Cos not having green nod to lose coal block; notice to 61 firms…

 

The government has decided to deallocate all the captive coal blocks which have not obtained environment and in-principle forest clearances and has issued show-cause notice to allocatees of 61 such mines.

The move comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court posing some tough questions on allocation process for coal blocks and questioning the Centre over the functioning of the screening committee that made allotment recommendations.

“The following coal blocks will be deallocated… Coal blocks where environmental clearance and forest clearance stage-I (in-principle) have not been obtained,” S K Shahi, Director in the Coal Ministry, said in a letter to allocatees of 61 blocks.

Coal blocks, which are unexplored or partially explored at the time of allocation and where prospecting licence (PL) has not been obtained, will also be cancelled, it said.

The letter further added that in cases of coal blocks where PL has been issued but geological reports have not been prepared will also be cancelled.

Tata Steel, ArcelorMittal, Hindalco, Jindal Steel and Power, JSW Steel, Essar Power, Adani Power, Tata Power, GVK Power and Infrastructure, Ultratech Cement, Reliance Energy, Sterlite Energy and JP Associates are some of the allocatees who feature in the list of 61.

Some blocks, which are already under the scrutiny of CBI such as Mahan to Essar Power and Hindalco, Brinda Sasai and Meral to Abhijeet Infrastructure, Bander to AMR Iron and Steel, also figure in the list.

Fatehpur coal block, allocated to SKS Ispat & Power Ltd, the company allegedly linked to former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, is also a part of the list.

The allocatees have been given time till February 5 to obtain the requisite clearances and produce proofs in support of approvals.

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MoEF gets deadline to give clearance to coal blocks…

 

In an move to speed up clearances for coal blocks, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) have been given between four to six weeks to expedite Stage 1 and 2 forest and environment clearances for 42 coal blocks. On behalf of the government, the Attorney General of India today informed the court that it will take about 4-6 weeks to either expedite the process of clearances or to go for its allocation.

There are 32 coal blocks which are allocated to the private companies which are pending because they have only got Stage 1 clearances; about 10 coal blocks allotted to private companies again have got Stage 2 environment or forest clearances.

The government has promised that it will either cancel it or expedite the process of the clearances because of which these coal mines are not functional.

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Coal India gets environment ministry nod for 23 projects...

 

Coal India (CIL) has received approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for 23 projects after intervention by the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI).

"As on December 30, 2013, out of the 20 projects pending with MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) for EC (environment clearance), 16 proposals have been granted EC," the Coal Ministry said in a note highlighting the action-taken report on decisions by the CCI.

Of the four projects awaiting environment approval, three belong to Coal India unit Western Coalfields Ltd and one to South Eastern Coalfields Ltd, another unit.

In addition, two of five projects have been granted stage-II forest clearance (FC), and five of 15 proposals have been given stage-I FC.

Of the projects awaiting stage-II FC, two belong to Central Coalfields Ltd and one to South Eastern Coalfields.

Two projects of Central Coalfields, four of South Eastern Coalfields and four of Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd, Coal India's consultancy firm, have yet to get stage-I FC.

The government set up the CCI to expedite the decision making process for clearance of projects in the infrastructure sector.

The Coal Ministry said four meetings, including one on December 11, have been held among officials of the two ministries and Coal India to review and expedite clearances.

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Government eases environment clearance norms for coal mines...

 

The government has eased environmental clearance norms for expanding coal mines, which will help state-run Coal India boost output by a record 30-40 million tonnes in the new financial year and ease the crippling fuel scarcity in the power sector.

The ministry, which has taken a pro-industry stance since Veerappa Moily took charge, has ruled that mines with an annual capacity of up to 8 million tonnes can expand capacity by up to 50% without holding public hearings. This exemption will apply to one-time capacity expansion in projects that do not involve land beyond the existing lease area. Several mining projects have been stalled because of the earlier provision that required public hearings if the capacity was being expanded by 25%.

The decision is a big boost for Coal India, which has been under enormous pressure to boost output as large power generation capacity is idling or underutilised because private investment led to record capacity addition in the last fiscal year while coal output stagnated.

Coal India produced about 450 million tonnes last fiscal. It has 400 mines with annual production of less than 8 million tonnes. "We are easily looking at an increase of 30-40 million tonnes increase in production in the next financial year ... the increase could be even more, but, at this stage we will study the possibility of increasing production by 50% for all mines in this category. This order will give a boost to production teams at every mine as they can increase production by 1 to 1.5 million tonnes without additional hearing," said Coal India Limited Director N Kumar.

Tuesday's order increases the ambit of an expansion that has been in place since December 2012. Former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan had exempted existing coal mines with plans to increase production by as much as a quarter of the current permissible production levels from holding public hearings as part of the environment clearance process.

