunal for Electricity) seeking justice making various regulatory commissions respondents.

“If the REC mechanism is extended as per the National policy, the per unit purchase price works out to about Rs 9. In fact, we are now getting only Rs 2.75 per unit through third party sales as there is no power purchase agreement obligation,” Rahul Gupta, Director of Rays Power, told Business Line.

“Even though this is a policy announcement whose facility is available till 2017, it is not being currently honoured. This is making projects which have come up based on REC mechanism financially unviable. Therefore, we have approached APTEL seeking justice. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission is also looking into the matter,” he said.

The company has set up three solar parks in Rajasthan near Bikaner with a total installed capacity of 60 mw and expects to take the capacity to up to 100 mw by March 31, 2014.

“Our clients include Rajasthan Patrika and food & beverage (namkeen) makers Haldiram and Bikaji among others for whom we have set up units,” he said.

A perfect business model of projects based on REC mechanism, which the Government had promised has been put to test as most State regulators are yet to implement the mechanism. The company has mentioned that a similar petition filed by the Indian wind power association.

Gupta said that there is immense potential in harnessing the potential of the solar power provided all the regulatory commissions meet and enforce renewable purchase obligation. This would provide much needed boost to the new and renewable energy sector in the country making it cost effective.

Source

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Bhakra Beas surpassed the generation target set by CEA...

 

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has surpassed the energy generation target set by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for 2013-14 in the first nine months itself.

The BBMB generated 9,679 million units (MUs) from April 1 to December 21, 2013, against the full-year target of 9,665 MUs.

According to the BBMB spokesman, this was facilitated by ensuring high machine availability of 95.08% as well as optimal water reservoir operations, leading to effective utilisation of inflows.

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Tripping Up On Mega Dreams - A tale of Mundra Power Plants...

 

Inside the bridge of the MV Hero, a 300-metre cargo ship berthed at the coal handling port in Mundra, Gujarat, the captain is relaxed even though he has just completed a long voyage from Indonesia. Lighting up a cigarette and sipping his coffee, he talks about braving rough weather in the Indian Ocean, waiting for two days to berth at Singapore port, and again on the outskirts of Mundra port.

“But this is a fantastic facility,” says the Ukranian, who has called on many a port across the world. As he talks, three giant mechanised cranes are at work. Each shovel attached to a crane scoops up about a tonne of coal from the ship’s hull and deposits it on a conveyor belt that’s 13 km long and delivers the cargo directly to the furnaces of Tata Power’s subsidiary, Coastal Gujarat Power (CGPL), India’s first ultra mega power plant (UMPP).

Coal from another ship berthed nearby is being unloaded in a similar fashion onto a conveyor belt that runs up to Adani Power’s plant, located next to CGPL. A third conveyor is feeding coal to trucks and rail wagons; it takes 1-2 minutes to load a truck.

Today, the tale of the upcoming city of Mundra is also the tale of these two power plants. Thanks to Tata Power’s 4,000 MW UMPP and Adani Power’s 4,620 MW plant, Mundra has come to earn the distinction of being home to the largest coal-fired power plants at a single location. The two plants account for 13 per cent of India’s coal-based installed thermal power capacity of 120,100 MW.  Also, Mundra is cited as a shining example of cooperation between corporate houses to develop infrastructure.

But, with policy issues and the higher cost of imported coal rendering the future of the two power plants uncertain, Mundra’s future has come under a cloud.

See more at: http://www.businessworld.in/news/business/energy-and-power/tripping-up-on-mega-dreams/1207810/page-1.html#sthash.DwaBo0qk.dpuf

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MNRE to conduct interaction meet to draw plan for the Green Telecom development in the country...

 

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is conducting an Interaction Meet on Powering Mobile Towers through Renewable Energy on January 13, 2014 to discuss the experiences of use of renewable energy technologies and to draw a plan to accelerated the use of RE for powering mobile towers.

