Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Finance ministry defers safeguard duty on solar cells in view of court order

The finance ministry today said that safeguard duty will not be insisted upon on import of solar cells for the "time being" in deference to interim directions passed by the High Court of Orissa. Last month, India had imposed safeguard duty on solar cells imports from China and Malaysia for two years to protect domestic players from steep rise in inbound shipments. 

The duty was imposed following... Read more..

India’s first electric vehicles charging corridor announced by Magenta Power

Renewable energy service company Magenta Power today announced it will set up India’s first electric vehicles charging Corridor called ChargeIn at Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The corridor will be a network of EV charging stations and will be initially deployed at Hotel Center Point at Lonavala. In the next phase, the network will be extended to Bangalore and Mysore allowing electric vehicle users to travel... Read more..

KKR to buy control of REEL for $530 million, one of India's biggest buyouts

Private equity firm KKR & Co said it will acquire a 60 per cent stake in India's Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL) for $530 million, adding it was one of India's largest buyouts. KKR will buy the stake via a combination of primary and secondary investments, in a deal that gives the waste management company an enterprise value of $925 million.

The deal comes at a time when the country is focused on... Read more..

2 years after enacting law, Centre unlocks Rs 66,000 crore green fund

Unlocking a fund of more than Rs 66,000 crore to increase the country’s green cover, the Centre has finally notified the rules for utilisation of the money by states and Union Territories, and for setting up authorities to monitor its use for afforestation and conservation. The rules have been framed two years after a law to this effect was enacted. 

The fund is an accumulated amount of money which user agencies have... Read more..

Several polluting factories in North Delhi may be sealed soon

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation is likely to initiate sealing drive after September 29 against factories or industries using coal and other ‘dirty’ fuels like pet coke and furnace oil leading to air pollution in the city.

The move has come after the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) issued a circular to Delhi’s three civic agencies last month, asking them to direct all... Read more..

Hyundai plans to introduce full range of electric vehicles in India

South Korean auto major Hyundai Motor is planning to introduce its full range of electric vehicles in India as it tries to expand its product offerings to compete with market leader Maruti Suzuki for a bigger share of the Indian roads. 

Close on the heels of Maruti Suzuki announcing plans to manufacture electric vehicles by 2020, Hyundai has commissioned a study to explore manufacturing of such vehicles in... Read more..

Garbage in water drains polluting Mumbai coastline: BMC

The Mumbai civic body told the Bombay High Court on Friday that garbage and solid waste thrown into open storm water drains by people were causing pollution  along the metropolitan city's coastline. 

In an affidavit filed before a division bench of justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla, the ... Read more..

Climate Connect to raise up to $10 million in Series B round

London-based Indian energy start-up Climate Connect is seeking to raise $5-10 million in a Series B round within the next six months, the company’s founder and chief executive officer Nitin Tanwar said in an interview. It had earlier raised a $1.2 million Series A round from Amsterdam-based Miller Turner Group. Climate Connect, which deploys artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology software across the energy generation, transmission and distribution spectrum, currently works with a... Read more..

Mizoram to get 100 MW solar power plant

Sungevity Enterprises, a solar power solutions company, is gearing up to set up the biggest solar power plant in Mizoram with a capacity of 100 MW. This is based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Mizoram government on April 21.

Sungevity Enterprises chairman, Premjeet Sharma along with senior directors of the company on Wednesday met with Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and submitted the... Read more..

‘Country can generate 2 billion tonnes of bio-diesel by 2022’

The country will emerge successful in meeting the global demands of clean and renewable energy sources with the prospect of generating two billion tonnes of bio-diesel by the year 2022, according to Y B  Ramakrishna, Chairman, Working Group on Bio-Fuels, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Speaking on the second day of the three-day international conference on sustainable chemistry on health, environment... Read more..

NITI Aayog and CII Partner on Sustainable Development Goals

Shri Raj Kumar Singh, Hon'ble Minister of State (IC), Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, mentioned that business and government must partner for sustainable development of India. He was speaking at the launch of NITI Aayog and CII Partnership on SDGs, at the Government and Business Partnership Conclave in New Delhi on 8 August 2018, organised by NITI Aayog, Confederation of Indian Industry and UN.

... Read more..

With 4 years to go, only 6 per cent of solar rooftop capacity target met

With less than four years left to meet its target of installing 40,000 megawatt (MW) of rooftop solar power capacity by 2022, India has installed just about 2,538 MW as of March 2018, a full 94 per cent short of target.

At this rate, missing the target is a foregone conclusion, which also jeopardises the country's overall solar target of 100 gigawatt (GW, equal to 1,000 MW) by 2022.

... Read more..