Haryana nuclear project to be on stream in 5 years...

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone on Monday for a nuclear power project near Gorakhpur village in Fatehbad district of Haryana.

The project will comprise two reactors of 700 MWe each. They are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) that will use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both coolant and moderator.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) will build these reactors. This is the first time Haryana will have a nuclear project.

In the second stage, the NPCIL will build two more PHWRS of 700 MWe each at the Gorakhpur site.

The first pour of the concrete for the first two reactors will take place in June 2015 . As per present plans, the first unit will be commissioned 63 months from now and the second unit six months later. About 534 hectares for the entire project and 75 hectares for residential quarters for the NPCIL employees have been acquired around Gorakhpur.

Informed sources said the Cabinet has given “in-principle” approval for building the third and fourth PHWRS of 700 MWe each at the site.

The NPCIL is already building four PHWRS of 700 MWe each, two units each at Kakrapara in Gujarat and Rawatbhatta in Rajasthan. The units at Kakrapara are under advanced stage of construction and they will reach criticality in 2016.

The NPCIL will also build 700 MWe reactors that will use natural uranium as fuel at Chutka and Bhimpur in Madhya Pradesh, Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan and Kaiga in Karnataka.

The NPCIL had notched up a capacity factor of more than 80 per cent in its operating units across the country in both the financial years 2012-13 and 2013-2014, the sources said.

Source

Read More...

India's first greenfield Nuclear power site to begin operations...

 

India’s first greenfield site for nuclear reactor in 14 years is set to become operational on Monday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lays the foundation for two 700-MW nuclear power plants at Gorakhpur in the Fatehabad district of Haryana.

“The two units are likely to produce commercial electricity by 2020-21 as it would take five to six years to complete the construction, which would begin in June 2015,” Nalinesh Nagaich, executive director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, Mumbai, told Deccan Herald.

From the first date of construction, when concrete is first poured into an excavated site, it may take five and a half years for the first unit to be ready and another six months for the second unit. Over the next one and a half years, NPCIL may excavate and prepare the ground for actual construction.

Once the first two units were ready, there might be two additional units at Gorakhpur, taking the total capacity of the nuclear power plant to 2,800 MW. However, units III and IV have not yet been sanctioned.

After Kaiga in north Karnataka, where the first unit became operational in 2000, Gorakhpur was the first greenfield site where an indigenous nuclear reactor would be installed for power production. Two more greenfield sites were under preparation in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Source

Read More...

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

Read More...

PM to lay foundation of 2,800 MW Nuclear Power Plant in Haryana tomorrow...

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation of two key projects, including a national cancer institute, in Haryana's Jhajjar district tomorrow.

The foundation stone would be laid for a national cancer institute and Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, Congress MP Deepender Hooda said here today.

National Cancer Institute will be set up at Bhadsa and Global Centre at Jassaur Khedi village.

He said that the Prime Minister will be giving gift of projects of about Rs 3,000 crore to Haryana.

The 710-bedded Cancer Hospital at Bhadsa will cost about Rs 2,035 crore in first phase and will be ready in a period of 45 months.

The hospital will work under AIIMS, New Delhi and later Cancer Hospital of AIIMS will be shifted here, he said.

Deepender said that the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership will be the first global university dedicated to nuclear science.

It will have a nuclear research centre of international importance, he added.

Global Centre will be constructed in an area of about 225 acre and will cost about Rs 800 crore. Under this Centre, five colleges related with nuclear science research will be established, he said.

Deepender said that the Prime Minister will also be laying foundation stone of four lane Bahadurgarh-Gurgaon road.

Besides, he will also lay foundation stone of government girls college in Jassaur Khedi village.

He said that the Prime Minister will also be laying the foundation stone of the Nuclear Power Plant at Gorakhpur, Fatehabad district in Haryana in January itself.

The 2,800 MW Nuclear Power Plant will cost about Rs 22,000 crore, the Congress MP said.

Source: Business Standard

Read More...

Power losses halved in Haryana, but little gain for consumers...

 

Seen in pure revenue terms, the year 2013 was good one for the power discoms. According to reports, operational losses were reduced by 52%, thanks to financial restructuring.

But from the viewpoint of the consumer, there are few causes for celebration. First of all, there were around half a dozen tariff hikes in this year alone.

In October, when the domestic tariffs were ratcheted up by 34 paise a unit, there were many voices of protest. Especially from the industrial community, which has been pressed the hardest by rising power costs. Industrial power costs as much as Rs 7 per unit, and this is without taking into account added tariff components like fixed charges and fuel surcharge.

