The state forest department on Wednesday began tiger census at the Satkosia tiger reserve in Angul district.

With Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) not keen for the proposed Rs 8,000 crore common coal corridor project, Odisha government today decided to take up the corridor work through its own agency.

Company fears that other units may be shut down completely if the situation does not improve in coming days

The utility major, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has shut down one 500 Mw unit of its 3000 MW Kaniha power plant due to acute shortage of coal. The plant was sourcing coal from nearby Talcher coalfields of Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL), a Coal India (CIL) subsidiary. The coal scarcity has also hit the capacity utilization of other five other units of the power plant, the second largest power complex under NTPC umbrella, forcing it to generate only 2000 Mw against a full capacity of 3000 Mw.

The company had signed an MoU with the state govt in Sep 2006, it envisaged an investment of Rs 4,500 cr

Monnet Power Company Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd, hopes to commission the first 525 Mw unit of its 1050 Mw coal-based power plant in Odisha by September this year. The power project is coming up at Chhendipada near Angul.

The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has asked the ministry of environment to investigate into the Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) plant illegally drawing groundwater for its upcoming power plant in Angul district.

JSP is building a 12-million tonne steel plant with a captive power plant of 135 MW.
Khirod Singh, a lawyer and farmer in Angul district, pointed out that, “Our tube wells and ponds have all begun to go dry and by mid-March we will not even have drinking water. Last year also we suffered the same fate.”

Refroms in the state power sector seem to have hit a major roadblock with people in Dhenkanal and Angul districts demanding the cancellation of an MoU for smart energy management signed by the state-owned power utility and Enzen Global, which has its headquarters in Bangalore.

Aiming to cut down the Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) last year signed an MoU with Enzen Global entrusting the latter with tasks like checking power pilferage, maintenance of low transmission line, meter-reading and bill collection in the Dhenkanal electric circle

Angul: Three summers have passed and another is round the corner since its foundation was laid, but the Rs 12-crore project at Derjang in Angul block to provide drinking water to the town has remai

BHUBANESWAR: A mild earthquake measuring 2.9 on the Richter scale was recorded in Odisha Wednesday, an official said. There was no damage to property or any loss of life.

The earthquake occurred at 10.45 a.m. with its epicentre at latitude 20.7 degree north and longitude 85.1 degree east in Angul district of the state, the meteorological centre here said in a statement.

ANGUL: The agitation by Jibana, Jibika Krushi Surakshya Committee (JJKSC) at Baradamalia village in Kishore Nagar block of the district, opposing setting up of a power plant, has entered its 11th month.

The state government had issued notification to the people for the acquisition of the land for the proposed 1980 MW power plant by J R Power Jain Company two years ago.

The indefinite agitation by people of Jarada village, who lost their land and houses for Kaniha open-cast coalmine, entered its 12th day on Tuesday. Coal production is disrupted as the agitators are not allowing any employees to work.

More than 700 families were affected and 750 acres acquired by the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited(MCL) in 1995. Sources said though 450 families have been provided jobs till now, another 150 affected families are yet to get employment. Demanding jobs and resettlement, the villagers have been staging a sit-in in front of the coalmine main gate at Kaniha since January 24.