Uncertainty Preventing Investments in Hydel Projects: Power Minister Piyush Goyal

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
15-September, 2017 18:01 IST
Status of Coal Despatch by Coal India Limited (CIL) to Power Sector as on 13th September 2017.

· On 13/09/2017, the total coal despatch of Coal India Limited was 1.505 MT

· The total coal despatch on 13/09/2017 to power sector was about 1.2MT.

· A total of 225.9 railway rakes of coal were despatched to different consumers out of which 212.9 railway rakes were despatched to power sector alone.

· The despatch to power sector was around19% more as compared to the same period of September 2016.

· The pit head stock at CIL coal mines was 33.62 MT.

· The number of power plants in critical and super critical category was 4 & 10 respectively.


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[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...ound-cabling-says-hy-dora/article19694912.ece

New CMD of APEPDCL HY Dora taking charge in Visakhapatnam on Friday. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam

H.Y. Dora, took charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) here on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dora said priority will be given to supply of good quality and uninterrupted power to the consumer at a reasonable cost. This apart, will also lay emphasis on agriculture power supply, he said.

“Based on the Chief Minister’s assurance that power tariff will not be increased, our focus will now be on reducing the power purchase tariff.

If that can be reduced there will be no need to increase tariff for consumers. We will also focus on realising the non-tariff income like additional load and power theft to increase our income,” said Mr. Dora.

According to the new CMD of APEPDCL, the main focus area will on completing the underground cabling network. “Our target is to complete the work by 2019,” he said.

The project is being supported by World Bank with a funding of ₹ 720 crore and includes 110.22 km of 33 kv lines, 272.75 km of 11kv and 459.9 km of LT lines.

A few tenders have been finalised and the work order will be released soon, said Mr. Dora.

Talking about solar energy, he said Visakhapatnam was not suitable for large scale solar energy plants. “The city can have rooftop solar plants and we will encourage initiatives from consumers, but large scale solar plants cannot come up here. Anantapur and Kurnool are the right places,” he said.

Mr. Dora, who is a technocrat has put up over 35 years of service in the APSEB and APEPDCL combined and the employees feel that it should be an advantage for the Discom.

“Of by 35 years of service, I served as director of APEPDCL for 5 years and I know the nook and corner of the Discom. Every employee and all aspects of the network is known to me and shall use that experience for the betterment of the Discom. We shall keep the existing programmed running and at the same shall focus on improving them by bringing in cutting-edge technology,” he said.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
18-September, 2017 16:47 IST
Status of Coal Despatch by Coal India Limited (CIL) to Power Sector as on 16th September 2017.

· On 16/09/2017, the total coal despatch of Coal India Limited was 1.49 MT

· The total Coal despatch on 16/09/2017 to power sector was about 1.16MT.

· A total of 213.5 railway rakes of coal were despatched to different consumers out of which 196 railway rakes were despatched to power sector alone.

· The despatch to power sector through rail is around 20% more as compared to the same period of September 2016.

· The pit head stock at CIL coal mines was 33.18 MT.

· The number of power plants in critical and super critical category was 4 & 12, respectively.

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The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal calling on the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi on September 18, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
19-September, 2017 17:52 IST
Status of Coal Despatch by Coal India Limited (CIL) to Power Sector on 17th September 2017.

· On 17.09.2017, the total daily coal despatch of Coal India Limited was 1.00 MT

· Out of the total daily coal despatch, despatch to power sector was about 0.88 MT & rest 0.12MT was despatched to non regulated sector.

· On 17.09.2017, a total of 161.5 railway rakes of coal were despatched to different consumers out of which 146 railway rakes were despatched to power sector alone.

· The despatch to power sector through rail is around 20% more as compared to 17th September 2016.

· As on 17.09.2017 the pit head stock at CIL coal mines was 33.01 MT.

· On 17.09.2017, the number of power plants in critical and super critical category was 8 & 9, respectively.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
20-September, 2017 16:16 IST
Swachhta Pakhwada observed in Ministry of Coal from 16th August 2017 to 31st August 2017

Ministry of Coal, along with its attached offices and PSUs under the administrative control of Ministry observed the Swachhta Pakwada during the fortnight from 16th August 2017 to 31st August 2017.


