India's Power Sector

bala · Post by **bala** » 04 Oct 2007 07:20

Coal Ministry issues LoA for generation of 17,910 MW power

The Coal Ministry on Wednesday sanctioned coal linkages to public and private companies for generation of 17,910 MW electricity, taking the total approval to more than the capacity addition target in power sector during the 11th five-year plan .

"My Ministry has taken advance action so that public and private power companies can endeavour to meet the generation targets during the current plan,'' the Minister of State for Coal, Mr Dasari Narayana Rao told PTI. The government aims at adding fresh thermal power generation capacity of 52,909 MW during 2007-12.

With the latest Letter of Assurances (LoA) sanctioned today, a total of 62,282 MW capacity has been assured fuel provision. "Besides ensuring supply through linkages to coal PSUs, a large number of coal blocks have also been allotted to power plants for captive mining. Coal PSUs are committed to supply about 275 million tons of their produce under linkages to various power utilities,'' he said.

The latest allocations include 5,610 MW power projects in Uttar Pradesh, 3,000 MW in Punjab, 2,220 MW in Chhattisgarh, 2,010 MW in Orissa, 1,370 MW in Andhra Pradesh, 1,320 MW in Haryana, 2,240 MW in West Bengal, 5,00 MW in Karnataka and 300 MW in Himach al Pradesh. Those thermal projects given LoA include Uttar Pradesh- based Bara Thermal Power Station (TPS) of 1,980 MW, 1,320 MW-Karchana TPS, Anpara D TPS and Kobra TPS of 500 MW each and Rihand Super TPS of 500 MW of NTPC.

Laks · Post by **Laks** » 09 Oct 2007 14:06

ET
SEZ for renewable energy equipment to cost Rs 20,000 cr

he proposed special economic zone for manufacturing equipment for clean energy would come up at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemwar said on Saturday.
The location of the special economic zone is being finalised as proposals have been received from six states -- Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the minister said at India Energy Summit 2007 organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here.
"The estimated initial cost of the SEZ is around Rs 20,000 crore. The location would be finalised after taking into account factors such as central location, logistics availability and others," he said.

Rudranath · Post by **Rudranath** » 12 Oct 2007 14:18

â€˜Integrated Extended Scadaâ€™ will link over 1,000 nodes in Karnataka through the satellite that will bring in large savings
[quote]
Bangalore

Spurred by the success of satellite based communication in power sector, as demonstrated by the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (Gescom), an ambitious plan has been taken up to extend the benefits to the whole State.

The â€˜Integrated Extended Scadaâ€™ will see the linking of over 1,000 nodes in the State through the satellite in a project that could bring in large savings.

It was K R Adiseshan, a KPTCL engineer working for Gescom, who set the ball rolling. He implemented the VidyutNet network that connected all the generating stations and sub-stations in the district for an efficient real time data exchange and acquisition.

While, the sub-stations were linked through VSATs (very small aperture terminals), the headquarters were connected to a hub antenna.

Linked to the Insat 3C, this facilitated the exchange of information between these centres, he told Deccan Herald.

â€œThere is data going from every sub-station for every 2.5 seconds. The important aspect is that this is reliable data. This is the first such major link-up in any power sector in the world.â€

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 12 Oct 2007 16:37

As far as private distribution companies in power sector, except Tata to a large extent are concerned, all I see them do is demand power tariff hikes. At this rate most Indian cities cursed to be burdened with Private distribution companies will have the highest tariffs in the world.

Already Mumbai has the highest electricity tariff in the world, Delhi is on the way with unreliability as bonus. As usual Indians being taken for a ride. The BS never ends.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 17 Oct 2007 01:49

http://www.livemint.com/2007/10/0801285 ... -dera.html

New Delhi: The Union governmentâ€™s plan to accelerate approvals for a second ultra mega power project (UMPP) for Tamil Nadu, ruled by its ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), may come unstuck as NTPC Ltd, the largest power generating company and also a public sector undertaking (PSU), has claimed that the proposed sites under consideration had already been reserved for it.
The government, as reported in Mint on 3 October, is proposing a second coal-based 4,000MW UMPP in TN, even as it dragged its feet on a similar proposal for Gujarat, ruled by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Neyveli has been trying to cut into the action for a long time. Unfortunately, politically it is required to use BHEL as the supplier which makes it tariff uncompetitive. Hence this political maneuvering for a payoff. Hope the UMPP guys don't give in to such blackmail.