The decision to further relax the clearance process for expansion projects comes at the behest of the coal ministry, which argued that the December 2012 exemption norms were unfavourable for smaller coal mining projects. For mines with lower permissible annual production levels, a 25% capacity increase worked out to a negligible increase. Therefore, were unable to avail of the exemption from holding public hearings for getting the clearance.

Moily's latest industry-friendly move comes at a time when the environment ministry has been under attack, particularly from infrastructure ministries, for delays in clearing projects. The coal ministry has consistently maintained that these delays were primarily responsible for lower coal production. However, some experts say delays in environmental clearance is only part of the reason for Coal India's failure to meet annual production targets. Lower coal production adversely affected power, steel and other industry projects, all of which a section of the government and industry claimed was derailing India's growth. The coal ministry, in particular, has since 2009 been demanding a more liberal and pro-growth environmental regulatory framework.

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UP govt pulls plug on Dopaha power project after Centre’s green snub...

 

The Uttar Pradesh government has finally pulled the plug on its 1,980 mw coal-fired Dopaha power project in Sonebhadra after failing to get a green nod and land for the plan. The state has been trying to kick-start the project for four years.

The 3x660 mw supercritical plant needed 1,475 acres land, approximately 9.7 million tonne per annum coal and 60 cusecs of water.

But ever since its inception in 2009 by the then Mayawati government, the project has faced hurdles in getting land and environmental clearances. The decision to shelve the project was taken Thursday evening by an energy task force (ETF) headed by the chief secretary.

An official of the state power department said the government thought it was better to bury the project because there was no hope of either getting the land or the green nod from the Centre.

The state government had been trying to get the environmental clearance since 2010. The Centre had denied the clearance on the ground that the nearby Singrauli area was under observation because of pollution from the production of 10,000 mw of power in the area. The UP government tried to reason with the environment and forest ministry, saying Dopaha, in Sonebhadra, is 30 km away from the Singauli area and will in no way add to the pollution of the area.

According to the environmental ministry, a study carried out by the Centre at Singrauli warned that these power plants could cause irreparable damage to the environment of the area. Accepting the preliminary findings of the study, the environment ministry said that no power plant should come up in the notified (Singrauli) area till a Central team completes its study on the environmental hazards of these power plants.

The state government, on its part, contested the view and said that the Centre was building up a flimsy ground to deny it the right to set up a power plant near a mine-rich area.

Singrauli, which is fast emerging as an energy hub of India, houses a total installed capacity of approximately 10,000 mw. This is more than 10% of total installed capacity of the entire country.
A major chunk of the power produced at the pit-heads of Singrauli goes to the central and private sectors, including NTPC’s Vindhyachal project (3260 mw), Shaktinagar project (2000 mw) and Rihand Super Thermal Power project (2000 mw) in Rihandnagar. Also, Sasan Power Limited is setting up a 4000-mw ultra-mega power project at Singrauli.

The MP government, too, has set up its own power projects here.

“Uttar Pradesh has only Anpara A, B and D and Obra thermal Power Station near the mines. For a power-starved state like UP, not being able to set up even one plant at Sonebhadra would mean taking the project to a faraway place. This will force additional cartage and result in expensive power for people,” an official of the UP Power Corporation said.

"To nip our proposal was uncalled for...it is likely to jeopardize the development of the power sector in UP.”

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Environmental panel clears Simang I and II hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh...

 

A key environmental panel has recommended clearance for two hydel power projects in the Siang river valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

The two projects—Simang I and II totalling 133 MW—are located on the Simang, the right bank tributary of the Siang River. Projects in the Siang river basin are viewed as strategically important on account of the border with China. Adishankar Power Pvt Ltd is the project developer.

The Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley and Hydroelectric Power Projects decided to recommend to the environment ministry that the two projects be cleared subject to requisite clearances from the National Wildlife Board, since Simang II is 6.4 km away from the Mouling National Park.

The panel has asked the developer to revise the cost estimate of implementing the environmental management plan, as it found the figures submitted by it to be on the lower side. It has also suggested that environmental flows of the river should be in line with the recommendations of the Siang Basin study report for winter or lean, monsoon and non-lean and non-monsoon seasons. As of now, the Simang I and II hydro-power projects are the only projects on this river.

The total land requirement for Simang I is 54.58 hectare, of which 32.74 hectare is forestland. The 18-metre barrage will result in a submergence of 15.5 hectare.

Simang II, on the other hand, requires about 46.14 hectare of land, of which 26.75 hectare is forestland. The 18-metre barrage will result in a submergence of 10.57 hectare of land.

