NTPC signs $430 m loan accord with Japan Bank…

 

India’a leading power producer and state-owned NTPC Ltd on Monday announced it had entered into two foreign currency loan agreements with the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) for around $430million (approx. Rs. 2,650 crore) loan for its Kudgi and Auraiya thermal power projects.

The loan agreements were signed by Kulamani Biswal, Director (Finance), NTPC and Mr. Hiroshi Watanabe, Governor, JBIC here on January 25, an official statement issued here on Monday said.

The company signed a term loan of $350 million with the JBIC to finance the supplies and services from Japan as well as India for the Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project Stage-I (3x800 MW) located in Karnataka. The facility consists of a CIRR based fixed interest tranche and a floating interest rate tranche, with a door to door maturity of about 15 years.

The second loan signed with the JBIC is for 8,021 million yen to finance the renovation and modernisation of gas turbines at NTPC’s Auraiya gas power station. This facility is a CIRR based fixed interest rate facility with a door to door maturity of over 12 years. Kudgi Power project is based on super critical technology which has lower carbon intensity compared to projects based on sub-critical technology.

In both the loans, 60 per cent of the facility amount is provided by JBIC and the balance by commercial banks. The loans are provided on a stand alone basis without any sovereign guarantee reflecting the NTPC’s strong credit quality. This is the first time JBIC has directly extended a direct loan facility to NTPC. JBIC previously extended guarantee for a untied loan of $380million for NTPC’s Barh Stage-I project.

With an installed capacity of 42454 MW through 16 coal based, 7 gas based, 2 solar renewable and 7 Joint Venture power stations, NTPC contributes nearly 28 per cent of electricity in the country, with about 19 per cent of India's installed capacity.

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Orient Green Power's generation capacity crosses 500 MW…

 

Orient Green Power, part of the Shriram Group, today announced its generation capacity has crossed 500 MW and it is keenly evaluating major opportunities to propel growth.

"Post commissioning of biomass plants at Madhya Pradesh (Narsinghpur), Rajasthan (Kishanganj) and Andhra Pradesh (Marikal), the on ground operational capacity of the company now exceeds 500 MW," Orient Green Power Ltd (OGPL) said in a release.

The company's operating capacity stands at 502 MW comprising 416 MW of wind assets and 86 MW of biomass assets.

Orient Green Power has its wind assets located across various states namely, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka.

Its biomass plants with a total capacity of 86 MW are situated in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The company said it is keenly evaluating major opportunities arising in the space especially wind business, which could further propel its growth of the business.

"This milestone of 500 MW represents capacities which are installed and operating with fuel sourcing arrangements and power off take contracts in place," S Venkatachalam, Managing Director OGPL, said.

He added, "In addition to our existing capacity, we are close to commissioning another 40 MW of capacity under our wind and biomass verticals which will help us to further consolidate our position as a leading player in the renewable energy business."

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New net-metering policy to power Gujarat's solar-rooftops…

 

In order to provide the necessary fillip roof-top solar power projects sector in Gujarat, the state government will be introducing a new "net-metering policy" in 2-3 weeks, that will provide better financial incentives to solar-power generating households.

"We have prepared this policy and we hope to declare it before the Lok Sabha elections are announced," DJ Pandian, principal secretary (energy), Government of Gujarat told The Indian Express on the sidelines of a seminar on "Solar Energy in India' organised by the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on Saturday.

Under this new policy, Gujarat government proposes to introduce "Net-Metering" for power consumers in the state. Net metering is an electricity policy --- similar to the ones introduced by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh or Uttarakhand --- for utility customers who operate their own "self-generation" photovoltaic systems at their residences.

"So, if a household consumes 200 units of electricity and generates 100 units through the solar panel on their roof-tops, they will have to pay for the remaining 100 units. In case, if a house produces more than their requirement (at any given point in time), the power will go to the grid," said Pandian while explaining the new net-metering policy that is expected to be announced in the next 2-3 weeks.

Under this policy an electricity meter, that measures the power utilised by the household from the grid, and the power supplied (from the solar-rooftop) to the grid,  will be installed in homes.
Gujarat government in 2010 had started the Gandhinagar rooftop solar programme and had approved the installation of rooftop solar panels up to a capacity of 5 MW across the state capital. In absence of a net-metering policy, the Gujarat government along with solar power companies had been providing individual homes in Gandhingar (under a pilot project), a green incentive of Rs 3 for every unit of power generated by photovoltaic systems installed on rooftops of households.

The net-metering system is expected to make solar rooftop projects more attractive to individual households, especially in the new towns and cities in Gujarat where the project is yet to pick up. As per the Census 2011, there are about 16,000 households in Gujarat that use solar energy as a primary source to illuminate their homes.