NTPC has so far been unsuccessful in winning a bid to set up the UMPP. A senior power sector expert, who did not wish to be identified, said, â€œIt is unfortunate and is a completely political issue. It is between the power ministry and NTPC to sort it out.

The political issue being BHEL. Why for you don't say so.

UMPPs have had their fair share of problems. Of the nine proposed projects, only six are on track. While the projects at Mundra in Gujarat and Sasan in Madhya Pradesh have been awarded to Tata Power Co. Ltd and Reliance Power Ltd, respectively, the ones at Tilaiya in Jharkhand, Krishnapattnam in Andhra Pradesh, Cheyyur or Marakkanam in TN, and Jharsuguda in Orissa are expected to be awarded in due course.
The Centre is expected to abandon plans to set up UMPPs at Girye in Maharashtra, Karnatakaâ€™s Tadri, and Akaltara in Chhattisgarh for reasons ranging from environmental concerns to differences with the state government.

WTF, I thought these states were deeply power challenged.

You don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 21 Oct 2007 21:56

5 nuclear plants shut down for want of fuel: NPCIL

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Oct 2007 22:02

'environmentalists' and 'local civic society activists' have ensured no UMPP
is going to come up in mangalore side. for every site they say a river is
threatened or fishermen will be affected. as there are really no uninhabited
part in India, they have ready hooks to hang their hat on.

these people are on par with the rich BLR enviro crowd who protest the
cutting of every tree but never citizens getting exposed to hardship and
pollution on the narrow roads whose widening is sometimes blocked by
trees. why should they care, they have everything they need.

Katare · Post by **Katare** » 22 Oct 2007 20:56

Gerard wrote:5 nuclear plants shut down for want of fuel: NPCIL

If they are having so much problem maintaining 4000MW, how would they manage to find fuel for 20,000MW by 2020!

The truth comes out from the commercial entity (who has to earn its money) while researchers like kakodkar and his eilk, feeding on tax payer money, would go on shouting self reliance by 2020!

Laks · Post by **Laks** » 24 Oct 2007 08:35

link
Mumbai power deficit soars to 500 MW as post-monsoon demand peaks

ugh days are ahead for Mumbaiâ€™s power utilities. The power deficit in the island city has risen to 500 mega watt (MW) post-monsoon. With the temperature crossing 36 degree Celsius and humidity hitting an unbearable 40%, the power consumption has shot through the roof to 2,700 MW. The utilities are now knocking at the door of power producers across the country to secure additional electricity and meet the increasing demand in Mumbaiâ€™s suburbs.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 25 Oct 2007 01:39

Just 3 in race for Krishnapatnam ultra mega plant.

From 9 bidders in Sasan to 6 for Mundra to just 3 remaining bidders now for this Project at krishnapatnam. At this rate Govt would be lucky if it finds takers for all the planned UMPP's.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 25 Oct 2007 01:41

Duplicate post deleted.

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 25 Oct 2007 02:05

Raju wrote:As far as private distribution companies in power sector, except Tata to a large extent are concerned, all I see them do is demand power tariff hikes. At this rate most Indian cities cursed to be burdened with Private distribution companies will have the highest tariffs in the world.

Already Mumbai has the highest electricity tariff in the world, Delhi is on the way with unreliability as bonus. As usual Indians being taken for a ride. The BS never ends.

I can tell you that Reliance Power (Rajdhani BSES) has Delhiites by their nuts. It is unbelievable the kind of power bills they send you. The problem is no competition. From a govt. monopoly, distribution has been turned into a private monopoly. If today, I don't want to go to Reliance for an electricity connection, I have no choice. Lack of competition is the main problem.

Laks · Post by **Laks** » 29 Oct 2007 08:18

BHEL, TNEB ink MoU for Rs 8.5k-cr thermal power facility in Tuticorin

vina · Post by **vina** » 29 Oct 2007 09:29

sanjaychoudhry wrote:I can tell you that Reliance Power (Rajdhani BSES) has Delhiites by their nuts. It is unbelievable the kind of power bills they send you. The problem is no competition. From a govt. monopoly, distribution has been turned into a private monopoly. If today, I don't want to go to Reliance for an electricity connection, I have no choice. Lack of competition is the main problem.