Projects in the Siang river basin are seen as strategically important. The Yarlung Tsangpo is known as the Siang after it enters India in Arunachal Pradesh. This is what gives the Siang basin its strategic significance from an international point of view.

The government considers developing the Siang basin important as it will not only help India counter Chinese build-up in the area but also strengthen its negotiating position with China.

India and China have no water agreements. As a result, there is no structured international convention under which India can appeal should its lower riparian rights be affected by the power projects on the Tsangpo.

In this context, developing the Siang basin provides India the best safeguard. As early as August 2010, the then environment minister Jairam Ramesh had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying the environment ministry would ensure expeditious forest and environment clearances for all projects on river Siang without ignoring ecological concerns.

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GAIL gets environment nod for 220-Mw power plant...

 

GAIL India Ltd, the nation's biggest gas marketing company, has received environmental clearance for setting up a 220 MW gas-based power plant at Raigad in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 1,028 crore.

The state-owned firm plans to use 1 million standard cubic meters per day of natural gas to generated 220 mega-watt of electricity at the proposed combined cycle power plant.

The State Level Environmental Impact Assessment Authority of Maharashtra in its 63rd meeting "decided to accord environmental clearance to the project under the provisions of Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006," R A Rajee, Principal Secretary in Environment Department of Maharashtra Government, wrote to GAIL on December 23.

GAIL plans to set up the combined cycle gas based power plant within the existing LPG plant boundary. Electricity generated at the plant will be sold to Maharashtra.

The project, which will use natural gas or imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel, is proposed to be located within GAIL's existing LPG recovery plant at Raigad.

GAIL has appointed Tractebel Engineering Pvt Ltd as consultant for preparation of Detail Feasibility Report (DFR).

According to the company's proposal, natural gas requirement for use in the proposed project would be about 1 million standard cubic meters per day.

The supply of fuel is proposed to be available from GAIL pipeline network. A new pipeline of about 400 meters is to be laid to connect the power plant.

GAIL in the project reported stated that about 1 mmscmd gas is available for the proposed project. Gas can be made available for the project either from domestic fields or imported LNG).

Source: Business Standard

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Government working on policy to fast-track clearances for the power projects...

 

The power and environment ministries are working together on a policy to fast-track project clearances by which clearances would be considered as deemed in case central and state governments failed to clear them within a specific deadline.

"The power and environment ministries are working together for a policy to allow clearances within a time period. A lot of time is now being consumed on environment and forestry clearances at state and centre levels for power projects. Now, if you won't get those clearances within a timeline, the clearances would be considered as deemed and the company can start its work, Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said here Saturday at an interactive session during the 86th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The Cabinet Committee on Investments (CCI) has put in motion a process to bring 255 stalled projects involving an investment of Rs 10 lakh crore for speedy clearance. On Friday it queried the power ministry regarding land acquisition for ultra mega power projects (UMPP).

Scindia also said the power ministry will circulate two cabinet notes within a month proposing changes in the Tariff Policy and Electricity Act 2003.

There would be two separate cabinet notes and I am speaking to various stakeholders and it is set to come up within a month's time," Scindia said.

The various stakeholders in this case are the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), principal secretaries of all state governments and the power generation, transmission and distribution utilities. -

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Center withdraws its previous green order on Western Ghats...

 

Giving way to politics by ignoring green concerns, the Union environment ministry on Friday withdrawn its "in principle" approval given to the Kasturirangan panel report that prohibited activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high polluting industries in 60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states.

"The earlier office memorandum of November 16 regarding 'in principle' acceptance of the high level working group report on Western Ghats stands withdrawn", said an order issued by the ministry of environment and forest.

Though the ministry had time and again clarified that the previous order did not prohibit farming and plantation in those areas, it has now withdrawn it altogether in order to give it a second shot after consulting state governments.

The move comes after a series of protests against the Centre's decision in the past one month. The Kerala government had been most vocal against the decision, saying it will affect the livelihood of local population.

The environment ministry, which came out with a list of villages in six states which were included in the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for making them a no-go area for certain activities, has now decided to fine tune the boundary of the Zone after taking inputs from state governments.

Though the protest over the Centre's move to earmark ESZ had started the moment it gave its nod to the Kasturirangan panel report last month, the environment ministry had initially resisted it. The pressure from Kerala government had, however, started building up more after the Congress poor show in recent assembly polls.

Although the ministry had clarified that the decision would not affect the farmers in the ESZ, the clarification did not pacify the agitators in Kerala. The reversal of its previous order is seen as the Centre's move not to touch any controversial issue which may cost it heavily in the coming general election.

The last month's order which earmarked 60,000 sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states as ESA had prohibited activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal power plants and other high polluting industries "with immediate effect".