Many are now anticipating another hike as a New Year gift. The discoms, including the DHBVN, are aiming to further slash their annual losses by around 21%. And putting the burden on the consumer, especially on the industrial users - who account for around 42% of the total power consumed in the region - has been common practice."The power authorities have implemented unreasonable hikes all these months, and the same is likely to happen next year.

Industrialists are paying fixed charges and a fuel surcharge on an already high tariff. Buying electricity off the grid here is becoming as costly as diesel-based backup," said S K Sharma, a local entrepreneur.

Source

Read More...

PM to Lay Foundation Stone of Haryana Nuclear Plant in January...

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone of Rs 23,502 crore nuclear power plant, to be set up at Gorakhpur in Haryana's Fatehabad district, in January next year.

The Prime Minister would also address a public meeting after laying the foundation stone of the plant, Additional Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), C B S Venkataramanna said today.          

About 1,503 acres of land has been acquired for setting up the plant and compensation amounting to Rs 450 crore has been given to the farmers whose land was acquired, a Haryana government release quoted Venkataramanna as saying.      

Scientists of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) have conducted various surveys and tests at the site of the plant, he said.      

The setting up of this plant would accelerate the pace of development and new ventures would come up which would lead to creation of jobs and increase income of the people, the release said.       

It said the Gorakhpur-Kajalheri road would soon be constructed along the plant so as to provide better connectivity to the people.           

Gorakhpur village would be developed as a Model Village under Corporate Social Responsibility and for this, a detailed action plan has been provided to NPCIL which would cover various issues like development of village, training to youths, women's development, education and health.         

The area is home to several wildlife species and special arrangements have been made for their conservation.          

Directions have been issued in this regard to NPCIL so that better and safe places could be provided for the wildlife species, it said.

Source

Read More...

Nuclear Power Corporation to set up 1,400 MW plant at Gorakhpur...

 

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is planning to set up 2X700 MW nuclear power project at Gorakhpur site in Fatchabad district of Haryana.

NPCIL has already sought the approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for the purpose. NPCIL is currently setting up four reactors of 700 MW at Kakrapar, Gujarat and Rawatbhata, Rajasthan.

Natural uranium oxide or slightly enriched uranium is proposed to be used as fuel along with heavy water as coolant and moderator for the reactor.

NPCIL which has already set up 4,460 MW indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) technology, estimates the cost of the proposed plant at Rs. 20,594 crore to be funded with a debt equity ratio of 70:30. NPCIL plans to issue tax free bonds at the rate of 8.5% to finance the project cost which will bring down the interest during construction period substantially. Equity funding by the government will be to the extent of Rs. 6,179 crore.

NPCIL expects to commission the first unit in 63 months from the zero date and the second unit in six months after the commissioning of the first unit. If all milestones are met the first unit may go critical by September 2020.

Source

Read More...

Discoms resume payments to power traders on debt recast...

 

Equipped with stronger cash flows after restructuring of their short-term debt by lenders, discoms, especially those from states like Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have managed to pay R3,500 crore of their outstanding dues to power traders like PTC India, Lanco Infratech and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam. Payments have resumed in the second quarter of this fiscal and more dues are to be cleared in the current quarter, sources said.

However, the discoms are yet to step up electricity purchases from the open market to meet their power shortfalls.

Four states—Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and Tamil Nadu, which accounted for more than 60% of R1.9 lakh crore debt of the state power sector estimated as at the end of March last year — have completed restructuring their discom loans, inspiring confidence in banks and financial institutions to resume lending to them.

Besides, these states have also hiked electricity tariffs by 20-37% since 2012 to access the benefit of financial restructuring plan (FRP) offered by the Centre, which has led to a sizeable increase in their discoms’ revenues. Significantly, the FRP stipulates timely revision of tariff by discoms to meet their expenditure-revenue gap in a time-bound manner.

Kameswara Rao, leader, energy utilities and mining, PWC said: “Judging from discoms' payment pattern, it appears that their cash flow position has materially improved.”

Salil Garg, an analyst with India Ratings, a credit rating agency, concurred. “Implementation of FRP by some states has not only improved their discoms' cash flows but has also proved positive for utilities' operations as they are required to revise tariffs on a regular basis,” Garg told.

Sources said after restructuring its debt, UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) has cleared entire R750 crore of power purchase dues to PTC India. The payment was due for more than a year. UPPCL has also started clearing its dues to NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) and Lanco Infratech. NVVN sources told that the UP discom has cleared entire dues to the company. Lanco Infratech's total receivables on account of power supply to discoms have come down to R2,939 crore in the second quarter from R3,285

Source

Read More...

Biomass plant set up in Mahendergarh, Haryana...

 

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

 

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

 

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

Source

Read More...

NTPC, IOC set up Pilot Plants for bio-fixation of Co2 Emissions from the power projects...