As per MNRE's release on the matter, DG sets installed to power mobile towers account for about 4% of the total diesel consumption during the year 2012-13 requiring about Rs.4,300 crores from the public exchequer towards subsidy.

This initiative to use RE for power mobile towers may be attributed to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) direction to replace DG sets by renewable energy and hybrid systems in urban and rural areas in phased manner with a view to move towards 'Green Telecom'.

While MNRE has supported the use of solar photovoltaic systems to BSNL for use in telecom towers, other mobile service providers have also opted solar PV systems, biomass gasifiers, biogas systems and fuel cell systems to power mobile.

Considering that the initiative, though, in its initial stage has emerged to be quite beneficial, MNRE will conduct the meet with mobile service providers, mobile tower operators and renewable energy service providing companies to work out a plan to accelerate the use of renewable energy systems.

Source: MNRE

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L&T wins Saudi Aramco contract for transmission lines and related system development...

 

The Power Transmission & Distribution Business of L&T Construction, through its fully owned subsidiary L&T Saudi Arabia LLC, has bagged a major international EPC order in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco).

Larsen & Toubro Saudi Arabia LLC is one among multiple joint ventures of L&T in the high-growth market of Saudi Arabia.

This order has been secured for the construction of 55 km of 230kV Double Circuit Overhead Transmission line and Underground Cabling.

The purpose of this project is to replace the existing 115kV electrical power supply system by the new 230kV power system at the Abu Ali Plants to overcome existing electrical system deficiencies and to meet future electrical demand load required by Berri field to maintain the production at 250 MBCD and to support Karan and Arabiyah fields.

The scope involves detailed design, engineering, site investigation, survey, material procurement, transportation, installation, As-Built documentation, training, mechanical completion, Pre-Commissioning of the Onshore facilities associated with construction of 230kV Double circuits, overhead transmission lines/power cables from Wasit Cogeneration substation with associated gantries and transmission yards up to the beach transition yard at Khurasaniyah area and from Abu Ali Plant 230kV substation with associated gantries and transmission yards up to the beach transition yard at Abu Ali Island.

The project will be completed in 26 months.

On winning this major contract in Saudi Arabia, S N Subrahmanyan, Member of the Board and Sr. Executive Vice President, L&T, said, “With significant growth potential in oil production in the Kingdom, the winning of this order not only comes at a most opportune time but is also strategic from the point of view of L&T’s capability to execute such projects in an extremely competitive environment."

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NGT seeks clarifications on Subansiri hydro power project...

 

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), ministry of power, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on the issue of releasing minimum sustenance water at the rate of 450 cumecs from the Lower Subansiri dam throughout the year in order to ensure the river's ecological health.

The tribunal asked the respondents to file their replies within January 29.

The notice came after the Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO, moved the tribunal seeking clarifications on how the project will affect the Subansiri river which is located downstream of the dam site. The project is believed to have an adverse impact on riparian areas and aquatic life.

The APW approached the tribunal after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case saying it is a technical matter requiring expert opinion in September last year.

"As per initial RTI information, the NHPC and MoEF planned to release water at the rate of six cumecs for 20 hours when the project will be 'off-grid' (not generating electricity). This implies that no water would be released into the river, home to our national aquatic animal-the river dolphin, for a long period of time," said Abhijeet Sarma, who petitioned on behalf of APW.

Sarma added, "After constant public pressure, the NHPC announced that it will release between 220 to 250 cumecs of water by keeping one turbine running. This is far less than the minimum sustenance flow of the river. Who can guarantee that the turbine will be kept running continuously? Any disruption of flow, even for a short period, will annihilate the downstream biota of the river."

In the petition, APW asked for an opening in the dam at a suitable level so that the sustenance flow of 450 cumecs can be maintained without human control. It also requested that a 'fish ladder' be located at the dam's opening for fish migration.

Source

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Welspun plans to invest Rs 1000 crore for solar power plants in Punjab...

 

Welspun Energy Limited, 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Welspun Group, is looking to invest Rs 1000 crore in Punjab to for 160 MW solar power plants.