"The next revolution in solar power is not utility connected power, but solar power produced on roof-tops," the state government official said taking about the huge potential the segment held.
Pandian also spoke about how ITI students needed to be trained in managing and repairing these solar panels and systems so as to ensure that the roof-tops across Gujarat continue to generate power.

Apart from Gandhinagar, solar roof-top projects have been floated for the cities of Vadodara, Mehsana, Surat (5 MW each), Rajkot (6.5 MW) and Bhavnagar (3.5 MW).

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Stella Maris goes green with solar power plant…

 

Stella Maris College became part of a growing breed of educational institutions in the city opting for green energy with the recent inauguration of a 50-kilo watt solar power plant on its campus.

Jasintha Quadras, principal of the college, said the roof-top solar plant was installed by Omega Natural Polarity Private Limited at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh.

The plant would cater to six per cent of the total power requirement on the campus, she said.

State mandate
The initiative was part of the State government’s solar policy, mandating colleges to take up renewable energy.

The solar plant is a grid-type system without battery facilities linked directly to the electricity grid. Having 200 solar panels, the power plant will be operational during the day, powering lights and fans in the college.

Daily monitoring
The entire system, with web interface, will be monitored for the daily usage of power. The college has already undertaken 12 environmental initiatives including light-emitting diode cluster lights, solar-powered streetlights, source segregation, vermi-composting and waste water re-cycling plant.

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Chhatrapur to be first smart grid town in Odisha…

 

Chhatrapur, the district headquarters of Ganjam, will become the first 'smart grid town' in the state after it starts using an advanced technology in power supply that can withstand cyclones with wind speed of around 350 km/hour.

The technology will be implemented under a disaster- resilient power strengthening project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on an experimental basis.

The other towns in the district, Berhampur and Gopalpur, would also be included in the scheme at a cost of Rs 817 crore, energy secretary P K Jena said here on Saturday.

Energy minister Arun Kumar Sahu said the initiative was necessary as the power sector frequently bore the brunt of nature's fury.

Jena said under the scheme the towns will have underground power supply lines, apart from overhead cables.

Besides, consumers will be alerted about power cuts through SMSes. He was here to felicitate outstanding performers, who helped restore power supply in Phailin-hit Ganjam in quick time.

The government has also decided to set up a one megawatt solar power plant at Chhatrapur, chairman-cum managing director, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL), Hemant Sharma, said.

The officials justified the selection of the three towns, saying Berhampur was the biggest commercial hub in the southern part of the state, Gopalpur, a seashore town, was a tourist place and Chhatrapur was the district headquarters town.

Power infrastructure in the district, particularly in these three towns, was severely damaged in cyclone Phailin in October.

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IVRCL secures various orders valued at Rs. 550.56 Crores…

 

The Power Division, Building Division and Transportation Division of IVRCL Ltd have bagged orders of the value of Rs. 550.56 crores.

The Power Division has bagged an order worth Rs. 394.36 crores from Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, Lucknow. The Building Division has secured an order worth Rs. 83.85 crores from Airports Authority of India, Calicut International Airport.

The Transportation Division bagged order worth Rs. 72.35 crores from Chief Administrative Officer (Const.), Western Railway, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400020. This order is secured by the JV company IVRCL - Ajay Protech.

Shares of IVRCL Ltd was last trading in BSE at Rs.14.65, up by Rs.0.30 or 2.09%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.15.10 and intraday low of Rs.14.30.

The total traded quantity was 7.25 lakh shares as compared to 2 week average of 5.28 lakh shares.

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APERC public hearing: Farmers oppose power tariff hike…

 

Mild tension prevailed at the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (APERC) public hearing here on Saturday, as representatives of several farmers’ associations and political parties vociferously opposed the power tariff hike mooted by the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL).

The hearing began with a presentation by APSPDCL Chairman and MD H.Y. Dora, who put forward the achievements of the Southern Discom, along with proposed power tariff hike and steps to be taken for effective power distribution. But, the proceedings had to be adjourned by APERC Chairman V. Bhaskar for more than 30 minutes as the farmers’ association representatives and activities of several political parties raised slogans and refused to calm down. 

YSRC Spokesperson B. Janak Prasad said the failure of the government to ensure supply of coal and natural gas to power projects had forced the Discoms to generate power at a higher cost with imported raw materials. TDP activists also flayed the officials for being unable to curb the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses. Quoting experts’ opinion, they said that Rs.400 crore could be saved by reducing the loss by 1 per cent. Meanwhile, in a statement, CPI (M) State Secretary B.V. Raghavulu said that in last four financial years, the commission had permitted tariff hike to the tune of Rs.12, 605 crore and Fuel Surcharge Adjustment (FSA) for the last five years stood at Rs.12,800 crore. “Due to the proposed hike, the average hike is 28.2 per cent and 23.9 per cent for LT and HT categories,” the statement read.