The Pakhwada was formally launched on Independence Day, 15th August 2017 by carrying out special activities to mark the beginning of Swachhta Pakhwada.


Shri Susheel Kumar, Secretary Coal convened a pre-pakhwada meeting to review the Swachta Action Plan of the Ministry and PSU’s. A mid-pakhwada meeting was also taken to review the activities carried out during the first week of Pakhwada.


During these meetings Secretary Coal, emphasized on working towards making ‘swachata’, a Jan Andolan, i.e a public movement, so that it inculcates behavioural and attitudinal changes, thus making it sustainable.



The highlight of the Pakhwada was large scale tree plantation program that included fruit bearing, timber, medicinal plants with the provision for maintenance and watering of plants for one year. More than 5 lakh samplings were planted in the fortnight.


Some of the specific activities that merit special mention are as follows:


Installation of a plant for production of drinking water under the brand name “Coal Neer” and a Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Purification Project at Patansawangi underground coal mine. This plant has a capacity to treat 10,000 litres of water per hour.


Electrical crematorium constructed on the Ghat of Mahanadi River.

Truck mounted compactor machine provided to the Sambalpur municipal corporation for collection and compaction of the garbage.

A stretch of around 1.5 km in Manimukta River in Vridhachlam, TN was cleaned by involving 2000 volunteers from various NGOs.

Funds were provided to the Government of Jharkhand for making 3 districts open defecation free(ODF).


Besides the above, all the units were involved in cleaning of schools, hospitals, Primary Health Centres, anganwadis. Students and staff were made a part of the process. Three different dustbins were installed in schools and hospitals for segregating the waste at the source to ensure proper disposal of solid waste.


In villages, under the command area of the PSU’s, cleaning of water bodies, wells, overhead tanks, water collection facilities, storm water drains, streets and roads was taken up.


Swachh Bharat awareness session on personal hygiene and environmental hygiene were also organized. This included de-worming drive, health camps, blood donation camps, distribution of Swachhta kits.


Finally, for creating awareness, activities like Nukkad Natak; essay, drawing, debate, slogan, wall painting competitions; swachhta talks, discussions, seminars, swachhta rallies; and display of banners, posters were organized in schools and villages.


To promote Swachhta and recognize the efforts of the PSUs, best performing unit/subsidiary of each PSU is being awarded a running shield.


Ministry of Coal has uploaded the details of activities, photos and videos along with geo-tagging on the ‘Swachta Samiksha’ Portal of the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation (MoDWS).

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Ministry of Coal
20-September, 2017 15:02 IST
Status of Coal Despatch by Coal India Limited (CIL) to Power Sector as on 18th September 2017

• On 18thSeptember 2017, the total daily coal despatch of Coal India Limited was 1.31 MT
• Out of the total daily coal despatch, despatch to power sector was about 1.05MT& rest 0.26MTwas despatched to non regulated sector.
• On 18th September 2017, a total of 201 railway rakes of coal were despatched to different consumers out of which 185railway rakes were despatched to power sector alone.
• The despatch to power sector through rail is around 13.8%more as compared to 18thSeptember 2016.
• The pit head stock at CIL coal mines was 32.876 MT as on 18th September2017.
• On 18.09.2017, the number of power plants in critical and super critical category was 6 & 12 respectively.

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AKS/ENS

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
26-September, 2017 15:51 IST
Shri R K Singh inaugurates workshop on “Waste to Energy” as a part of “Swachchata Hi Sewa” campaign

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R K Singh has emphasised the need for setting up more waste management plants around the country. Shri Singh said this while inaugurating a Workshop on “Waste to Energy” – Swachchata Se Swachh Urja here today. The workshop was organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as a part of “Swachchata Hi Sewa” campaign.



Addressing the gathering, Shri Singh added that there is a huge amount of waste generated in a country like India and said that there is an urgent need to convert the waste into energy. Citing the example of the Timarpur Okhla Waste Management Company Private Limited, the Minister called for setting up more such plants. A framework will be worked on for energy thus generated by these plants and subsequently rates fixed for them, the Minister added. Shri R K Singh also pointed out the need for change in the habits of the people to ensure effective waste collection and segregation. He said the citizens should be educated on effective waste management so that it would be easier for the industries to process the waste. He also added that effective waste management will help in creating a cleaner and greener India.


