Power from water in state takes a dip - Mumbai - Cities - The Times of India

Mumbai - Cities - The Times of India

Power from water in state takes a dip
9 Jun 2009, 0124 hrs IST, Chittaranjan Tembhekar, TNN

MUMBAI: Though Maharashtra's power generation from coal (thermal power) has gone up manifold, the power being generated from water (hydro power)
and natural gas has dipped considerably. Several such units are being phased out slowly, thereby increasing the gap between the installed capacity and the actual generation. This has resulted in a scenario in which the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has had to buy almost double electricity from the power producers outside the state in 2008 than it bought in 2007.

The scenario may remain grim if more power is not provided by private players. Of the eight private power projects sanctioned in the state a few years ago, only one has started generation. Except one that may start generation in September this year, the remaining six companies are yet to start the work because of red tape. This was revealed in Maharashtra's economic survey--released by the state government last week.

Against the installed power-producing capacity of 21,654 MW, actual generation capacity comes to around 11,450 MW.

The performance of many suppliers has been dipping. The Maharashtra State Electricity Generation Company Ltd generated hydro power of 4606 MKWH (million kilo watt per hour) power in 2008 against 5651 MKWH in 2007. Similarly, it generated 3730 MKWH power in 2008 against 4028 MKWH in 2007.

Tata Power Company also seem to have lost generation capacity of its hydro and natural gas units. It produced 1489 MKWH hydro power in 2008 against 2137 MKWH in 2007. Its power generation through natural gas was 1339 MKWH in 2007 against 1337 MKWH in 2008.

So, the amount of power MSEDCL bought has gone up along with the cost. It had to purchase 78836 MKWH electricity during 2008 at a cost of Rs 15262 crore as against the 49710 MKWH power in 2007 by spending Rs 11,706 crore. This is considered the biggest power purchase by any state in the country.

Except for Ratnagiri Gas Power Project Ltd's (RGPPL) addition of nearly 500 MW, the scenario may not improve unless the private companies come up with their units.

The economic survey says that of the total eight private players who are setting up power units in the state, the 1500 MW capacity plants of Tata Power in Deharand and Trombay have just started producing 250 MW from March 2009 while the Jindal Power Corporation's Jaigad unit promises commissioning of 300 MW in September this year. The remaining proposed six power generation units have still not got land acquisition and clearances to actually start construction work.

simpler eco clearance norms for infrastructure projects

Panel suggests simpler eco clearance norms for infrastructure projects

---

Clearances under numerous rules can take years to come

---

Our Bureau

New Delhi, June 2 A high-power Finance Ministry panel has recommended that infrastructure projects should be subjected to much simpler environmental clearance rules.

Currently, apart from the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, projects need to get numerous clearances from rules under Sections 3, 6 and 25 of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. The process can take several years sometimes.

The panel suggested that industrial/infrastructure projects should be allowed to bypass these rules and that the EIA Notification should be comprehensive enough to cover all the other rules.

The report was submitted to the Prime Minister before the election. Mr Jairam Ramesh is entrusted with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

The panel says that the Ministry does not grant the required clearances within the prescribed timeframe. To speed up things, it has come out with a large number of recommendations.

Thus, it has called for bringing in Standardised Terms of Reference (ToR) to minimise the time taken at the ‘scoping’ stage for repetitive projects.

This would apply to construction of berths and jetties, widening of national highways and construction of thermal power plants of capacity less than 1,000 MW.

Another recommendation is that all expansion of roads and highways should be exempted from public hearings.

Similarly, the expansion projects of major ports, which do not require additional land acquisition, should be exempted.

The panel suggested that data requirements should be relevant to the location of the project. Also, these should be identified and the onus of proof of correctness of the information should be placed upon the applicant.

It suggested a penalty, of cancellation of the project, if the information submitted is incorrect. This, it is expected, will reduce the scope for wrong information being filed.

In what may just be a coincidence, India eased import restrictions on scrap metals this week.

A few thousand tonnes were held up with the Customs, awaiting environmental clearance after they were found to be mildly radioactive.

Related Stories:
Gaps in India Inc preparedness on climate change: KPMG
Investment in rural infrastructure crucial

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu Business Line

Mundra Thermal Power Plant Set To Commence Operation In Gujarat

First Unit Of Adani Power’s Mundra Thermal Power Plant Set To Commence Operation In Gujarat - Energy Business Review : News

First Unit Of Adani Power’s Mundra Thermal Power Plant Set To Commence Operation In Gujarat

Published:14-May-2009

By Staff Reporter

Adani Power Limited (Adani Power), an ancillary of the Adani Group, has announced that the first unit of its Mundra thermal power station is ready to commence operation on May 20, 2009 in Gujarat. The company is prepared to produce 330 megawatts (MW) out of 4,620 MW total capacity in the Mundra power facility. The power station will reach completion by the end of 2012. Adani Power has already entered into power purchase agreements with the Gujarat administration.