 

NTPC on Thursday said the power producer along with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd have set up a pilot plant for bio-fixation of carbon dioxide at Faridabad power station.

“Two conjoining algae ponds of area have been constructed to draw carbon dioxide from stacks at the project. The inoculation in small pond was done earlier in the month and in bigger pond today to generate micro algae, which is ahead of the target schedule of January,” NTPC said in a statement.

This project is part of NTPC’s plan to meet environment challenges of by adopting latest environment practices and protection systems to minimise the impact of power generation on environment. Carbon dioxide is a major green house gas contributing to more than 50 per cent to the total predicted warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.

“Around 12-15 per cent of the project cost is spent on various environment protection equipment,” the company said.

On February 2010, IOC’s research and development centre and NTPC signed an memorandum of understanding for research in this field with the setting up of algae ponds at NTPC gas project in Faridabad.

Source

Read More...

Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, TN start Loan restructuring process for the Rs. 43,000 Crores power loan...

 

As many as four states-Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu-have taken over Rs 43,000 crore worth of short-term liabilities from their power distribution companies as part of the government's loan rejig process.

Four states have already started restructuring their short-term liabilities of the discoms, about Rs 43,000 crore of short-term liabilities have been taken over by the states, said Ashok Lavasa, additional secretary at the power ministry.

He said that Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are now in talks with the financial institutions for the issuance of bonds etc. Last year, in a bid to turnaround the ailing electricity state electricity boards, the government cleared the financial restructuring plan.

Under the scheme, 50 per cent of the short-term outstanding liabilities would be taken over by state governments. Balance 50 per cent loans would be restructured by providing moratorium on principle and best possible terms for repayments. As per the approved scheme, 50 per cent of the outstanding liabilities up to March 31, 2012, are to be taken over by the state governments.

This shall be first converted into bonds to be issued by discoms to participating lenders, duly backed by the state government's guarantee. The outstanding liabilities of the state discoms as on March 2011 stand at about Rs 1.9 lakh crore and Rs 2.46 lakh crore till March 2012.

Source

Read More...

Sungrow Strengthens Marketing Power in India...

 

With the purpose of further improving global service effectiveness and customers' satisfaction, Sungrow officially enabled its Indian service site in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, since November 1, 2013.

As one of the emerging PV markets, India is a key chapter of Sungrow's overseas expansion strategy due to its abundant solar resource and huge energy demand. Recently, SUNGROW brand inverters have been deployed in a number of PV projects in this country, including a 5MW application in Rajasthan.

Sungrow authorized CTDI, a global engineering/repair/logistics service supplier, as the local service contractor in India. "We provide Sungrow's Indian clients a one-stop service solution which contains: a bilingual hotline of Hindi and English; a 60,000 sq ft. area for repair and spare parts storage; technical engineers trained by Sungrow's headquarters; real-time monitoring relying on customized software; replacements in place within 72 hours via air logistics as far as possible," Anil Rai, country manager of CTDI India, said. "CTDI India is very happy to partner with Sungrow, who's one of the leaders in Solar PV market. CTDI will support Sungrow in a more comprehensive way in the wake of Sungrow's rapid growth in India in the near future."

Along with this newly-launched Indian service site, Sungrow is gradually completing its global service system of the mainstream PV markets, and focusing on building up SUNGROW brand image throughout the world.

Source

Read More...

Hi-Tech facility for hybrid boxes of solar projects inaugurated in Gurgaon...

 

A hi-tech facility for production of green hybrid boxes for solar projects, part of a joint venture between Slovenia and India, was Tuesday inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The projects are going on at the Fairwood Smart Green Company here.

Slovenia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec, the country's ambassador to India Darja Bavdaz-Kuret were present during the inauguration.

"Fairwood Smart Green has taken a significant step by investing in renewable sources of energy which will meet the millennium city's requirement and will transform Gurgaon as the green capital of the country," Hooda said.

"The hilly areas of Panchkula and remote areas of Bhiwani, Rewari and Mahendergarh districts in Haryana will benefit from this technology and the state government will extend all support needed to promote this," he said.

Hooda said that providing better energy at economically viable cost in the State was the priority of his government.

Haryana will soon come out with a state solar power policy, he said.

At present, 195.99 MW of electricity is being produced from renewable sources in the state. These include 73.30 MW from small hydro, 107.20 MW from bio-mass, 4.14 MW from waste, 7.8 MW from solar and 2.74 MW from bio-mass gasification.

Erjavec said this project will provide employment opportunities and strengthen economic ties between India and Slovenia.

He said the production facility will be addressing the problem of unavailability of power in many regions across India.

Source

Read More...