Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board to revive water supply charges

Gujarat water supply and sewerage board (GWSSB) is all set to begin charging for water supplied to village panchayats, nagarpalikas and even municipal corporations in the state. This has become necessary as many areas of the state are parched. The board had stopped charging for water supply from the year 2011-12.

The decision to collect a charge for water was taken in the year 2007. It was decided that Rs 2 per 1000 litres would be collected from village panchayats, Rs 4 per 1000 litres from municipalities and Rs 6 per 1000 litres from municipal corporations.

The matter of... Read more..

Date : Apr 4

Source: The Times of India

Solar power to light up remote Arunachal Pradesh villages

India will power close to 900 remote villages in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China using advanced off-grid renewable energy kits that will bring electricity to about 16,000 households, power minister Piyush Goyal said here.

The government will later this week invite price bids from companies for the project which also involves installing more than 4,000 off-grid street lights. The falling cost of renewable... Read more..

Date : Apr 4

Source: livemint

Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board’s fillip to waste disposal: ₹25L for start-ups

Most of our cities generate a phenomenal amount of waste every day. Safely disposing and utilising such waste is a challenge every city faces. In order to deal with this, the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) has come up with a ‘start-up’ policy through which the body will fund and promote start-up projects which will help convert waste into energy or other useful products and encourage disposal of waste.

Date : Apr 4

Source: Hindustan Times

Jammu and Kashmir : Remotest Villages of India Will Get DC Grid Based Electricity

Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) has partnered with Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) to provide energy access to the remote mountain communities of Kargil & Zanskar region of Jammu and Kashmir.

The collaboration will help bring light to the most remote villages of India in Lungnak block of Zanskar Kargil. KREDA has been working on providing clean energy through Hydro Power and Solar to... Read more..

Date : Apr 4

Source: Brighter Kashmir

Gurgaon construction sites to be monitored for dust pollution

Deputy commissioner of Gurgaon, Hardeep Singh, on Monday ordered the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) to inspect construction sites in the city and initiate action against those not taking measures to control dust pollution. The order comes in the wake of complaints by residents that contractors carrying out various projects in the city are not sprinkling water at the sites regularly, leading to rise in dust pollution.

Date : Apr 4

Source: Hindustan Times

13,002 villages electrified till date under DDUGJY: A new milestone achieved

13,002 villages have been electrified till date under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram JyotiYojna (DDUGJY). Out of remaining 5450 un-electrified villages, 835 villages are uninhabited. All the remaining 4615 un-electrified villages are to targeted to be electrified by 1^st May, 2018 . The State Wise details are as follows :

Date : Apr 4

Source: Press India Bureau

1 lakh water connections to quench Hyderabad thirst

M Dana Kishore, Managing Director, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) in a review meeting on Monday said that under Mission Bhagiratha one lakh new drinking water connections would be completed by this summer.

The corporation availed a loan of Rs 1,900 crore from Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) to complete one lakh drinking water connections in the surrounding... Read more..

Date : Apr 4

Source: The Hans India

State Bank of India gets Rs 1,400 crore loan to fund solar power projects

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has okayed Rs 1,400 crore (EUR 200 million) loan to State Bank of India to fund solar power projects.

The long-term loan will support total investment of EUR 650 million in five different large-scale photo-voltaic solar power projects, EIB said in a statement.

This... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: The New Indian Express

India adds record wind power capacity of 5,400MW in 2016-17

India added a record wind power capacity of 5,400 MW in 2016-17, much more than the target of 4,000 MW it had set itself for the year, according to official data.

The ministry of new and renewable energy said the previous best was 3,423 MW in 2015-16, and before that 3,197 MW in 2011-12. Of the new capacity, around 3,026 MW was added in March 2017 alone. With this, the country’s total wind capacity stands at... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: The Economic Times

Maharashtra developing scheme for cheap solar power supply to textile units

The state plans to design a scheme to develop solar projects to supply electricity to the textile sector at the lowest possible cost.