Hello.. Welcome to the real world. Power distribution is a Natural Monopoly . It has to be regulated.. That is the way it was done the world over. The problem I guess is that the Dilli billis are being made to pay by Reliance for all the past (and continuing) theft and "political" prices you paid for power all these years.. There is no free lunch.. You feasted in the past, now pay for it.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Oct 2007 15:03

let us compare pwr bills. I rent a 3BHK apt and use CFLs(25W) and tube lights(36W) except bulbs during dinner. geyser is run for 10 mins twice a day. washing machine on alternate days. 300ltr fridge always on. oven sometimes. PC is mostly on for torrents. fan is run at very low speed. AC no need. TV is a power hungry crt and runs 3-4 hrs daily.

my monthly elec bill comes to 800-900/pm and it doesnt vary because
summer is cool here.

how much do you dilli billi's get ?

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 29 Oct 2007 15:20

Singha wrote:let us compare pwr bills. I rent a 3BHK apt and use CFLs(25W) and tube lights(36W) except bulbs during dinner. geyser is run for 10 mins twice a day. washing machine on alternate days. 300ltr fridge always on. oven sometimes. PC is mostly on for torrents. fan is run at very low speed. AC no need. TV is a power hungry crt and runs 3-4 hrs daily.

my monthly elec bill comes to 800-900/pm and it doesnt vary because
summer is cool here.

how much do you dilli billi's get ?

For the same consumption, I am getting a bill of about Rs 1,400. Before Reliance, it was never more than 600 to 700. They have changed the meters to digital onces which are very sensitive. Most Delhi RWAs believe these new meters -- procured from China -- are rigged and run faster than normal.

Now, Reliance has declared they need to hike electricity charges by another 20 percent to cover their losses. It is nothing but thuggery and there is a lot of resentment in Delhi for this. There are hardly any complaints of this nature in north Delhi which is managed by the Tatas. It is only Reliance areas that are a problem. I

n every state it is the same story. In Ahmedabad, people publicly burned Reliance electricty bills in front of its office. I got rid of my Reliance mobile phone after getting inflated bills. For the same usage, my Idea connection bill is just one third of that sent by Reliance.

There was an article on Rediff too about the game Reliance is playing with customers.

vina · Post by **vina** » 29 Oct 2007 15:31

sanjaychoudhry wrote:For the same consumption, I am getting a bill of about Rs 1,400. Before Reliance, it was never more than 600 to 700. They have changed the meters to digital onces which are very sensitive. Most Delhi RWAs believe these new meters -- procured from China -- are rigged and run faster than normal.

Lets be a little scientific about it.. I have my electricity bill with me and I dare say, that BLR rates are the highest around..

Lets see.

KW Rate Amount

30 1.85 55.50
70 2.90 203.00
100 3.60 360.00
93 4.20 390.00

Tax comes to Rs 57.46, so for 293 units consumed, the bill I have is Rs 1207.. This goes up by around Rs 100 to Rs150 depending on usage.. I think for us the bulk is electric geysers which run are turned on for like 2 hrs (these dont always consume power, coz the thermostat cuts in) and the washing machine everyday (hot water cycle for baby's clothes).

I cant see Dilli Billis paying more for this with similar usage.. So what are you guys whining about ? ..The way electricity tarriffs are set in Bangalore and elsewhere is the "slab" system, where the lowest slabs get lowest rates , but so called "All Electric homes will under any circumstances easily use more than 200 units (close to Rs 600) and you will definitely bump up to the higher slabs.

Like I said, in Dilli, you guys were spoiled rotten with "Political" pricing for power and "theft" (what else would you call taking power and water away when they are starving with want) from neighboring states (UP, Harynana etc) to again be sold to fat cat billis at subsidized prices.

If Reliance comes to make up for losses, I have no sympathy for the Dilli Billis..[/list]

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 29 Oct 2007 15:53

I now await with bated breath Raju's arrival on this thread...

** Grabs a lawnchair and some popcorn **

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 29 Oct 2007 17:25

I have arrived. Just figuring out what to do with this cheapo 19" screen that I ultimately took with Dell. I am somewhat uncomfortable with 19" widescreen.