In his address, Shri Anand Kumar Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said that the Ministry’s focus is on energy generation from urban, industrial and agricultural waste/residues, municipal solid wastes, vegetable and other market wastes, slaughterhouse waste and industrial wastes and effluents. These initiatives, he said, not only support generation of energy from the waste but also help in reducing pollution. It will also address the issue of burning of paddy straw by producing bio-CNG.


In his address the Secretary said, that since the inception of Swachcha Bharat Mission in 2014, the Ministry has already supported around 180 projects mainly based on production of Bio-CNG/ Biogas for various energy applications in industries and transport sector.


Three major waste to energy projects of 52 MW, based on Municipal Solid Waste(MSW) have already been installed and running successfully in Okhla, Ghazipur and Narela-Bawana in Delhi which help in converting solid waste to electricity.


In addition, under Swachcha Bharat Mission, about 40 projects with installed capacity of 344 MW supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs are under various stages of commissioning.

The workshop deliberated upon how to utilize Waste for generation of energy through various proven technologies and established business models to scale up the programme in close association with all stakeholders including corporate houses.


RM/AS

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
05-October, 2017 10:53 IST
India gets Lowest Wind Tariff of Rs. 2.64 per kWh in second Wind Auction of 1000 MW

The wind tariff in India touched lowest level of Rs.2.64 per kWh in the second wind auction conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) on behalf of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India yesterday. The tariff discovered is much lower than first wind auction concluded at Rs. 3.46 per kWh in February this year. With improving technology and reducing tariffs Ministry is not only confident of achieving the target of 175 GW by 2022 but exceeding it.


Against the 1000 MW capacity SECI received 12 number of bids totalling to 2892 MW capacity of which 9 bids with a cumulative capacity of 2142 MW were shortlisted for e-reverse auction. The auction started at 3 pm on 4 October and continued for over 13 hours. Five winners selected for total 1000 MW capacity wind power projects include ReNew Power for 250 MW projects quoting Rs.2.64/kWh, Orange Sironj for 200 MW projects quoting Rs.2.64/kWh, Inox Wind for 250 MW projects quoting Rs.2.65/kWh, Green Infra for 250 MW projects quoting Rs.2.65/kWh and Adani Green for 50 MW projects quoting Rs.2.65/kWh. These wind projects are to be commissioned within 18 months from the date of issue of Letter of Award by SECI to successful bidders.



As per provisions of scheme additional 100 MW capacity can be allotted to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) willing to undertake development of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) connected wind power projects at the lowest bid tariff of Rs.2.64/kWh, for which they have to submit their proposal within 30 days from the declaration of results of e-reverse auction.


The power from these projects will be supplied to obligated entities for fulfilment of their non-solar RPO obligation at pooled price of capacity selected.


BACKGROUND


After success of first wind auction resulted in discovery of record low wind tariff of Rs. 3.46 per kWh in February 2017, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy sanctioned second wind auction Scheme for setting up of 1000 MW ISTS connected Wind Power Projects on 4 May 2017. SECI issued bids on 30 May 2017 and bids were closed on 14 July 2017. Auction was earlier scheduled for 19 September 2017 and the same was postponed to 4 October 2017 as CERC order on the issue of grid connectivity that is being faced by the successful bidders in the first wind auction was awaited.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...s-big-on-solar-wind-power/article19821527.ece

Prestigious project: AP Solar Power Corporation CEO G. Adiseshu explaining about the Ultra Mega Solar Park to NDRC members at Sakunala on Saturday.


NDRC Director inspects Ultra Mega Solar Part at Sakunala in Kurnool district
India has chalked out ambitious plans to generate 84 gigawatts of solar power and 32 gigawatts of wind power by 2022, asserted Anjali Jaiswal, India Director of Natural Resources Defence Council (NDRC), California, on Saturday.

