Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Ireda prices its green masala bonds at 7.23% to raise $300 million

The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (Ireda) is believed to have priced its green masala bonds at 7.23% to raise close to $300 million, sources aware of the deal have confirmed with FE. A masala bond is a rupee-denominated bond issued in the overseas market. A green bond is used to raise money to fund green projects. Ireda’s masala bonds have a tenure of five years. “This issue marked a successful re-opening of the masala bond market. It saw widespread participation from existing masala bond... Read more..

NTPC tenders 225MW of solar under DCR in Uttar Pradesh

India’s largest utility NTPC has tendered 225MW of solar using local content rules at Billhaur in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The tender comes under the Domestic Content Requirement  (DCR) category, which mandates equipment to be sourced locally.

The tender is for design, engineering, manufacturing, supply... Read more..

Indian Energy Exchange IPO to open on 9 October

Indian Energy Exchange Ltd’s (IEX’s) initial public offering will be open for subscription from 9 to 11 October, according to a draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) dated 26 September.

The IPO will see a sale of 6,065,009 equity shares by existing shareholders including Tata Power Co. Ltd, Aditya Birla Group’s private equity arm , Madison India Capital and Multiples Alternate Asset Management Pvt Ltd. The... Read more..

Azure Power wins 20 MW solar rooftop contract for Indian Railways

Indian renewable energy developer Azure Power has announced this week that it has won a contract to deliver 20 MW of solar rooftop installations for Indian Railways.

As the largest rail network in Asia, Indian Railways hopes that its program to electrify all of its railway stations with solar power can have a positive impact on the country’s emissions footprint.

... Read more..

Ant-studio develops terracotta 'beehive', an energy-efficient alternative to air conditioning

Architecture and technology collective, ant studio, has developed a terracotta cooling installation at a factory in india that provides an energy efficient alternative to traditional air conditioning systems. the project has been developed as a response to rising temperatures during indian summers, where heated conditions were affecting the health and comfort of employees at the factory of deki electronics in uttar pradesh, india.   

... Read more..

China Cancelling Around 1/3 Of Iron Ore Mining Licenses, As Part Of Bid To Cut Air Pollution

Around a third of all iron ore mining licenses in China will be cancelled as part of a bid to reduce associated emissions, and thus to reduce levels of the country’s deadly air pollution, an official from China’s mining association has announced.

Most of the iron ore mining licenses that will be cancelled belong to small, relatively heavily polluting mines, according to the report. Altogether, more than 1,... Read more..

ADB to increase annual lending to India to $4 billion

The Asian Development Bank on Wednesday said it will increase its annual lending to India to a maximum of $4 billion between 2018 and 2022 to help fasten inclusive economic transformation towards upper middle income status.

“ADB’s programme in India will focus on three main pillars of activity during the 5-year period — boosting economic competitiveness to create more and well-paid jobs, improved access to... Read more..

Global carbon emissions stood still in 2016, offering climate hope

Global emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide remained static in 2016, a welcome sign that the world is making at least some progress in the battle against global warming by halting the long-term rising trend.

All of the world’s biggest emitting nations, except India, saw falling or static carbon emissions due to less coal burning and increasing renewable energy, according to data published on Thursday... Read more..

India seeks funds from World Bank and ADB for electric buses

India has sought funds from World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to procure electric buses for all major cities to fuel its electric mobility plan.

“We’ve requested them to provide such loan at reasonable rates so that we can procure e-buses and give them to state road transport corporations. Loan can be paid back through the savings that would be made on account of moving to electric from diesel,”... Read more..

Spectre of crop burning rises again, air quality under threat

Paddy stubble burning, which triggers episodes of smog across Delhi-NCR during winters, is slowly picking up across parts of Haryana and Punjab, sparking concern among states in the region.

The Pollution Control Board of Haryana has confirmed two reports of stubble burning while NASA’s web fire mapper is showing a few red dots scattered across the National Capital Region, including in Punjab.... Read more..

JBM enters waste-to-energy biz, signs MoU with Haryana govt

JBM Group today said it has signed a concession agreement with the Haryana government to build and operate a 5 MW power plant that will treat 500 tonne of municipal waste per day, marking its foray into the waste to energy sector.

The project will be developed by JBM Environment Management at an investment of Rs 176 crore and will entail door to door collection of waste, its transportation, construction and... Read more..

International Solar Alliance to become legal entity by next month: MNRE Secy

International Solar Alliance (ISA), the India-headquartered grouping of 121 nations for promotion of solar energy, is set to become an international legal body by end October with at least 15 nations expected to have ratified the framework agreement by then.

“So far, 40 countries have already signed the initiative and eleven have ratified the ISA. As soon as we get 15 ratifications, the ISA will become an... Read more..