GD, my power bill never goes below 4k from past 6 months, in summer I have a 1 ton 900w a/c reduced from 1.5 ton 2.5kwh earlier, next year I plan to go down still further to .75 ton ... earlier it used to just range within 1-1.5, I do not know what has hit me ??

This Ambani dude is just screwing around with me. I am waiting eagerly for summer power cuts when I will put 'kick me' Ambani dummies outside my building. And being a society there are no individual meters just a single BSES meter and all residents have their contribution measured by independent electronic meters, not owned by Reliance. My consumption is around 1100+ units/month and except summer months consumption patterns are same as yours.

Vina boss, what is your problem...people like me have been paying obediently for ever. Why don't you think up schemes to punish the actual culprits instead of me. I am out of the pilfering benefits and in for the punishment..waah wat a deal.

vina · Post by **vina** » 29 Oct 2007 17:46

Raju wrote:I am waiting eagerly for summer power cuts when I will put 'kick me' Ambani dummies outside my building. And being a society there are no individual meters just a single BSES meter and all residents have their contribution measured by independent electronic meters, not owned by Reliance.

Hmm.. So add up all the non reliance meters and you can cross check against the BSES meter to see if it is true or "running faster than normal" is just an urban legend .

My consumption is around 1100+ units/month and except summer months consumption patterns are ?same as yours.

WHAT !! 1100 units per month!! At the price of Rs4+ per unit , the Rs 4K per month bill is reasonable.. But what do you do for 1100 units? ..Keep your A/C running all day

Vina boss, what is your problem...people like me have been paying obediently for ever. Why don't you think up schemes to punish the actual culprits instead of me. I am out of the pilfering benefits and in for the punishment..waah wat a deal.

Raju, not to pick on you, but all of us , all around the country are paying Rs 4 + at upper slabs because of the subsidy to jhuggi jhopdi (upto first 30 units), free power to farmers and of course to all the dilli billis and thieves who dont pay at all for power, but whose demand is of course unlimited.. What I can't see is why you Dilli types are whining about Reliance when they start charging true rates for power (given the losses and distortions/subsidies) and actually take trouble to bill the amount and collect it!..

I know, it is much more attractive to have the Govt run guys who could be urged to turn to look the other way for a small "consideration" .. I have known people from Dilli boast how they managed to get the line man to "fix" their meters and they say they have multiple A/Cs running at home all day! Now , that is what is coming back to hurt even normal honest folks like you, who don't indulge in such practices with higher charges..

I do however suspect that the loudest whiners against Reliance would be those who did the "lineman"/illegal tapping/fixing meters thing and the ones who got fat on free/subsidized power like the Ministers and other politicos who ran up bills of lakhs and never bothered paying up.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 31 Oct 2007 02:56

Here in Chennai it escalates Bi-Monthly from

0.75 per unit @ 50 units

to

3.00 per unit above 600 units.

If you consume 600 units your payout is roughly Rs 1200. And these are subsidized rates.

My bimonthly bills are typically Rs 4,500.
So Rs 2250 or so per month.

Couple of weaknesses kill me. I have a medium/large tropical fish tank that needs to operate 24/7 on UPS.

I also have my sump motor on a switch that runs 3-4 hours daily pumping water up to my fourth floor tank. I should do this manually to save power, but water comes @ 2:00 am and I don't feel like being awake then.

Two doors down there is a flat complex that has a submersible that runs 24/7. Early in the mornings I've walked by when the motor is running but meter does not. Need to report the B's. Esp. with the new BMW parked in the garage.

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 31 Oct 2007 06:42

>>But what do you do for 1100 units? ..Keep your A/C running all day

A/Cs were switched off and canned about 2 months ago because weather here is quite pleasant. My consumption patterns are just like GD, no load magnets like A/C or 700 ltr refrigerator etc.

vina · Post by **vina** » 31 Oct 2007 09:58

Raju wrote:>>But what do you do for 1100 units? ..Keep your A/C running all day

A/Cs were switched off and canned about 2 months ago because weather here is quite pleasant. My consumption patterns are just like GD, no load magnets like A/C or 700 ltr refrigerator etc.