A memorandum of understanding to generate around 160 MW is likely to be signed with the Punjab soon, after the land is finalised. "We are looking at power purchase agreement for 25 years," managing director Welspun Energy Limited Vineet Mittal told.

The company has set a target to generate 1750 MW (solar and wind energy) by 2017. It is likely to commission grid based solar projects of capacity 325 MW in this financial year. Welspun had already bagged a 35 (DC) solar power plant in Pun jab in July 2013. The agreement with Punjab government is likely to come with penalty clause in case of delay in implementation of projects. "Most of the projects have been completed ahead of schedule in the country. Our performance has been impeccable in setting up solar power projects," says Mittal.

Welspun Energy plans to invest around Rs 12,000 to 15,000 crore in renewable projects by 2017. The company is setting up renewable power projects of capacities 500 Mw in Karnataka, 700 MW in Andhra Pradesh, 100 MW in Gujarat and 100 MW in Madhya Pradesh. "We are aiming to commission capacity of 1000 MW solar and 750 MW wind energy by 2017," he said.

"Solar energy is not prone to inflation once the plant has been set up," Mittal said, adding that the alliances with global power majors were in offing.

Mittal said with the improvement in the technology requirement for land to set up solar projects has come down in the last few years. The ongoing financial restructuring has improved the fiscal health of the power utilities. "Some utilities have started paying in advance to avail discounts for the solar energy," he said.

Source

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Madhya Pradesh to sell surplus power to other states...

 

Madhya Pradesh has made an enviable turnaround on power front by becoming an electricity selling state from electricity purchasing one, all thanks to relentless efforts of state government in past one decade.

State-owned Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Limited is now filling up tenders of other states to sell its surplus power to them.

The company has so far got an order to supply 450 MW power to Uttar Pradesh  on short term basis from July this year. Besides this, the company is awaiting a node from Andhra Pradesh to supply another 750 MW of electricity to it, for which tender formalities have been completed.

“We are looking for orders from other states as well for supply of power” said managing director of Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Limited, Manu Shrivastava.

He said as of now the state has more than 1000 MW surplus power even after meeting all domestic requirement.

The state has power availability of 10,500 MW from all its domestic sources and supply from Central share.

Shrivastava said that the maximum consumption in the state was 9000 to 9500 MW.

According him, the state would be able to sell more power on a short term basis indicating that state was self-sufficient on power front.

When asked whether entire population of the state had the luxury of power, he said barring small hamlets, all villages across the state have got electricity. The remaining areas to will gradually get power, he said.

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Venture capital funding in solar sector fell 40% in 2013 globally: Report...

 

Venture capital (VC) investments in solar sector fell 40% globally in 2013, to $600 million from 97 deals, compared with $992 million raised in 106 deals in 2012.

The United States continued to be the leader in solar VC funding in 2013, accounting for $432 million of the $600 million invested, and 68 of the 97 deals worldwide.

Solar VC funding in the fourth quarter of 2013 also fell to $87 million in 24 deals, from $197 million in 28 deals in the previous quarter of 2013. This was the second lowest quarter for VC funding in the last five years, a report from Mercom Capital Group, a clean energy consulting firm, said.

"Although VC funding dropped by nearly 40%, the deal count fell by only 8% compared to 2012, indicating that VC investors are still interested, but in smaller deals," the report said.

The average VC deal size, however, fell sharply to $6.2 million in 2013, from $9.6 million in 2012. As VCs became more risk averse, the average deal size had fallen steadily from the highs of 2010 and 2011, Mercom said.

The largest amount of VC funding went to solar downstream companies, with $262 million in 34 deals, accounting for 45% of all solar funding. This category includes integrators, installers, developers and financiers. In 2012, solar downstream funding was $269 million in 26 deals.

Public market financing jumped considerably to $2.8 billion in 39 deals in 2013, up from $893 million in 23 deals in 2012 and $1 billion in 13 deals in 2011. There were seven IPOs that together brought in more than $1 billion, the report said.