In later phases, the plant will supply power to Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra.

For removal of power from Mundra power plant, Adani Power has established a 413 km, 400 kV dedicated transmission line.

Siemens AG has been awarded a contract to establish this transmission line.

China has supplied the equipment and technology for the project.

At least 10,000 workers including laborers have been hired at the project site, with Chinese workers representing 10%.

Adani Power’s goal in the next five years is to achieve 9000 MW power generation with a 100% growth inputs in each stage.

First unit of Gujarat’’s Mundra power plant ready for operation

Duniyalive.com » First unit of Gujarat’’s Mundra power plant ready for operation

First unit of Gujarat’’s Mundra power plant ready for operation
Posted on May 14th, 2009 in Latest India News

Mundra (Gujarat), May 14(ANI): The first unit of Mundra power plant in Gujarat is set to start by May 20.

first-unit-of-gujarats-mundra-power-plant-ready-for-operation

The Adani Power, an ancillary of the Adani Group, is ready to generate 330 MW out of 4620 MW capacity in Mundra power plant.

The country’’s largest and world’’s third largest thermal power plant, the Adani power plant will be completed by the end of 2012.

“At Mundra power project, the total capacity is 4620 MW. It is in four stages wherein the first unit is likely to be commissioned on May 20. And thereafter, all units will be commissioned one after the other every three months. These four units are basically meant for supplying 1000 MW power which we have committed through the PPA to Gujarat,” said Rajkumar Gupta, director, Adani Power Limited.

The company has already signed Power Purchase Agreements with the Gujarat Government. The project will also give power to Maharashtra, Haryana and Rajasthan at later stages.

The company has also set up a 413 km, 400 KV Mundra-Dehgam dedicated transmission line for evacuation of power from Mundra power station.

The contract to set up the transmission line was taken up by the Siemens, a German company.

The technology and the equipment for the project are from China.

At least 10,000 workers including labourers are employed at the site. Ten per cent of the employees are from China.

At the Adani Power, 9000 MW power generation is targeted in the coming five years with a 100 per cent growth inputs in every phase.

This project is much bigger than the Ultra Mega Power Plants (UMPP) set up across the country.

Power generation in the country is steadily improving every year. (ANI)

Coal in place, GMR plans 2,000-Mw thermal plant

Coal in place, GMR plans 2,000-Mw thermal plant

Coal in place, GMR plans 2,000-Mw thermal plant
Mahesh Kulkarni & Ravi Menon / Bangalore May 12, 2009, 1:12 IST

GMR Energy, a subsidiary of Bangalore-based infrastructure company GMR Infrastructure Ltd, is planning to set up a 2,000-Mw thermal power plant near a port on the west coast. The company has already tied up coal supplies by acquiring a mine for $100 million in Indonesia last year.


Also Read

News Now

Paper

Specials
- Sensex slips 138pts; ACC, HDFC gain 3%
- Congress projected ahead in exit polls
- Court rejects bail pleas of Raju brothers, ex-CFO
- GMR Holdings hikes stake to 74.84 % in GMR Industries
- LIC hikes stake in UBI to 9 %; buys shares worth Rs 142 cr
- Varun moves SC for quashing of his detention under NSA
More

Also Read

News Now

Paper

Specials

- Markets shrug off poll, IIP data blues
- RIL may repay Rs 15,000 cr debt this fiscal
- Tata Steel plans Rs 3,000 cr non-convertible debenture issue
- DLF promoters up stake for sale on good response
- Laid off overseas, IIM students request institutes to place them again
More

Also Read

News Now

Paper

Specials

- Q3 FY09 Results: Earnings Season
- Saving Satyam: Govt gets into action
- India-Pakistan Tensions: Fallout of Mumbai Terror Attack
- Your Money: Where to invest
- Market Crash: Global worries weigh
- Time Out: Books, fashion, food, travel, sports, health...
More

A Subbarao, chief finance officer, GMR Group, said total investments in the power project were yet to be ascertained. “The investments will be decided on the basis of the capacity of the power plant. Typically, a 1,000-Mw thermal power plant requires an investment of Rs 4,500 crore,” he told Business Standard.

Although the company has not finalised the location of the plant, it would like to have it close to key consumption centres in Maharashtra and Gujarat, where demand for power is high.

GMR Energy is in the process of identifying prospective locations along the east coast for the proposed plant.

“The Indonesian coal firm, which we acquired, will be ready for coal extraction in two years and we want to be ready with a project to utilise the raw material,” Subbarao said.