Building and construction projects of 20,000 sq meters area and above and township and area development projects with an area of 50 hectare and above or with built up area of 1,50,000 sq meters and above were also supposed to be prohibited in these areas.

The order had, however, clarified that it would not affect the hydro power and wind energy projects in those areas. These activities will be allowed subject to "applicable regulations".

The ministry in its notification, issued in November, had annexed a complete list of state-wise, district-wise and taluka-wise villages in the entire ESA and put the details on its website while asking the six states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu - to implement the order strictly.

"In case of any violation, appropriate legal action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 will be taken", said the November order.

The ESA - roughly 37% (59,940 sq km) of the Western Ghats - has been earmarked on the basis of the recommendation of a high-level working committee, under the chairmanship of K Kasturirangan (Planning Commission member), which had submitted its report to the government on April 15.

Though any new or expansion project was supposed to be completely banned in those notified villages across the six states with immediate effect, the applications for getting various environmental clearances which were submitted before April 17 were, however, be processed as per earlier rules.

April 17 was fixed as a cut-off date because the committee had made its report, earmarking those areas as ESZ, public on that date.

The panel had identified the more or less contiguous area (roughly 37% of the Western Ghats) as natural landscape having high biological richness, low forest fragmentation and low population density. It also found that this area also has World Heritage Sites and Tiger and Elephant corridors, making it to be a fit case for earmarked as ecologically sensitive area.

Referring to the recommendation, the ministry's through its order had asked the states to follow the "non-tolerance" policy towards prohibiting "highly interventionist and environmentally damaging activities" as Western Ghats has been under unprecedented threats due to mining and urbanization.

It specifically flagged the Red category (high polluting) of industries like thermal power, oil refinery, petrochemical, cement, sugar, pesticide, zinc smelting, leather and integrated steel plants among others -- which are part of the list of polluting industries prepared by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and pollution control boards of most of the states - for imposing the complete ban.

Besides being a global biodiversity hotspot and treasure trove of varieties of flora and fauna, the Western Ghats - which extends over a distance of approximately 1,500 km and traverses through six states - is the origin of Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and a number of other rivers.

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MoEF gives nod to GSECL’s Rs 4,100 Cr Wanakbori unit...

 

The Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL) has received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to set up a 800 MW power unit at a cost of over Rs 4,100 crore. However, the ministry has directed GSECL to phase out and dismantle "old and inefficient" units at its Wanakbori, Ukai and Gandhinagar stations.

This 800 MW power generation unit will be the biggest in the existing coal-based Wanakbori Thermal Power Station of GSECL in Kheda district, which currently has seven units of 210 MW each.

While granting the clearance recently, MoEF has laid down certain "specific conditions" for GSECL. "Old and inefficient units, which have outlived the plant life, Unit 1, 2 and 3 of 210 MW each at Wanakbori and 120 MW units at Gandhinagar and Ukai, shall be phased out and dismantled within the next three years or before commissioning of the Wanakbori unit, whichever is earlier," the ministry stated while giving clearance on December 2.

"Life Cycle Assessment of old units — 4 to 7 of 210 MW each at Wanakbori — shall be carried out either by Central Electricity Authority or any other competent agency and vetted by CEA. In case the units are found fit for efficient operation after proposed overhauling, the ESPs (Electrostatic Precipitators) shall be replaced or retrofitted so that particulate emission does not exceed 50 mg/Nm3," it added.

The MoEF has also asked GSECL to conduct a long term study on radioactivity and heavy metals content on coal that will be used. "A mechanism for an in-built continuous monitoring for radioactivity and heavy metals in coal and fly ash shall be put in place," it said. The coal requirement of 4.17 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) for this unit will be obtained from Maccha Kata Captive Mine in Talcher, Orissa.

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Hydel power plants near Kukke may hit environment: IISc Senior Scientific Officer

 

Though the government is promoting micro hydel power plants near Kukke Subrahmanya with subsidies for those that are above 25 mega watts and waiving the requirement of environmental clearance, they are against environmental protection laws, said T. V. Ramachandra, Senior Scientific Officer, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

He was speaking to The Hindu, after delivering the keynote address as chief guest at the two-day national seminar on “Trends in biotechnology and its applications”, organised by the Departments of Biotechnology and Botany in St. Aloysius College on Tuesday.

The 24 MW hydel power projects in the area will lead to submerging of 1,700 hectares of land and the plants are against the Forest Conservation Act and in violation of the Biodiversity Act 2002.

He said, “Why displace people when they get no benefits and make them dependent on the plants?”

The area should be called a “heritage” place as it has several endemic species such as Syzgigum travancorecum and Madhuca insignis. A report on the impact of the hydel projects has been given to the local people, he said.

