Fertiliser min to oppose planned move to give priority to power sector

The oil ministry’s intent to give priority to the power sector for allocation of gas has raised an alarm in the fertiliser ministry. Sources have indicated that the fertiliser ministry will strongly oppose the move when oil ministry circulates the a note on gas allocation for approval of the empowered group of ministers’ (EGoM). It is also likely to seek higher priority for the fertliser sector so that benefits of cheaper fuel reach the country’s farming community.

THE proposed 1,320-megawatt Rampal power plant is an outcome of the Bangladesh prime minister’s visit to India from January 10-12, 2010.

Private mining giants like Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and others likely to partner with Coal India under a new public-private partnership (PPP) model in the works won’t have any ownership rights in th

Bihar government has reiterated its resolution to make the state self sufficient in power within next two years. However, it has also indicated towards further hike in electricity tariffs in the state.

"Power is vital for state's development," state Energy Minister Vijayendra Yadav told state assembly on Monday, "therefore we are doing everything to get more electricity. We have set a target of 5,300 MW for power generation by 2015. This includes the current central allocation of 1,800 MW. The state government hopes that the Barh NTPC will be ready by 2015, from where we have been allocated 1,200 MW. Apart from this, state power generation units at Muzzafarpur and Barauni would also be ready by then. We expect 800 MW from these units.

The much discussed 500 MW coal power plant in Sampur, Trincomalee would go ahead as scheduled, a top official of the Power and Energy Ministry said yesterday.

Hundreds of oustees affected by the Kol Dam project from the districts of Mandi, Shimla and Solan, besides Bilaspur, held a demonstration in the town today.

They carried banners and placards displaying their demands and raised slogans against the Kol Dam management of the NTPC and the district administration. They alleged that both had collaborated in trying to end forcefully their peaceful agitation and the latter had tried to vitiate the atmosphere at the dam site.

Of the 92 major power projects reviewed by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for their fuel position, 54 are facing “acute coal shortage”, which is resulting in inadequate power supply/blackouts in various parts of the country, crippling of industrial output and impact on households.

Blame this not only on the stagnation in India’s coal output and a widening demand-supply gap for the fuel, but also on the Centre’s standing linkage committees (SLCs).

The Capital is set to lose nearly 400 MW of power starting midnight on Monday as the NHPC, NTPC and PGCIL have decided to regulate power supply to discom BSES for non-payment of dues.

Powergrid through its regulation notice dated February 11 has informed of a 100 per cent curtailment of power supply to BRPL and BYPL from identified inter-State stations except from Dadri to BRPL. BYPL will lose around 260 MW of power while BYPL stands to lose 160 MW. The power plants from where Delhi will lose out on its allocated share include Singrauli, Rihand-I, Rihand-II, Dadri-II, Chamera-I and Chamera-II.

An inter-ministerial committee will meet on March 7 to deliberate on allocation of 17 coal blocks to public sector undertakings (PSUs). The blocks have estimated reserves of 8.45 billion tonnes.

The panel will deliberate on the feedback received from the State governments after scrutinising the applications from PSUs. The Coal Ministry has said that the inter-ministerial technical committee, under the chairmanship of Advisor (Technical), will meet to consider inputs received from the Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL) and State governments and administrative Ministries concerned.

If PM Manmohan Singh’s efforts to perk up India’s slowing growth are not quite paying off, the case of a 1,900 MW power plant cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) on Wednesday —12 years after it received all approvals — may provide a part of the answer.

The foundation stone of NTPC’s proposed plant at Chatra in Jharkhand was laid by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. But a relentless turf war all but put paid to Rs 250 crore invested by NTPC since 2000.