Members of farmers’ associations demanded that the government provide uninterrupted power at free of cost to ryots in the morning instead of at nights as the latter would serve no purpose.

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NLC production to jump to 11,195 MW in a decade…

 

The implementation of new power projects would increase the production capacity of Neyveli Lignite Corporation to 11,195 MW from the present 2,740 MW within a decade, B Surender Mohan, Chairman cum-Managing Director of NLC said today.

In his Republic Day address, Surender Mohan outlined the progress of new power projects. The 2 x 250 MW TPS-II Expansion projects would commence commercial operation in the current fiscal.

Units I and II of the (2 x 500 MW) joint venture project 'NTPL' at Tuticorin is expected to be commissioned in February 2014 and May 2014 respectively, he added.

As regards the 2 x 500 MW Neyveli New Thermal Power Project, Unit I is likely to be commissioned in August 2017 and Unit-II in February 2018.

"4,000 MW coal based Sirkali Thermal Power Project in Nagapattinam is under our active consideration. We are pursuing the matter with Tamil Nadu government to get in-principle approval for land allocation," the NLC chief said.

Also, 51 MW Wind power farm is being set up at Kaluneerkulam in Tirunelveli District and the bid process is on for a 10 MW Solar Power plant at Neyveli.

Several other projects like the 3 x 660 MW Ghathampur Thermal Power Project in Uttar Pradesh, and 1 x 250 MW Bithnok Thermal Power Project in Rajasthan are gaining momentum, he informed.

Source: Business Standard

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NTPC Director (Technical) visit to 10 MW PV Solar plant site at NTPC Kaniha in Odisha…

 

A.K.Jha, Director (Technical), NTPC Limited visited the two solar power plants  located at NTPC Kaniha  which is under construction on 25.01.2014.

The solar plants are being constructed at Stage II Township & Patharmunda (main plant campus) with installed capacity of 8 MW & 2 MW respectively.The 10 MW PV solar is being constructed with 45 acres of land.

Director (Technical),NTPC Limited was accompanied by Shri.Arvind Kumar, RED(ER-II), Shri.V.B.Fadnavis, Executive Director,NTPC Talcher Kaniha, Shri. Surinder Raina (GM-REDG) & Shri.U.K.Dasgupta, GM (Maintenance).

Senior officials of NTPC Kaniha plant & BHEL were also present during the visit. Shri.Jha on this occasion made a review of the progress of the both of solar plants and instructed for a speedy progress towards completing the construction on schedule.

The work of construction of the solar plant has been awarded to BHEL.Foundation stone of 10 MW Photo-Voltaic solar plant of NTPC Talcher Kaniha was laid on 03.07.2013.

NTPC is venturing into renewable energy with an objective to broad base generation mix by evaluating conventional and alternate sources of energy to ensure long run competitiveness and mitigate fuel risks.

With a vision to provide green power through locally available resources at affordable price & promoting clean energy.In this endeavor, NTPC has already commissioned two 10 MW Solar PV Project at Dadri & Andaman & Nicobar.

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Tata Power's Mundra UMPP comes under ADB panel scanner…

 

Finding prima facie instances of non- compliance with its norms, ADB's review panel has decided to carry out a compliance review of Tata Power's 4,000-MW ultra mega power project in Gujarat.

Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Compliance Review Committee has said the company failed in consulting most of the affected communities before the project started.

In its report, the panel said there is "prima facie evidence of non-compliance with ADB policies and procedures and prima facie evidence that this noncompliance with ADB policies has led to harm or is likely to lead to future harm".

"Given the evidence of non-compliance... the CRP concludes that the non-compliance is serious enough to warrant a full compliance review," it said.

Meanwhile, Tata Power in a statement said Mundra UMPP strictly abides by stipulated norms for its operations, including environment, community engagement and ecological impact.

"We are happy to cooperate with ADB on any information/ support that may be required while conducting the review," the firm said.

CGPL would always be open to any constructive and transparent process to establish its credentials, it added.

The ADB panel's report follows a complaint filed by Bharat Patel, General Secretary of Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan and two other members of the association.

ADB has committed a loan of USD 450 million from its ordinary capital resources without government guarantee to CGPL, of which USD 200 million is syndicated to Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) through a risk participation agreement.

Mundra project is being implemented by Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd (CGPL).

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