Algae as energy

Earlier, he said algae growing in lakes and waterbodies can provide an alternative energy source. He was delivering the keynote address as chief guest at the two-day national seminar on “Trends in biotechnology and its applications”, organised by the Departments of Biotechnology and Botany of Colelge.

Speaking on “Third generation biofuel from algae”, he said at a time when fossil fuels are reducing with increasing demand for energy, a biofuel based on micro algae could be a source of energy.

At the same time, they also clean up water as they absorb nutrients that aid in the treatment of wastewater. They can grow densely in domestic waste water. They remove nitrogen and phosphorus which are not eliminated even by membrane purifying systems. The extraction of lipid from micro algae grown in wastewater would serve the dual purpose of cost effective waste treatment and as fuel for energy.

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Five Hydro Power Projects being developed by NHPC are facing cost over-runs due to pending clearances...

 

Five power projects of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) are facing cost over-runs due to delays in receiving environment and other regulatory clearances.
 
"Project cost of five of our projects has gone up tremendously and all this is due to environment hurdles, local opposition and contractual issues," an official from the state-run company told PTI on Tuesday.
 
The expenditure on the projects - Teesta Low Dam IV (West Bengal), Subansiri Lower (Assam), Parbati II (Himachal Pradesh), Nimmo Bazgo and Uri II (Jammu & Kashmir) - in various stages of construction, has exceeded the amount that was initially sanctioned.
 
These projects have a combined capacity of 3,345 MW.
 
"In some cases like Subansiri (2,000 MW), the cost of the project may be nearly doubled by the time it is commissioned," the official said.
 
The original sanctioned cost of the plant was Rs 6,285.33 crore, which was revised to Rs 10,667.09 crore.
 
At present, the cost is likely to touch Rs 12,000 crore, the official added.
 
The Subansiri Lower project has been stalled since December 2011, after the local people raised issues related to its safety and downstream impact.
 
"We are hopeful that the construction work on the project would start again next month."
 
The original cost of the state-run company's Parbati II (800 MW) project in Himachal Pradesh, which is marred by contractual issues, was Rs 3,919.59 crore and the revised expenditure stands at Rs 5,365.70 crore.
 
Work on the Parbati project was stalled due to differences with the civil contractor. At present, the project is under execution.
 
The cost of the company's two hydroelectric plants in J&K - Uri II (240 MW) and Nimmo Bazgo (45 MW) - has been revised from Rs 1,724.79 crore and Rs 611.01 crore to Rs 2,080.82 crore and Rs 936.10 crore, respectively.
 
NHPC's Teesta Low Dam Project IV (160 MW) in West Bengal was sanctioned an amount of Rs 1,061.38 crore which got revised to Rs 1,501.75 crore.
 
At present, NHPC generates 5,702 MW of electricity from 17 hydroelectric stations in the country. It is also constructing 4,095 MW worth of projects.

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Cheyyur Ultra mega power project (UMPP) trips over environmental clearance...

 

The government's attempt at reviving investor interest in its flagship Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) scheme after a four-year lull is headed south - quite literally. One of the two such newly-announced projects in Cheyyur village, 96 kilometre south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, has been engulfed in a controversy spanning economic, social and ecological domains.

With the National Green Tribunal last month restraining the authorities from awarding the Rs 24,200 crore project, the future hints at a long-drawn battle between the protesting local inhabitants and the project proponent, Power Finance Corporation (PFC), which arranges clearances before such projects are bid out to companies.

The preliminary work on the Cheyyur UMPP began in 2006 with teams from the Central Electricity Authority, the power ministry's technical and planning wing, conducting site visits in Cheyyur, one of the four sites identified in the state for a UMPP project. A Special Purpose Vehicle called the Coastal Tamil Nadu Power Ltd was incorporated by PFC for obtaining pre-bid clearances in 2007. The environment ministry issued the terms of references for the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the main plant and a proposed adjoining captive port for coal imports in 2009 and 2010 followed by public hearings. The ministry's Environmental Appraisal Committee (EAC) gave its go-ahead, based on the EIA report, in May this year. PFC called for bids in September. However, the green tribunal stayed the award of project in October, and is currently hearing the parties.

Conflicting reports
The National Green Tribunal order came in response to a petition filed by the locals challenging the grant of environmental clearance for the project, alleging large-scale violation of norms. The petitioner, representing largely the fishermen community, claims that the green clearance was based on false information contained in the EIA report. Several facts and information in the report do not match ground reality, he says, including the site selection process, land requirement for the project, type of land appropriated, estimate of ecological resources in the area and livelihood loss for the local community. To further expose the alleged rot, NGO Community Environmental Monitoring (CEM) came up with a report titled "Science, Non-Science and the Dubious Role of 'Experts' in Environmental Due Diligence: A Case Study of Cheyyur UMPP". The report is a scathing indictment of how rules were allegedly bent and facts overlooked to grant clearance for the project. "The Cheyyur case exposes how the procedures under the EIA Notification of 2006 are rendered meaningless by corrupt consultants, uncaring project proponents, intellectually dishonest experts and crony regulators," the report claims.