“India is emerging as the world leader in generating clean energy, although it started by generating 17 MW of solar power in 2010, when Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission was launched,” Ms. Jaiswal told the media while inspecting the Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park at Sakunala in Gadivemula mandal of Kurnool district, said to be the largest solar park in the world. Andhra Pradesh was in the forefront among other States in solar power generation by setting solar parks to generate 4,000 MW, she added.

There was a global push for clean energy owing to limitations such as coal availability and climate changes, Ms. Jaiswal said. The Paris Climate Agreement signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then US President Barack Obama in 2015 determined that 40% of non-fossil power must be generated by 2030. During his visit to California, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held discussions with California Governor Jerry Brown and explained him about his plans to boost solar power, the NDRC Director said.

The NDRC has been working with the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Power since a decade and helped in design and identification of suitable locations for solar parks. It was working with Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, on building energy efficient buildings, working on curbing air pollution at Ahmedabad in Gujarat and heat action plan in 30 cities, including Hyderabad.

NDRC Renewable Lead Nehmat Kaur said the organisation was working in the US, China and India and has three million members. Its focus was on clean energy, climate resilience, air pollution and heat and air-conditioners having cooling with less warmth. The penetration of air-conditioners was 6% in India, where as it was 94% in China, Ms. Kaur said.

Green banks

The rooftop market for solar power was mainly from the commercial and industrial sectors and some challenges like storage capacity remained in solar parks, Ms. Kaur stated. She advocated the concept of green banks and green bonds to mop up funds for solar power projects and added that they could attract international investors.

A.P. Solar Power Corporation Private Limited CEO G. Adisheshu explained about the 1,000 MW solar parks in Kurnool, Kadapa and Anantapur districts. A 1,000 MW solar park was proposed in Prakasam district besides an additional 500 MW plant in Anantapur. There were plans to set up two or three more solar parks in Kurnool district, he added. He gave a Power-point presentation on Kurnool ultra mega solar park. The NDRC team visited the Greenko office and the control room in the solar park.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Coal
10-October, 2017 19:58 IST
Historic wage agreement by Coal India Limited

The 10th Wage Agreement of Coal Workers was finalised on the 10th meeting on 10th day of 10th month of this year. Wage Agreement of the employees has been due from 1 July 2016. The negotiation for wage agreement that has been on the negotiation table for more than one year has been concluded today. Trade Union representatives were insistent for 50% of wage increase. Their demand was there should be 50% wage increase for the employees. But considering the country’s position, CIL’s benefit and financial position, a new record has been created by agreeing 20% increase on wages.

The special accomplishment of this agreement is that every employee shall get one day’s rest in a week, as per rule, so that the employee shall have relaxation and shall get an opportunity to spend time with their family paving way for improvement in quality of life through Work-Life-Balance. The representatives of Trade Union and CIL Management have taken a decision to work together in the spirit of team work and increase productivity to unprecedented level.

It has also been decided that from 16th October to 15th November, 2017 welfare, safety and productivity drive shall be carried out. In each subsidiary company from CIL’ management, Chairman-cum-Managing Director CIL, Director (P&IR), Director (Finance), Director (Technical), Director (Marketing) and CMD of respective subsidiary company, Functional Directors and from trade union side honourable Dr. Basant Kumar Ray, Shri Ramendra Kumar, Shri Ramanandan shall participate in this drive.

To implement the agreement in totality, the payment of arrears would be made in three stages – 40%, 30% & 30%. For the welfare of workers an amount of Rs.40,000/- would be paid to the employees before Diwali as a one-time advance. CIL and its employees will contribute, for the first time, 7% towards pension fund which will help retired employees to avail the pension facility. To implement the scheme of medical treatment to the retired employees, CIL will contribute an amount of Rs.18,000/- for each employee towards contributory post retirement medical scheme, apart from Rs.40,000/- by each employee contributed towards the said scheme. This fund will be operated through a Trust.

