The New Year has begun well for Posco India, reviving its dream of setting up a mega steel project in the state of Odisha.

According to sources close to the company, a crucial revalidation of its environmental clearance has been granted. The company had resized its plans in 2013 because of the stiff opposition it faced over a land acquisition in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur, 10km south of the port town Paradeep, to a smaller plant of 8 mt. In 2013, the Supreme Court had given a favourable judgement clearing the way for the Centre to proceed with allocation of the iron ore mine recommended for the company’s project.

A key environmental panel has recommended clearance for two hydel power projects in the Siang river valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

The two projects—Simang I and II totalling 133 MW—are located on the Simang, the right bank tributary of the Siang River. Projects in the Siang river basin are viewed as strategically important on account of the border with China. Adishankar Power Pvt Ltd is the project developer.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has blamed “abnormal” delays in getting environment and forest clearances for road projects among the reasons for the current downturn in the sector.

In a letter to the ministry of road transport and highways on Monday, NHAI chairman RP Singh said the environment ministry had shown “misplaced enthusiasm” by making both environment and forest clearances mandatory for road projects, a move that is believed to have affected projects worth about .

The environment ministry has said that captive coal blocks for ultra mega power projects located in forest areas demarcated as “inviolate” will not be considered for clearance, a move likely to upset industry, particularly power sector majors.

However, as a measure of relief for developers of the 4,000 mw projects, the ministry has said in its December 30 order that in the event the captive coal block is not located in an “inviolate” area, it will delink the clearance for the 4,000 mw projects from the coal blocks, according to people aware of the development.

Less than a week after taking additional charge of the ministry of environment and forests, M Veerappa Moily has decentralised decision-making by empowering senior officials to expeditiously clear

GAIL India, the nation's biggest gas marketing company, has received environmental clearance for setting up a 220 MW gas-based power plant at Raigad in Maharashtra at a cost of . 1,028 crore.

The government may de-link forest clearance of coal blocks for 4,000 MW Odisha UMPP (ultra mega power project) with the environmental clearance accorded to the entire plant, so that delay in develo

The Odisha Integrated Power Ltd (OIPL), a fully owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) is in the process of preparing the draft power purchase agreement (PPA) for the first ultra mega