The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) issued guidelines to achieve 100% utilization of ash with least burden on electricity consumers. These guidelines were a response to recent
The Power Development Board and a Chinese company signed an agreement on Wednesday for installation of a 150 MW power plant at Shikalbaha in Chittagong. The dual-fuel plant will come into operation by September 2009 as per the Tk 574.87 crore turnkey contract signed with the Sinohydro Corporation. The representatives of PDB and Sinohydro signed the contract at the WAPDA Building. The PDB's chairman Shawkat Ali, Sinohydro's vice-president Yang Gang and other high officials of the PDB were present on the occasion.
SILCHAR, Feb 20
Leading power companies, including Larsen & Turbo, Reliance Energy, Tata Power, Nagarjuna Construction, GVK Infrastructure and Sterlite Industries have expressed interest in taking up the construction of Rajpura thermal and Talwandi Sabo mega power projects in Punjab. The projects are proposed to be awarded to developers on build, own and operate (BOO) basis, through tariff-based international competitive bidding (ICB). For both the projects, Power Finance Corporation has been appointed as the consultant resulting in such a tremendous response.
HARYANA Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda reviewed the progress of the construction work of the 2x600 MW Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant being set up at Khedar in Hisar. A spokesman of the power department said that the ongoing civil and mechanical works of the mega project were on in full swing. As much as 98 per cent of the piling works had been completed and the work of boiler erection had commenced on December 4 last year. The base raft foundations of the Cooling Towers and Chimney had also been cast. The two units would start generating power by November 2009 and February 2010. On completion of the project, as many as 288 lakh units of electricity per day would be available for the people of Haryana. The spokesman said that the progress of 2x300 MW Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Project, Yamuna Nagar was also reviewed. It was informed that after synchronization in November 2007, Unit-1 had generated 728 lakh units which had been pumped into the grid. This unit would start com- h; mercial operation in March,2008. The Unit will be synchronized on oil in March, 5l 2008, he informed. Haryana Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala was also present on the occasion.
Jindal India Thermal Power, a subsidiary of the BC Jindal group, is planning a power generation capacity of more than 4,500 mw in four years. Jindal Power will invest Rs 20,000 crore for the capacity, expecting high returns. "We expect 15-18 per cent return on investment for these projects,' said Director Punit Gupta. Though power is a regulated return sector, private sector companies have managed to better the 14 per cent return that the regulator allows. The Jindal group, which follows many other private sector companies in diversifying into power, is setting up the projects in the coal-rich states of Orissa, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. While it is planning a 2,000 mw project in Madhya Pradesh, for which a memorandum of understanding will be signed with the state government shortly, work on the 1,200 mw plant in Orissa is in progress. Financial closure of the Rs 4,400 crore Orissa project is expected by next month-end. The company also expects to procure main plant equipment (boiler-turbine-generator) through bidding. The project is expected to be commissioned by September 2010. "In Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the states have the first right to purchase of 30 per cent of the power, while in Orissa it is 25 per cent,' said Gupta. The rest of the power will be contracted through PTC India. The company is also planning a foray into hydroelectricity.
THE US Environmental Protection Agency is in trouble again. Already under fire for failing to get tough on carbon dioxide emissions, the agency has now had its scheme for dealing with mercury pollution ruled illegal.
>> In a non-binding report, the European Parliament has given more time to car manufacturers for reducing CO2 emissions from tailpipes. Manufacturers should reduce the emissions to 125 grammes
Beijing is implementing strict measures to improve air quality, a commitment it took on as host of the 2008 Olympic Games. But a boom in automobile numbers could put paid to its plans. Delhi faces the same challenge with the Commonwealth Games slated for
A team of foreign experts has praised the performance of Kota Super Thermal Power Station in Rajasthan after studying its plant load factor, environment protection, modernisation and utilisation of fuel. The 75-member team, constituted under the Asia-Pacific Partnership, observed the plant over the weekend from the perspective of "clean functioning' and described its performance as remarkable.
Efforts are being made to set up another thermal power station with a capacity of 500 mw called Pithead Thermal Power Project (PTPP) in Sattupalli by APGenco. The officials of APGenco started clearing the bottlenecks in setting up the power project there such as finding water, land and coal linkage.