Today’s wage agreement has been hailed as a historic one by the trade union representatives and management

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AKS/ENS

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
11-October, 2017 16:58 IST
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launches IGL prepaid smart card (Retail and Fleet) for CNG consumers

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the prepaid smart card (Retail and Fleet) launched by IGL for CNG consumers will be easily available and benefit common man in saving time in transactions at the CNG stations. Launching the cards here today he said this is an important step taken by GAIL and IGL for making life easy for residents of Delhi. Shri Pradhan said the initiative is part of Digital India Campaign envisaged by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to take country forward with the help of technology. He said his Ministry is making every effort to use technology and methods to provide time saving and easily accessible customer service to consumers.

Referring to the challenge of environmental pollution, Shri Pradhan said answer to Delhi’s pollution lies in migrating its power plants, industrial units besides domestic and transport usages to clean fuel. He said the Government is firm in its commitment to provide clean CNG and PNG for cooking and transport at customer’s convenience to promote Gas Based Economy.

Shri Pradhan also distributed smart cards to some of the fleet as well as retail customers of IGL. He also saw demonstration of smart cards transaction after fuel dispensing at the CNG station.

Members of Parliament from Delhi Shri Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Shri Parvesh Verma, Chairman and Managing Director, GAIL (India) Ltd., Shri B.C. Tripathi, Managing Director, IGL, Shri E.S. Ranganathan, senior officials, transporters and CNG customers were among those who were present in the launch ceremony of the cards.

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[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh launching the RE-INVEST 2017 Website, at the Curtain Raiser Ceremony for Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-Invest 2017) and Founding Ceremony of ISA, in New Delhi on October 12, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Anand Kumar and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh launching the RE-INVEST 2017 Social Media, at the Curtain Raiser Ceremony for Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-Invest 2017) and Founding Ceremony of ISA, in New Delhi on October 12, 2017. The Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Republic of Kiribati, Mr. Ruateki Tekaiara, the Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Anand Kumar and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, the Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Republic of Kiribati, Mr. Ruateki Tekaiara, the French Ambassador to India, Mr. Alexandre Ziegler and the Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Anand Kumar, at the Curtain Raiser Ceremony for Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-Invest 2017) and Founding Ceremony of ISA, in New Delhi on October 12, 2017.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, the Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Republic of Kiribati, Mr. Ruateki Tekaiara, the French Ambassador to India, Mr. Alexandre Ziegler and the Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Anand Kumar, at the Curtain Raiser Ceremony for Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-Invest 2017) and Founding Ceremony of ISA, in New Delhi on October 12, 2017.

The Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh delivering the keynote address, at the Curtain Raiser Ceremony for Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-Invest 2017) and Founding Ceremony of ISA, in New Delhi on October 12, 2017. The Minister for Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Republic of Kiribati, Mr. Ruateki Tekaiara, the French Ambassador to India, Mr. Alexandre Ziegler and the Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Anand Kumar are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Maharashtra Energy Minister, Shri Chandrashkahr Bawankule calling on the Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, in New Delhi on October 16, 2017.

The Maharashtra Energy Minister, Shri Chandrashkahr Bawankule calling on the Minister of State (I/C) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, in New Delhi on October 16, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at an event to inaugurate the 400kWp Solar Power Plant at Raj Bhavan, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on October 16, 2017. The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurating the 400kWp Solar Power Plant at Raj Bhavan, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on October 16, 2017. The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu releasing the coffee table book ‘THOSE EVENTFUL DAYS’, authored by the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao, at the inauguration of the 400kWp Solar Power Plant at Raj Bhavan, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on October 16, 2017. The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing at an event to inaugurate the 400kWp Solar Power Plant at Raj Bhavan, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on October 16, 2017.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Power
18-October, 2017 18:35 IST
Coordinated effort among ministries shows the path to tide over the temporary crisis of coal shortage and occasional high prices in the Power Exchange

Press reports have highlighted the issue of the rise in price of power on the Power Exchange on 16th October 2017 to Rs 10.8 per unit. Power Prices on IEX on 17th October 2017 on an average for the day was Rs. 5.45 per unit, and maximum prices were Rs 10.80 only for half an hour from 6.30 PM to 7.00 PM. The prices on 18th Oct 2017 has dropped to average for the day of Rs 4.33 per unit.

It also needs to be noted that the volume of power being traded in the market is to the tune of about 150 Million Units (MU) per day against the total generation of around 3750 MU per day(which is around 4%). Discoms are largely meeting their demand through long term / Medium term contracts and the impact of the current spike in the exchange price is marginal.