Announced debt funding was $6.2 billion in 38 deals in 2013, compared with $6.9 billion in 34 deals in 2012, and nearly $20 billion in 41 deals in 2011. The most active provider of credit was the China Development Bank, which provided debt funding for five Chinese solar companies. For the first time since 2010, there were more non-Chinese debt deals, Mercom said.

Mercom tracked 9 GW of new large-scale project announcements in Q4 2013 in various stages of continuation worldwide. Solar residential and commercial lease funds showed continued strength in 2013, with 22 announced funds totalling $3.34 billion, a 69 percent increase in dollars over 2012. Almost $1 billion was raised in Q4 2013 alone, the report said.

Solar mergers & acquisitions (M&A) activity increased 60% in 2013 to $12.7 billion in 81 transactions compared with $6.7 billion in 51 transactions in 2012. This includes the $9.4 billion acquisition of Tokyo Electron by Applied Materials. Solar project acquisitions increased 20%, amounting to $1.7 billion in 2013, with 112 transactions in 2013, compared to 80 transactions in 2012.

About 37 new funds focusing on renewable energy investments, with more than $19 billion, were established in 2013, compared with 29 new funds and $11.2 billion in 2012. In addition, there were 14 new solar-focused funds in 2013 with $1.4 billion, compared to four new funds totalling $506 million in 2012.

Source

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L&T Construction Secures Orders Valued Rs. 2962 Crores...

 

L&T Construction, a division of Larsen & Toubro Ltd has won new orders worth Rs. 2962 crores across various segments.

The Buildings & Factories Business has secured orders worth Rs. 1555 crores including orders from an IT major, Government of Odisha, Cochin International Airport Limited and others.

The company has received orders worth Rs. 726 crores in the Water & Renewable Energy Business.

The Power Transmission & Distribution Business has bagged new orders worth Rs. 258 crores and additional orders were received from various ongoing projects.

Shares of Larsen & Toubro Ltd was last trading BSE at Rs.1011.30, down by Rs.0.95 or 0.09%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.1025.90 and intraday low of Rs.1001.

The total traded quantity was 2.48 lakh shares as compared to 2 week average of 1.54 lakh shares.

Source

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Jammu Powergrid restores 400 KV Kishenpur-Wagoora transmission linein Jammu...

 

Continuous rain and snowfall that threw normal life out of gear in the stretch of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway had its impact on 400 KV Kishenpur-Wagoora transmission line of Powergrid as well. The transmission line was damaged and power transmission in one of its Circuits (Circuit-I) was affected from yesterday early hours.

Keeping its commitment of minimum downtime in its transmission lines, the authorities in Powergrid Corporation of India Limited immediately swung and approached state government and Indian Air Force to help them in ferrying their manpower to the site. The team of experienced engineers headed by Arshad Khan Chief Manager (Batote), SM Dar Chief Manager (Wagoora) and Mohd Farooq,Manager(OS) organized their teams at Batote, Wagoora and Jammu end respectively so that they were dropped by helicopter at the desired location despite high velocity winds and hostile conditions.

The team without caring for their lives rectified the fault in extreme hostile conditions. The six member team of POWERGRID that was dropped at the nearest possible location in the gigantic mountainous peaks of Peerpanjal were Devinder Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, Kansara Singh, Narinder Kumar , Chankar Singh & Ashwani Kumar.

Officers from Air force particularly Group Captain Ghera and Wing Commander Batra played an important role in this operation by ferrying the Engineers of Powergrid despite hostile weather conditions prevailing in the area.

The line was charged today at 13:27 Hrs around 500 Mega watts of electricity was made available to the Valley.

The whole of the operation was being monitored at highest level in POWERGRID, with its General Manager(O&M), KR Suri keeping the close look at the developments and commanding the restoration work.

JP Singh, Executive Director Powergrid Northern Region-II has congratulated the team for their extraordinary efforts in restoring the transmission line and conveyed thanks on behalf of Powergrid to state administration and Air Force for their continued support.