The allegations are serious. But are they valid? Email queries to the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), the power ministry and PFC remained unanswered. However, a PFC official said the bidding process was on as the NGT order has only restrained the final award and not the bidding process.

"We are confident we are on a strong footing. We will not award the project as directed by NGT until the final hearing is over," he said.

Business Standard has reviewed the main plant's EIA report, comprehensive EIA assessment of the captive port as well as minutes of the meetings of the EAC, apart from the petitions filed by locals.

EIA for the captive port - for which National Institute of Ocean Technology was the consultant - judges the project proposal on ecological parameters and gives a thumbs-up to the project on most counts. "The evaluation ... concluded that the project is not sited in an ecologically sensitive area," the EIA states. At another place, it notes that there are no mangroves, coral reefs or critical habitats in the area of the project or its vicinity. The reality, however, say the protester and the CEM, is different. The area has tidal mudflats, seagrass beds, mangroves and sand dunes, all of which are "ecologically sensitive" under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification of 2011.

A seagrass, Halophila ovalis, and mangroves such as Avicennia marina and Rhizophora sp are well-documented in the Yedaiyanthittu estuary, one of the two estuaries close to the project site. "Both Rhizophora and Avicennia are ecologically and economically important as they contain bio-active compounds. They also provide crucial breeding grounds for aquatic animals," says Delhi University Professor Deenabandhu Sahoo, who has 20 years of research experience in marine biosystems. He adds that heat discharged from coastal power plants will destroy marine ecology as the government normally does not take recourse to artificial reef construction to help attract new flora and fauna in the event of such damage.

The minutes of the EAC meeting of May 2013, which recommended clearance for the project, states that the number of migratory birds in the Cheyyur lagoon is negligible. However, CEM insists about consistent visits by birds, including threatened migratory waterfowl, at the Cheyyur lagoon over the past decade (1, 491 in 2008 and 22,016 in 2009). In fact, the Yedainthittu-Kalvelli Tank Complex, south of the project site, is a declared International Bird Area.

Project site relocated?
Another serious allegation being levelled against the project proposal is that the site where the plant is going to come up was never visited or considered by the Central Electricity Authority team. "The power plant and ash pond of the current site are 1 km and 6 km away from the originally visited site. The original site was in Cheyyur village of Cheyyur taluk while the current site is in Vedal village of Cheyyur taluk," the CEM report states.

The EIA report for the project states seven reasons why Cheyyur was considered as the most suitable of the four sites identified for the power plant, the biggest being "minimum use of agricultural land". However, EAC noted in its meeting on 22 April 2013, that "land requirement will be 416.45 ha, out of which 342.62 ha are agriculture land, 9.83 ha are forest land and 64 ha are Poromboke and barren government land." Therefore, the EAC's own observation places the proportion of agricultural land for the project at over 82 per cent of the total land area. So, how did EAC fail to find fault with the site despite this discrepancy and gave its go-ahead for the project?

Another alleged discrepancy lies in the captive port EIA, which says that the shoreline at Panaiyur village which will house the port is stable, even as a study by the environment ministry's National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management identifies the coast as "moderately eroding".

So, what went wrong when the authorities decided on the environmental go-ahead for the project? According to Shweta Narayan, CEM co-ordinator and the author of its report on Cheyyur, the project proponents have misinformed the MoEF and provided false data and documents. "They have hidden critical information that would have certainly influenced decision makers. The decision makers themselves are at fault as they have accepted all this false data and information without verification," Narayan says. She claims that EAC members did not do basic due diligence regarding the facts presented to them. "It is clear in the minutes of EAC Thermal's meetings in April 2013 that severe lacunae were pointed out in the project proponent's information. But, in May 2013, without discussing any of the previous issues raised, they recommended clearance."

The ambitious UMPP scheme could hold the key to the revival of the project activity in a sluggish economy. But this seems to have run into problems even before the project could take off. With Cheyyur's fishing community not willing to relent, the stakeholders are now keenly awaiting National Green Tribunal's next hearing in the case on 17 December.

THE PROJECT

• 4,000 Megawatt UMPP; first with a captive port
• Rs 24,200 crore estimated investment
• art of a scheme where the Centre puts on the block large clearance-ready projects
• Location near Cheyyur village, Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu

Timeline

• Dec 2006: CEA, PFC and state officials conduct site visits
• Jan 2007: PFC incorporates special purpose vehicle Coastal Tamil Nadu Power
• Sep 2007: TN energy minister gives approval to plant site
• 2009 & 2010: MoEF issues Terms of Reference for EIA for main plant and captive port
• July 2010: Public hearing for plant site starts
• Dec 2011: Public hearing for captive jetty, port and coal stocking yard begins
• Aug 2012: EAC approves plant
• Nov 2012: MoEF gives Coastal Regulation Zone clearance
• May 2013: EAC gives thermal approval
• Sep 2013: RFQ issued by PFC inviting bids

The problem

• Severe protest by locals and NGO Community Environmental Monitoring against the proposed main plant and captive port
• Protesters allege EAC approval was based on false and misplaced information in EIA report
• Petition filed by local fishermen allege the project would destroy livelihoods. National Green Tribunal stays bidding process

 

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Around 55,000 MW capacity projects are on anvil in Tamil Nadu...

 

Massive expansion of thermal generation capacity to the tune of over 55,000 mw is on the anvil in Tamil Nadu.

Though power cuts in the state are not uncommon, they come at a time when the demand for power is abysmally low; this shows the extent of the power crisis. Failure to augment capacity of thermal power stations in the state in the last decade has led to the present power crisis.

Over 80 per cent of the proposed projects are to be set up in the three districts of Tuticorin, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore, raising environmental concerns. Tuticorin will have the highest concentration of thermal power plants with a capacity of 20,800 mw with Nagapattinam and Cuddalore with 11,800 mw and 8,600 mw, according to the union ministry of environment and forest data.

The proposed gas and coal based thermal power projects are in various stages of implementation.

The total installed electricity generation capacity in the state is around 18,515 mw including 8150 mw from thermal power plants and 8,000 mw from renewable energy sources.

New power projects account for more than seven times the existing installed thermal capacity of 8150 mw.

According to MoEF statistics, 29,921 mw projects have got environment clearance (EC) while 25,000 mw projects await EC, or have terms of reference (TOR) or are awaiting TOR.

While the state and central sectors have a large share in the existing thermal power stations with about 85 per cent, the proportion of  private sector plants has increased to a whopping 75 per cent.

A senior Tamil Nadu Generation and Dis­tribution Corpora­tion official said that capacity addition and new power projects of the state and the central governments would directly improve the power situation.

“Projects like the NLC-TNEB joint venture project in Tuticorin, Udangudi, Uppur and the Cheyyur ultra mega power project will be commissioned by 2018-19,” the official said, pointing out that the coming up of new state and central projects besides long term power purchase would make the state a power surplus one by the end of next year.

As regards merchant power projects, the official said that they need not get any license from Tangedco under the Electricity Act 2003. The 2003 act enables merchant power plants to generate and sell their power at their will, the official said, adding they do not have any details on private power projects coming up in the state.

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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 days for projects involving diversion of over 100 hectare forest land.

The two ministries have repeatedly attributed delays in projects to cumbersome procedures in seeking green clearance. The Jayanthi Natarjan-led MoEF has decided to amend Forest Conservation Rules to usher in more 'realistic' limits that can be met, and which allow more time to both the State and the Centre to assess projects that need forest clearance.

The draft rules were circulated to all concerned ministries. The power and coal ministries argued that it will only delay clearances further and hold back projects.

The draft rules proposed 140 days for smaller projects needing up to 5 hectare land.

The present blanket rule asks states to examine and recommend fresh forest clearance proposals within 90 days (3 months) of receipt of the proposal from the user agency and for the Centre to reject/approve it within 60 days, but the process is said to drag on, for even two years or more.

The proposed rules have timelines depending on land. Total time including the procedures at the State and Central levels, sets a 140-day limit for processing forest land diversion up to 5ha, and 300 days for projects involving diversion of over 100 hectare of forest land.

A project involving diversion of 5ha, will thus be processed faster than one involving over 100ha. The proposed rules suggest detailed and tiered (for diversion of 5ha, 5ha-40ha, 40ha-100ha and over 100ha) timeline at each level from the state to the Centre including transit period, so the time frame is 'realistic' and 'workable'.

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Around 37% area of Western Ghats have been notified as no-go Zone for thermal projects by MoEF...

 

MoEF notified around 60,000 Sq km area of the Western Ghats across six states as ecologically sensitive are (ESA), making it a no-go zone where activities like mining, quarrying and setting up thermal plants and other high polluting industries will be banned with immediate effect.

However the hydro electric power projects and windmill will be allowed in the ESA under strict green norms and monitoring.

