Ministry of new and renewable energy's new target is to increase such installations by five-fold to 15 GW by 2019 via solar parks after land acquisition delays this year
Following a huge blow from the Supreme Court, and a series of serious technical glitches, the government has quietly asked Coal India to cancel the auction of three coal blocks that were put under
Solar power can now be generated from still water found in ponds, lakes and waterbodies. A system of generating electricity from floating panels has been developed by a college in Kolkata.
Year-long row over quality & payment terms ends; other cos too may ink pacts
Leading power generator NTPC has resolved its public spat with Coal India over quality and payment terms, and agreed to sign fuel-supply agreements with the state monopoly a year after the deal was first offered.
Exponential increase in land prices raises cost by . 2,690 crore
Some 36 coal projects with estimated production capacity of 17.7 million tonnes per annum at the public sector monopoly Coal India turned unviable in Maharashtra because land prices have increased exponentially. CIL has shelved these projects and may take them up only if it can get a price that covers production cost from these proposed mines. “Coal price from these projects will rise by as much as 100% if we have to cover the cost of production,” said CIL officials.
India’s largest coal producer, staterun Coal India is not eligible for the first set of auctions for blocks although 17 of them are meant for public undertakings.
“We have been given to understand that the blocks on offer under the auction are not meant for us. It is for stateowned power utilities and other entities that require coal as a raw material,” CIL chairman S Narsing Rao told ET.
CIL has also not been informed so far about the blocks that were taken away from the private operators. It was earlier reported that the monopoly company may be given some of the blocks that were taken back by the government. “We have no information yet. Some of the companies have approached court and there is no clarity on the status of these blocks,” said Rao.
Out of 8.5 Lakh certificates offered for sale in Dec, 1.73 L find takers
Renewable energy certificates (REC) for power generated from wind, bio-mass, bio-fuel and small hydro plants are stacking up in the absence of takers, eroding a key incentive for renewable electricity. Out of 8.5 lakh such certificates offered for sale in December, barely 1.73 lakh found buyers — at a price of . 1,500 each, which is about 45% lower than a year ago.
The coal ministry has halved the production targets of captive coalmines owned by the private as well as public sector companies, a decision that is likely to exacerbate the shortage of the fuel su