This prompt, planned and dedicated act of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.,(POWERGRID) has once again established its professional expertise and attitude.

Source

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Haryana Discoms drop proposed tariff hike...

 

For those keeping their heaters and blowers packed away this winter, fearing high electricity bills with another tariff hike, the state power discom brings warming news.

Keeping in mind the present political current, state electricity distributors have decided to keep the tariff static for the ensuing financial year. However, the discom made no announcement on inflated bills and the 21% Fuel Surcharge Adjustment (FSA) at the press conference here on Monday.

But the move might be considered by some as motivated by political aspirations, since the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) may not hold on to its word in case of a change in government after state elections due this year. In addition to that, pressing issues actively advocated by civil society bodies - the "unjustified" inflated bills and 21% FSA - did not find space on the commission's agenda.

Yet, the good news remains that Haryana will stick to its current power tariff, despite a proposed hike in neighbouring states like Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. "In the last three years, there has been an annual tariff hike in Punjab (10%), Delhi (17.2%), Rajasthan (17.8%) and UP (16.5%). The tariff in Haryana was also hiked in March last year by the HERC by 13%. But there has been no rise after that. In contrast, Punjab has proposed an 11% hike already," said Principal Secretary (Power), Devender Singh. Tariff for domestic consumers will be Rs 2.98 minimum (up to 40 units/month) and Rs 5.98 maximum, he added.

Comparing the situation with Delhi, Singh said, "The average AT&C losses in Delhi are less than 15%, while in Haryana, AT&C losses are over 30%. But still the annual hike has been lower than in Delhi because we are state-owned. A private company operates in Delhi."

Explaining the move, a senior DHBVN official said, "States having low distribution losses and lesser purchase and distribution cost have higher tariff than Haryana, and are still proposing a hike in tariff for the next financial year. The maximum level of tariff in Haryana for domestic consumers is Rs 5.98/unit compared to Rs 6.42/unit in Punjab, Rs 6.16/unit in Delhi." The average cost in Haryana is Rs 3.95/unit, as compared to Rs 3.67 in Punjab and Rs 3.92 in Delhi.

The official also said that in the past one year the discoms have invested over Rs 1,000 crore to strengthen the distribution system. "In order to supply more power with greater reliability, the discoms have planned a capex of about Rs 5,000 crore over the next 3-4 years for which integrated planning has already been initiated," he added.

Source

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Boost Hydel power with proactive policy...

 

The report that tiny Bhutan seeks to be India's hydel partner is good news for sustainability and promises to significantly make up for the declining share of hydroelectric power capacity nationally.

We do need to step-up hydel capacity in areas of steep gradient that would considerably reduce submergence, like the sub-Himalayan region and particularly the northeast, which is hugely water surplus.

It is also welcome that two proposed hydel projects in the Siang river valley in Arunachal Pradesh have reportedly got environmental nod. Note that the two projects — Simang I and II totalling 133 MW — are located on the Simang, the right bank tributary of the river Siang; the Siang valley alone has an estimated 12,450 MW of hydel potential, which, in the north-east as a whole, is well in excess of 50,000 MW, much of it in Arunachal Pradesh.

Overall, a projected 90,000 MW of pumped storage hydel capacity is yet to be tapped. Hydel capacity is not just renewable but also provides the cheapest peaking power.

And peaking load is set to surge in fast urbanising India. Our hydel capacity, meanwhile, has reduced steeply to barely 17% of total power generation capacity and currently adds up to just over 39,000 MW.

A host of policy rigidities seem to come in the way of hydel power. The lack of ready availability of long-term financing does add to project risks. Also, the sheer uncertainty over environmental, forest and other clearances and infrastructural bottlenecks on the ground add to the costs.

Further, while power projects get customs and excise exemption for equipment, 75% of hydel project costs are civil works for which there is no parallel benefit, no accelerated depreciation, and conventional hydel power is not even labelled renewable energy. That is plain anomalous.

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