This mine has reserves of 100 million tonnes (mt) and is spread over 25,000 hectares in southern Sumatra. The licence provides GMR with a 30-year mining lease over two separate coal blocks.

GMR Energy has two power projects in operation in Chennai and Mangalore with a cumulative capacity of 420 Mw, and is setting up greenfield projects (thermal and hydro) with a cumulative capacity of 3,130 Mw. These projects are spread across Uttarakhand, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The board of directors of GMR Group, at their meeting in Bangalore on Saturday, decided to seek shareholder approval to raise up to $1 billion to fund growth plans, which include road and power projects.

“We are competitive in our tariff. We are yet to sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) with any government for the new thermal power plant. Once we finalise the location, we will sign the PPA,” Subbarao said.

He said the company was not looking at roping in a partner for the thermal power project.

JSW Energy to invest Rs 8k cr in two projects

JSW Energy to invest Rs 8k cr in two projects- Power-Energy-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

JSW Energy to invest Rs 8k cr in two projects
11 May 2009, 0051 hrs IST, Pradeep Pandey, ET Bureau

Print EMail Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
MUMBAI: The JSW group-promoted JSW Energy is planning to invest Rs 8,000 crore to build two thermal power projects of a combined capacity of over
2,000 megawatts in Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the current fiscal year, a senior executive said.

"These projects would use coal from the existing reserves in the area, as they are pithead projects," JSW group chairman Sajjan Jindal told ET. The group is looking for coal mines in Chhattisgarh and Orissa and is in talks with the respective governments, he added. "We've already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chhattisgarh government and are in the process of acquiring land for the proposed project of 2X660 MW unit, in Orissa, we would be proceeding post election."

The financial closure for these projects would be completed by the end of the current fiscal year, along with the group's other projects in West Bengal and Jharkhand, where land acquisition has been completed, said Mr Jindal. The debt-equity ratio for the projects will be 3:1 and the funds may be lined up with a consortium of domestic banks led by SBI. JSW Energy has also entered into tie-ups with China's Shanghai Electric and Dong Fang of Korea to supply power equipment for the power plants.

The group has plans to build thermal power projects across the country and a hydro power project in Himachal Pradesh. For these projects, the group had envisaged investment of about Rs 16,500 crore in the previous fiscal year.

JSW projects at various places, excluding those in Rajasthan and Karnataka, were delayed by one year, as the group had put on hold its expansion plans due to the global financial crisis. JSW Energy was planning to raise about Rs 4,000 crore through an initial public offer last year. However, its power projects in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan will be fully commissioned by 2010. The combined capacity of these three projects is 3,600 MW. SS Rao, joint managing director of JSW Energy, said: "Last month, our two units at Vijayanagar, each of 135 MW, have already started operation. Another unit of 300 MW along with first unit of 8X135 at Barmer will start in July."

Green manifesto to save Western Ghats

Green manifesto to save Western Ghats

Green manifesto to save Western Ghats


Dhanya Matsa
First Published : 07 May 2009 03:19:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 07 May 2009 07:58:55 AM IST

CHENNAI: Candidates contesting from the 32 parliamentary constituencies that fall under the Western Ghats region in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala would now have to sign a letter promising to take up measures to protect the Western Ghats.

An initiative of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement, Wildlife Association of Rajapalayam (WAR), and the Organisation for Social Awareness and Illumination (OSAI), Coimbatore, several non-governmental organisations and wildlife enthusiasts have drafted a manifesto on the Western Ghats to garner the support of policy makers, who will decide on these issues in their constituencies for the next five years.

Joint Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement, S Jayachandran, said: “The importance of issues such as protection of forests need to be emphasised among candidates so that they raise these issues at the national level.’’

He said that the manifesto detailed the connection between the protection of forests in the Western Ghats and ensuring water security in South India through the protecting the rivers such as Cauvery, Tungabhadra and Krishna.

The manifesto enumerates the danger of implementing various projects like mega thermal power plants, which were under consideration for implementation in places such as Konkan and the Western Coast.

The representatives of these organisations told Express that they would present the candidates with the manifesto that would enumerate the danger of constructing dams in the Western Ghats and emphasised on the need for a review of the existing dams in the Ghats to enable MPs to make an informed decision.

“The depleted forest cover occupies only less than 36 per cent, while it needs to have at least 66 per cent of the total geographical area of the Ghats. Also, rampant monoculture of exotic species should be discouraged, and instead, indigenous plants and trees should be grown to conserve the ecology of the Ghats. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve should be developed into a modern reserve. This will ensure ecological security for the three States,’’ said T S Subramaniyaraja, naturalist, Wildlife Association of Rajapalayam.

These demands were made after consultation meetings of over 85 organisations working towards saving the Western Ghats and S Jayachandran hoped that major political parties and their candidates would endorse these demands.