Then you cannot be consuming 1100 units!!. I think we consume at best 350 and if in-laws are around and all the guest bedrooms turn on geysers and more hot water washes in the washing machine and heated drying mode in dishwasher, it goes to Rs 1400 max and if in the worst case, 400 units when the rate shoots up tops 4.75 or so per unit which I think happened once and it goes to Rs 1600.

I think you should check your house for current leaks. 1100 units is way too much by any standard .. Cross check if your particular sub meter is reading correctly (ask thee apt guys to cross check the total readings from sub-meters against BSES) and also turn off every equipment in your house and see if the meter is still turni

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 31 Oct 2007 11:48

On my recent trip to bangalore and meet a guy who was travelling with us, he said he didnt even need fan till 1976. I too felt that bangalore has become hot compared to my trip in may-june 2002 when it was very cold at 5:30 AM , this time it was relatively hot,

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 31 Oct 2007 11:55

>>Cross check if your particular sub meter is reading correctly (ask thee apt guys to cross check the total readings from sub-meters against BSES) and also turn off every equipment in your house and see if the meter is still turning

have checked that too a few months back, couldn't find anything wrong then. Since the only load magnet in these parts is the water heater, I feel something could be seriously wrong with it. Apparently the water heater attracts always has tons of calcified deposits due to the almost saline nature of the groundwater (receding watertable). That heater then would pull absurd voltage to heat the water.

bala · Post by **bala** » 13 Nov 2007 09:38

India has abundant Solar Power and its time to think along the lines of Solar Power operation like near Seville Spain. 10MW per district in each state of the Union can add up very quickly e.g. 10x30x30 = 9000 MW of daylight solar power.

The 11MW PS10 solar power plant will generate 24.3GW/hr per year of clean energy. It will have 624 heliostats that track the sun, each with a 120mÂ² surface area parabolic mirror. The mirrors are focused on a 115m tower, heating water pipes that provide 200mÂ² of water-cooled energy exchange surface area. The thermal energy produces steam which drives a turbine to generate electricity. During the day, the power drives the air conditioners that cool buildings in the city of Seville. The first stage of the solar power station, known as PS10, is a 300ft tall tower surrounded by 624 solar panels which will produce enough energy to power 60,000 homes. There is also a secondary component, known as Sevilla PV, which is a photovoltaic power plant composed of 154 panels, which will generate enough electricity for about 1800 homes.

Here is how the tower works: the solar panels, a 120m2 mixture of mirrors and photovoltaics, track the sun throughout the year, reflect the energy of the sun to solar receptor at the top of the tower. Water passes through pipes at the top, and is heated enough to turn it into steam by the solar receptor, which in turn passes through a series of turbines to produce electricity.

Laks · Post by **Laks** » 13 Nov 2007 10:15

Tata, Reliance among 13 cos in race for Tilaiya project

ajay_ijn · Post by **ajay_ijn** » 14 Nov 2007 08:30

bala wrote:India has abundant Solar Power and its time to think along the lines of Solar Power operation like near Seville Spain. 10MW per district in each state of the Union can add up very quickly e.g. 10x30x30 = 9000 MW of daylight solar power.

The 11MW PS10 solar power plant will generate 24.3GW/hr per year of clean energy. It will have 624 heliostats that track the sun, each with a 120mÂ² surface area parabolic mirror. The mirrors are focused on a 115m tower, heating water pipes that provide 200mÂ² of water-cooled energy exchange surface area. The thermal energy produces steam which drives a turbine to generate electricity. During the day, the power drives the air conditioners that cool buildings in the city of Seville. The first stage of the solar power station, known as PS10, is a 300ft tall tower surrounded by 624 solar panels which will produce enough energy to power 60,000 homes. There is also a secondary component, known as Sevilla PV, which is a photovoltaic power plant composed of 154 panels, which will generate enough electricity for about 1800 homes.

Here is how the tower works: the solar panels, a 120m2 mixture of mirrors and photovoltaics, track the sun throughout the year, reflect the energy of the sun to solar receptor at the top of the tower. Water passes through pipes at the top, and is heated enough to turn it into steam by the solar receptor, which in turn passes through a series of turbines to produce electricity.

will it cheaper than the regular power plants?, Sun is free for everyone but what about installation costs?

we had much better success with wind power. dunno the exact reason.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 20 Nov 2007 01:38

I had heard it was bad, but not this bad. 16,000 crore is Reliances entire project cost!!!

This is what we have been saddled with for the past 50 years people.

For comparison the South Koreans had a quote of just under 8000 crore, under half and they were shipping it from the other side of the planet!!

Costly equipment may have cost NTPC its bid for Sasan UMPP
19 Nov, 2007, 1557 hrs IST, PTI

Write to Editor
NEW DELHI: Electricity producer NTPC Ltd, which lost the bid for Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project, felt that the equipment cost quoted by supplier BHEL for the project was high, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

NTPC placed a bid of Rs 2.12 per unit, which was way above the winning bid of Rs 1.19 per kWH by Lanco-Globeleq. However, the project has since been awarded to Reliance Power after the winning consortium led by Globeleq was disqualified.

NTPC and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) had entered into an agreement of exclusivity for the supply of boiler and turbo-generator equipment for the 4,000 MW Sasan project in Madhya Pradesh, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in a written reply in the upper house of Parliament.

"The total price quoted by BHEL in rupees considering the then prevailing exchange rate is Rs 16,011.53 crore," he said.

"In view of the high price quoted by BHEL, NTPC had considered the plant/equipment cost based on the cost of similar equipment previously awarded through the process of competitive bidding for its projects and submitted bids for 660 MW units," the minister said.

BHEL had quoted the price for 5x800 MW Sasan UMPP for undertaking design, engineering, supply, delivery to the site, erection, testing and commissioning of power plant.

The state-run power equipment maker, has been a bone of contention between the Ministry of Heavy Industries, its promoter, and the Power Ministry which blamed it for slippages in the 10th plan power capacity addition target.

The Power Ministry has also been promoting the idea of NTPC getting into equipment manufacturing.

csharma · Post by **csharma** » 26 Nov 2007 00:23

India hogging coal like crazy and driving up prices.

South Africa's Richards Bay Coal Terminal, the world's biggest coal-export facility, expects a 30-fold surge in sales to India this year, increasing prices for European power producers competing for supplies.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... bsM2yZh5Po[/quote]

Laks · Post by **Laks** » 27 Nov 2007 10:54

Not good.

TN faces power crisis, seeks Centre's allocation
BS Reporter / Chennai November 26, 2007
Tamil Nadu, which has claimed to be comfortable in terms of power availability, has faced a marked power crisis over the last few weeks. The power shortfall is estimated at about 700 MW till December 31, and is likely to go up to 1,200 MW during the ensuing summer, according to state electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy.

There have been complaints aplenty about undeclared power cuts and load-shedding in several parts of the state and the industry has also raised concerns about erratic power supply, which has caused hardship to production units in the state, according to industry sources.

Veerasamy attributed the shortfall to drop in power generation through windmills to the tune of 1,500 MW, non-availability of 500 MW from the central government's utilities, and the supply of 500 MW from the Neyveli Lignite Corporation due to heavy rains disrupting power generation.

While the state government has sought the central government's help to allocate 500 MW from the 'unallocated' share of the central pool till May 2008 to tide over the crisis, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has initiated negotiations with Assam and Haryana to procure 300 MW. The state government is expected to finalise the agreements for the same by this month end, Veerasamy said.

The state's present generation capacity is about 7,500 MW and the demand varies between 8,000 MW and 8,500 MW.Over the last ten years, demand has increased by 4,000 MW while capacity addition was just about 531 MW. With investments pouring into the state, the demand for power is going up by 600-700 MW every year, he said.

The state has been able to recover revenues for only 52% of its total capacity while the rest is accounted by free power to agriculturalists as well as transmission losses.

Veerasamy said that industries have been asked to run gensets to overcome the shortage and the state government would consider the industry's plea to exempt furnace oil used in gensets from VAT between January and May 2008. A decision will be taken on this after discussions with the chief minister and finance secretary.

He also said the industry has been promised full supply of power if it wanted to operate at night. Veersamay held a discussion with industrialists on future power shortages and anticipated steps earlier in the day. He added that the present power crisis would not affect investment flows into Tamil Nadu as the power situation was still better compared to competing locations in the country.

AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, a couple of weeks ago, had accused the Tamil Nadu government of 'mismanagement'.

She charged the government with lack of planning and shutting down power stations for maintenance in the face of a power crisis gripping the state. She also said the state government should ensure other means of power generation like wind power would be available only for a few months.

To meet growing demand, TNEB is to augment its power generating capacity over the next 3-5 years. While it proposes to add 2,500 MW of capacity by augmenting installed capacity at its existing power stations over the next five years on an investment of Rs 10,000 crore, several 'merchant power projects' have also been cleared.

http://www.business-standard.com/common ... tono=30540

Rudranathh · Post by **Rudranathh** » 27 Nov 2007 11:23

Solar heaters are a must now in Karnataka

DH News Service, Bangalore:

With a view to promoting the use of solar energy, the State Government has made the use of solar water heating system compulsory for all categories of houses with built up area of 600 sq ft and above, industries, hospitals and nursing homes and hotels, among others.

To reduce the wastage of energy due to the use of incandescent bulbs, the government has made compulsory the use of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL) in all government and aided buildings. However, no time-frame has been set for the installation of solar heaters.

In a notification, the Energy Department has stated that all departments will have to amend their rules/by-laws within a period of two months from the date of issue of the order, to make the use of solar water heating systems compulsory.

These departments will also designate a district and state level modal officer. He will monitor and report the progress of enforcement to the Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL).

The notification also says use of use of Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) would be made compulsory in government buildings, besides buildings of aided institutions, boards and corporations. The use of incandescent lamps is banned in all these buildings with immediate effect.

Power utilities will effect necessary modification in the load demand notices within two months from the date of issue of this order to promote the use of CFL, while releasing/sanctioning new connections/loads.

The government has also made mandatory use of ISI marked motor pump sets, power capacitors, foot/reflex valves in agriculture sector.

Moreover, the notification says that all the new buildings to be constructed in the government/ aided sectors will incorporate energy efficient building design concepts, including renewable energy technologies with effect from one year of the date of issue of order.

A committee shall be formed by the PWD to examine all new building plans/drawings to be constructed in the government/aided sector. This should be done to ensure that all features of the energy efficient building design concepts have been incorporated in these.

The notification says that KREDL has been designated as â€œThe Designated Authorityâ€

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 27 Nov 2007 11:39

How far are solar water heaters viable?

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 27 Nov 2007 14:51

very much so... where I live, for about 200 days of the year give or take, you could easily manage with the solar heater alone. Most houses have it, I would say the vast majority, including my own. It is only the months of Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb/March that you absolutely need electric heating - and even then on sunny days, the water does get hot enough to shower with.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 27 Nov 2007 20:18

Much of coastal Karnataka is steamy enough that hot water is not required.

Mangalore for instance does not have water heaters in most residences. Some of the newer hotel hoardings advertise them though.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 27 Nov 2007 20:48

solar heaters work well, but the warm water does not come before noon.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 27 Nov 2007 22:15

Rishirishi,

Never had that problem. Except for the months mentioned above, we have warm water 24x7...

rgsrini · Post by **rgsrini** » 27 Nov 2007 22:45

Rishirishi

solar heaters work well, but the warm water does not come before noon.

Is this based on your experience or is it just a guess... If it is based on your experience, what is the reason this unusually large lead time. Conservatively, there should be enough light from sunup to sundown (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM most of the time) in Karnataka for this contraption to work. With a properly insulated reservoir, I would expect the water to last most of the day time, if not 24X7.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 28 Nov 2007 02:59

we went to Greece in the summer it is hot, about 30 deg c midday. The water was cold until 10ish. But in the winter I think the use must be limited.

bala · Post by **bala** » 28 Nov 2007 04:34

Just CFL usage should bring consumption down significantly; CFL are 15W or less versus 40W-100W incandescent bulbs. White LED bulbs are even more efficient though expensive.

All large establishments must strive to create their own solar power, given the all-year round sun conditions in India. I saw some huge solar panels on a swanky hotel top in Chennai TNagar area last yr.

Solar water heaters are pretty good and with well insulated tanks should provide hot water adequate for indian usage. In the Power thread, there is an article about Spain's solar water heater producing electricity for residents in a city. If the southern districts adopt such a plan, there should be enough power to supply agriculture water pump needs during the day and the power is virtually free.