Under the said notification, the MoEF has listed out state-wise, district-wise and taluka-wise villages of six states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu.

A committee will be consituted to monitor implementation of the directive.

The original article is posted here.

The directive of MoEF can be downloaded from here.

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CCI to take up Rs 35,000 crore stalled power projects...

 

Cabinet Committee on Investment, this week, is likely to take up two power projects worth over Rs 35,000 crore that have been long stalled due to environmental hurdles.

Power Ministry has sought CCI intervention on NHPC's Dibang project and Reliance Power's Tilaiya project.

"CCI may take up these projects in this week's meeting," a source privy to the development said.

The 3,000 MW Dibang hydro project has been stalled for a long time in the absence of environment and forest go-ahead. The estimated cost of the project is over Rs 15,000 crore.

The CCI may decide whether the private power producer Reliance Power's 4,000 MW ultra mega power project at Tilaiya in Jharkhand should be spared from the responsibility of providing non-forest land to compensate for the loss of forest land to be acquired for the project.

At present, only central government or public sector undertakings have exemption from the obligation to provide non-forest land under the Act.

This is Reliance Power's third UMPP. The company is also executing two more UMPPs -- Sasan ( Madhya Pradesh) and Krishnapatnam ( Andhra Pradesh).

UMPP is a big-size coal-based power plant with at least 4,000 MW capacity and is built at an approximate cost of Rs 20,000 crore.

CCI, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, aims to fast-track major projects and help boost investor sentiment.

Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had earlier said that as many as 94 hydro power projects are languishing due to tardy progress at various levels in granting them clearances.

Once approved, they can generate 37,000 MW electricity. Hydro power contributes 39,623 MW of the total 2,25,793 MW capacity in the country.

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Power Ministry abandons plan of 4000 MW sarguja UMPP due to Environment Concerns...

 

It seems that the Power Ministry has abandoned the plan of setting up a 20,000 Crores Ultra Mega Power Project at Sarguja in Chhattisgarh due to the likely environmental issues for the coal blocks.

The Coal blocks of Hasdeo-Arand have been allocated for the proposed 4,000 MW project.

However as these coal blocks are falling under the dense forests,  the Ministry of Environment and Forests had classified them as "No Go" which means mining activities cannot be conducted at these mines considering the possible damage to the environment.

Due to this the MoEF has not granted approval for these mines.

Further, as per the guidelines of power sector regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, the exploration work at the coal blocks allotted for the UMPPs should start within 730 days of the Coal Ministry's approval. This deadline expired in March 2012.

Due to this, it seems that Power Ministry has abandoned the plan to develop the proposed project.

The process for the invitation of initial bids for the Sarguja UMPP has been delayed many times in the past due to lack of environment clearance for the allotted coal mines.

 

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More literature on this...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/government-drops-rs-20000-crore-power-project-plan-in-chhattisgarh/articleshow/21703239.cms

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NTPC introduced hightech steps for the pollution control at its Kaniha Power Plant in Orissa…

To establish strict norms on pollution control, NTPC has introduced several environment friendly steps to control both water and air pollution strictly as per the norms of Orissa pollution control board for its 3,000 MW Kaniha Power Stations which consumes around 55,000 tonnes of coal per day.

 

Some of the major steps are elaborated below.

 

The plant is equipped with electro static precipitator having efficiency of more than 99% for controlling air pollution. The details of emission and environment related data of the plant are scrutinized by government authorities from time to time.

 

In the ash dyke, ample steps like earth cover and water sprinkling have been provided on dry portion of ash dyke to control fugitive dust emission and rotational discharge principle is followed to keep the dyke wet. Following the advice of Orissa State Pollution Control Board, the company has procured the most modern cast basalt pipes for replacement of existing MS pipes for the first time in Orissa.

 

A pilot project for use of ash in agriculture was taken up in Kamarei and Tumugula villages where it was demonstrated that use of ash increases yield and improves water absorption capacity. Some amount of imported coal is also consumed to reduce specific coal consumption.

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Broader guidelines for Environment Clearances to the Power Sector…

There may be some more good news to the Power Sector as Jayanthi Natarajan (the Hon’able Environment Minister, GoI) has announced today that Indian is planning for broader guidelines for environment clearances to the power sector; also the timelines of issuance of environment clearance will be prescribed.

"Within my mandate to protect the environment, our policy will be to have consistent, transparent guidelines," Jayanthi Natarajan said.

This move will substantially help the coal miners as:

1. India holds about 10% of the world's coal reserves, but has struggled to provide enough fuel to its under-performing power sector, because of policy challenges.
2. Coal India, State-run coal Minor, is keep on missiong the production targets because of delays in environmental clearances at some of its mines, even as demand rise from power plants and industries.

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