Energy Minister Dr Gauri Shankar Shejwar has asked 23 private sector companies to complete the projects entrusted to them soon. MoUs have already been signed with these companies for generation of 26 thousand 800 megawatt power.

State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on Monday announced it has bagged a Rs 1,150 crore turnkey contract for setting up an energy-efficient 153-MW captive power plant at Bhatinda in Punjab. The Rs 1,150 -crore order has been placed on the company by HMEL, a joint venture of HPCL and Mittal Energy Ltd. "Under international competitive bidding (ICB), the company won the contract to set up environment-friendly 153-MW captive power plant at the upcoming Guru Gobind Singh Refinery at Bhatinda,' a company release said.

Existing technology could cut the pollution from power stations to a fraction of its current levels if only it were installed. The European Environment Agency has been looking at emissions of acidic pollutants nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) from 450 of the continent's biggest power stations. The large combustion plants (LCP) include those which burn coal, gas or oil and their combined emissions account for almost three quarters of the total from this sector.

Energy industry says more construction needed Environmentalists argue more energy efficiency could greatly reduce the need fora huge new wave of power plants and transmission lines. In two studies out Monday, the power industry gives its terse response: Don't count on it. Increased efficiency can offset a substantial but relatively small portion of the increase in generating capacity needed to meet rising electricity demand, the studies say.

Federal government has agreed to continue to prepare short-term policy recommendations and awareness-building under ongoing new ADB financing project "Sustainable Energy Efficiency Development Programme". Under this programme, new government will further develop recommendations for removing the institutional bottlenecks to government-sponsored energy efficiency and conservation programmes and support mechanisms playing a more effective role in nurturing a nascent energy efficiency industry and consumer culture.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) which meets on Thursday is expected to consider a proposal to give BHEL an order to supply equipment for 10 power plants using the advanced 800-mw supe

Power Grid Corp, the country's largest power transmission utility, on Friday said it has signed agreements with World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) for two loans of $600 million each for fun

THAT'S NOT COUNTING the energy efficiency technology market aimed at reducing power consumption.

POWER sector financing company Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Railways technical advisory wing RITES, on Thursday, signed an MoU to jointly import coal from countries, including Africa, to ease s

Power generation projects will become unviable if the cost of land acquisition goes beyond Rs.5 lakh an acre, according to Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswami.