Ezine Archive
September 2021
September 2021
Month: September 2021
Special Anniversary Issue
Efforts to Decarbonise: Changing the status quo in energy systems
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) intended to be achieved by the year 2030. A short six years on, we are at an inflection point where some of the goals laid down stand seriously challenged. Most of the goals are deeply interlinked. Slipping on one often leads to losing ground on others. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Failed Expectations: Collapse of the dispute resolution mechanism
By P.N. Bhandari, Former Chairman, Rajasthan State Electricity Board, and Advocate, Rajasthan High Court The long-awaited amendments to the Electricity Act, 2003 have unfortunately been stuck in Parliament due to the diffidence of the Power […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Perform and Transform: Time to introduce outcome-based reforms for discoms
Atmanirbhar Bharat presupposes a robust and sustainable power supply system to accelerate progress. Power sector reforms in India started along with the liberalisation of the economy with the objectives of ensuring security of supply, efficiency improvement and cost recovery. India has done extremely well on two subsequently added goals of universal electrification and decarbonisation of the power sector. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Serving the Unserved: Strong business case for decentralised generation and distribution
It is a well-known fact that despite all the advancements, a large percentage of the population of the world is still unserved when it comes to power supply. According to data published by the World Bank, 1.3 billion people around the world lack access to power. More than 600 million of them are in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 300 million are in India alone. One out of every five people around the world without adequate access to power lives in India. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Back in the Reckoning: Hydro receives much-needed attention
India is the world’s third largest producer and consumer of electricity. The national electric grid has an installed capacity of 388.134 GW as of August 31, 2021. Renewable power plants, which also include large hydroelectric plants, constitute 37 per cent of India’s total installed capacity. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Solving Tomorrow’s Challenges: Need to change entire systems
Climate change will be mankind’s most pressing challenge in the coming decades. For India, decarbonisation of the electricity sector is paramount because of the disproportional role of electricity in the economy. […]
International News
NTDC awards contract to Siemens under World Bank project in Pakistan
Pakistan’s state-owned transmission utility, National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), has awarded a contract to Siemens Energy under the World Bank-funded National Transmission Modernization Project- I (NTMP-I). The contract for NTMP-I project is worth $8.1 […]
Private Sector
BEST to procure 1,900 electric buses
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) has issued tenders for procuring 1,900 fully electric buseswhich will include 1,400 full-length buses of 12 metres, 100 mini buses and 400 midi buses. BEST will also issue tenders […]
Private Sector
Tata Power to set up solar plant at Dondaicha Solar Park in Maharashtra
Tata Power has received a letter of intent from Maharashtra State Power Generation Corporation Limited (MSPGCL) for setting up a 250 MW solar power plant. … The plant will be located in Dondaicha Solar Park […]
State Sector
HERC sets levelized tariff of Rs 2.58 per kWh for 20 MW solar project
The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has set a levelized tariff of Rs 2.58 per kWh for a 20 MW solar power project of LR Energy.… After examining the capital and other costs submitted by […]
Central Sector
CIL signs Rs 18.8 billion pact for commercial extraction of CBM
Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), has signed a revenue sharing contract of about Rs 18.80 billion with Prabha Energy Private Limitedfor commercial extraction of coal bed methane (CBM). […]
Special Anniversary Issue
A Discom’s Journey: NDPL’s experience and lessons learnt
Power distribution operations in Delhi were privatised in July 2002. The Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) was taken over by three 51:49 joint ventures (JVs) with the Delhi government-Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (then North Delhi Power Limited or NDPL), which services an area of 510 square km that is one-third of Delhi, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited and BSES Yamuna Power Limited of the ADAG Reliance Group, which cover the remaining area. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Interview with Prashant Jain: “Reliable power is a reality now”
Coal-based generation will play a significant role in the generation mix till 2030, providing baseload power supply to support the integration of large-scale renewable energy into the grid, believes Prashant Jain, managing director, GE Power […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Interview with N. Venu: “Our mission is to power a sustainable future”
The increase in the penetration of renewable energy sources and the emergence of new forms of load such as electric vehicles (EVs), electrified rails and data centres will promote grid modernisation and expansion, says N. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Interview with Debasish Banerjee: “We are leveraging cutting-edge technologies to the hilt”
CESC Limited strives to create value for its customers by ensuring 24×7 quality power supply, enabling a digital ecosystem, and deploying disruptive, frugal and innovative solutions and Industry 4.0 technologies, says Debasish Banerjee, Managing Director, […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Overcoming Challenges: Distribution reforms remain key to driving investments in the sector
Electricity demand in India has turned buoyant in the current fiscal with the recovery in economic activity post the second wave of Covid-19, as well as a favourable base effect. Demand increased by 13 per cent in the first half of 2021-22 over the corresponding period of the previous year, and is likely to end the year with a year-on-year growth of 8-8.5 per cent. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Future of Electricity Markets: Emerging trends, innovations and challenges
As the global chorus of concern around climate change grows, India’s commitments to climate change mitigation have also ushered in a change in the country’s energy scenario. India’s energy mix is gradually transitioning towards a decarbonised energy sector, based largely on clean forms of energy, including renewable power sources such as solar and wind. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Building Supply Security: India takes the path to self-sufficiency in clean energy manufacturing
The clean energy transition is changing how we view strategic resources. In a hydrocarbon-centric world, a small group of countries that export petroleum could create a cartel to exploit their position and gain an outside influence on geopolitics. […]
Special Anniversary Issue
Evolution of the Sector: Moving towards a digital, sustainable and renewables future
India continues to be a force to reckon with in the global energy economy. We are the third-largest producer of electricity in the world, with an installed power generation capacity that has grown at a healthy 11 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past decade to 390 GW at present. […]