In a deal valued at $1.5 b, state-owned consortium ICVL, GVK,and Reliance Power have shown early interest
VINU LAL & MV RAMSURYA BANGALORE/MUMBAI

Three top Indian companies have joined the race to bid for the coal assets of one of Australia

No coolant trouble; plants in areas of low seismic activity
As radiation leaks in tsunami-hit Japan spawn concerns over the safety of nuclear reactors in India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday met with the heads of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to review the design and safety features of atomic power plants in the country.

The AEC and AERB

286 projects representing almost every state await clearance
THE number of green clearances granted by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has seen a significant decline over the last three years,with most of the brunt being borne by the non-coal mining projects.

Development projects covering irrigation, power, mining and infrastructure have been hit as it has become more difficult

MUMBAI: Stressing that Indian atomic power plants were constantly upgraded to match current levels of safety requirements and were safe, scientists on Monday said that the events in Japan cannot slow down the country's nuclear energy programme in any way.

The final report on the price of ethanol set by a committee of the Planning Commission has been signed with dissent notes from the ministries of food and oil and natural gas.

"The report is qualified since most of our concerns were not being addressed and we will wait for the Cabinet to take a final call when it vets these final recommendations,&" said an official member close to the developmen

So we learn from the Budget presentation of the finance minister that India is planning to launch a National Mission for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Power Finance Corporation, a Navratna public sector lender, is in the process of creating a wholly-owned subsidiary for the renewable energy sector, in a couple of weeks, to be called PFC Green Energy Ltd.

M K GoelM K Goel, director (commercial), PFC, told reporters here today that this sector required relatively smaller amounts and had not been getting adequate priority.

Shortfall in coal supply may touch 269 million tonnes by 2021-22, from the current level of around 80 million tonnes as domestic producers fail to keep up with the growing demand for the commodity.

The demand for coal in 2021-22 is projected to be around 1,353 million tonnes as against the production assessment of 1,084 million tonnes, resulting in a shortfall of 269 million tonnes, said the Co

The penultimate year of the 11th Five Year Plan is expected to witness a record addition to power generation capacity of 15,000 megawatt, taking the total capacity to 1.75 lakh MW, but insufficient availability of coal and fuel due to environmental restrictions pose a problem to meeting the overall Plan target.