The total installed generation capacity is around 330GW, out of which the coal based power stations in the country is 193GW which is sufficient to meet the maximum peak demand of 163GW occurred during the current year. At present the maximum peak demand during October 17 is around 160 GW which is around 10 GW higher than the same period last year. The overall growth in generation has been around 6% and the growth of generation from coal based stations was 17% in August 2017 in comparison to the same period last year. Coal based generation continues to see a rise in September and October 2017.

The issue of coal supply to power plants is being addressed in a co-coordinated manner by the three concerned Ministries i.e Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Railways. This is being monitored at the highest level and Minister of State for Power reviewed it on yesterday with the three Ministries and coal companies. A detailed plan has been agreed which would be implemented from today (18.10.17) and would ensure sufficient supply of coal to power plants.

Shri R K Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal jointly reviewed the status on today (18.10.17) and also spoke to concerned States which have requested for enhanced supply of coal. They also noted that supply to States like Maharashtra, has improved and efforts will be made to improve the coal stock in all the power stations with low stocks. It was also agreed that issues with some DVC power plants which are affected due to closure of Dhanbad – Chandrapura railway line would be resolved expeditiously. Inspite of the unprecedented rise in the demand for coal based power, due to better coordinated planning on daily, weekly and monthly basis and it’s implementation by all the stakeholders, the demand of electricity in the grid is being met and all efforts would be made to ensure availability of adequate power in future also.

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[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumba...0-per-month/story-2ZYX3H4ji9WZuoSDfoy6DN.html

Lights, fans, water pumps, lifts and air conditioners at the seven-storey college building and a two-floor annexe building will all run on solar energy.
mumbai Updated: Oct 22, 2017 22:51 IST

The 150-panel rooftop solar setup at Maharashtra College of Arts and Commerce in Nagpada.

A south Mumbai college has adopted solar energy on such a large scale that it will help them wipe out their carbon footprint over the next 25 years. Last week, the Maharashtra College of Arts and Commerce in Nagpada commissioned a 50 kilowatt-power (kWp) solar rooftop setup with 150 panels, which is the largest solar power project among all educational institutes in south Mumbai.

“This is the largest capacity unit installed in south Mumbai for residential, educational and religious institutions. We estimate that such a project has a lifespan of 25 years. This means we will be able to save 927.5 tonnes of CO2 over the next 25 years by using this green energy source,” said Sirajuddin Chowgule, principal of the college, which has 3,700 students.

According to a carbon footprint calculator by the US Energy and Information Administration, one kilowatt hour (kw-hr) consumption of solar energy equals 500gm of CO2 saved. The setup on the college will help it save 37.1 tonnes of CO2 every year — that’s a saving of Rs7,70,000 annually.

The power source will generate 191.7 kilowatt-hour (kWh) energy per day and 70,000 kWh annually. Lights, fans, water pumps, lifts and air conditioners at the seven-storey college building and a two-floor annexe building will all run on solar energy.

Nahid Bhujwala, head of the department of accountancy, said the college researched similar projects for the past two months. “We surveyed other solar projects and found that it will be extremely cost-effective and will help us save Rs 64,000 per month,” he said adding, “The college will generate its own electricity at a cost of Rs 2.71 per kWh for 25 years against the original tariff of Rs 14 per kWh.”

The renewable energy source will not only benefit the college but also areas in the city where there is less supply of electricity. A net-metering system has been installed, which allows surplus power generated by solar setup to be exported back to the grid and any deficiency is imported from the grid. At the end of a financial year, the society will be charged by the power supplier only for the ‘net usage’, said members of Green Power Projects Pvt Ltd that installed the project. “The college spent Rs38 lakh for the installation and it was self financed,” said Muhammad Sohail Shaikh, chief operating officer, Green Power Projects Pvt Ltd. “The project will help cover 60% of the current electricity consumption of the college. They will recover the cost of installation within the next five years.”

Solar energy is a free source of renewable energy that does not cause pollution and instead reduces carbon emissions that come from burning coal, gas and oil for electricity generation. It can be used in remote areas where electricity from the grid cannot be accessed.