Subhash Deshmukh, minister of textiles, made the announcement at Ichalkaranji. Deshmukh was attending a live broadcast programme of the launch of the Centre’s Power Tex India scheme. Union minister of textiles Smriti Irani had launched the scheme at Bhiwandi in Mumbai and the... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: ET Energyworld

THDC India commissions 63 Megawatt wind power project in Gujarat

State-run THDC India (THDCIL) has commissioned its second wind power project having capacity of 63 MW in Devbhumi Dwarka district in Gujarat.

The second wind power project of 63 MW capacity was commissioned in Devbhumi Dwarka on March 31, 2017, the company said.

"The 63 MW wind power project awarded to... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: ET Energyworld

Morocco launches final stage of world largest solar plant

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Saturday launched in the fourth and final stage of Noor Ouarzazate, the world’s largest solar plant.

The Noor Ouarzazate IV power station in the southern province of Ouarzazate, spanned over an area of 137 hectares (1.37 square km), will be set up with over $75 million with photovoltaic (PV) technology, Xinhua news agency reported.

Date : Apr 3

Source: The Siasat Daily

Nashik Municipal Corporation sets up cell to curb Godavari river pollution

The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has set up a special cell to check the rising pollution levels of river Godavari.

NMC commissioner Abhishek Krishna on Saturday had undertaken round on the banks of the river and appealed to the people not to dump waste in it.

The cell will be headed by Rohidas... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: Business Standard

Uttar Pradesh govt approves Rs 47 crore for making drinking water availability in Bundelkhand region

The Yogi Adityanath government approved Rs 47 crore package to ensure immediate availability of drinking water in the parched Bundelkhand region.

The UP Chief Minister also said that if needed, the state government would make available additional funds under this head, but there should not be any problem of drinking water for the people and the cattle in Bundelkhand region.

Date : Apr 3

Source: Money Control

Sustainable development: Asia-Pacific adopts roadmap for regional cooperation

Asia-Pacific countries have adopted a roadmap for regional cooperation on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This is the outcome of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD 2017) that concluded on Friday in Bangkok.

PRIORITY AREAS

Date : Apr 3

Source: Business Line

Indian Government Withdraws FAME Subsidies For Mild Hybrids

The Central Government has effectively withdrawn the subsidies that have been provided to mild hybrid diesel cars under the FAME scheme. The FAME or ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles’ was introduced in 2015 and offered discounts of up to Rs 29,000 for two wheelers and up to Rs 1.38 lakh for four wheelers. The change in policy will affect the prices of two Maruti Suzuki vehicles in India, the Ertiga and the Ciaz. Incidentally, the Ciaz was just recently moved to the Nexa chain... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: NDTV Auto

CPCB issues draft norms to tackle odour from solid waste disposal sites

Recognizing the urgent need for abatement of odour from municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal facilities in urban India, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has proposed guidelines to tackle it.

CPCB, India’s nodal pollution watchdog, hopes that the draft guidelines on “Odour Monitoring & Management in Urban Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill Site” will serve as a useful tool for regulatory... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: Livemint

Kollam first district to go plastic-free

Kollam becomes the first district to implement complete plastic ban in all of its Local Self Government Departments in the State. The district collector has announced the ban on plastic bags below 50 microns starting from Saturday. The ban is based on the Center’s Plastic Management Act of 2016 and the circular issued by the state government. All four municipalities, 68 grama panchayats, and the Kollam Corporation has issued order regarding the ban, said Suchitwa Mission district coordinator G. Krishnakumar... Read more..

Date : Apr 3

Source: Deccan Chronicle

India joins International Energy Association

India has become part of IEA Association that will allow the country play a more "visible and influential" role in the global energy landscape.

The "Activation of Association" is expected to serve as a bridge and platform for wider-ranging and deeper co-operation and collaboration between IEA member and Association countries in the future.

Date : Mar 31

Source: Money Control

Thermal plants must meet emission norms: Environment ministry

Sending a strong message to coal-based power plants across the country, the environment ministry has made it clear that it will neither dilute the emission norms for thermal power plants, as notified on December 7, 2015, to minimise air pollution, nor relax deadline for implementation of the stricter standards.

"The revised emission standards for thermal power plants were notified with respect to Particulate... Read more..

Date : Mar 31

Source: The Economic Times

SIDBI puts Rs 20 crore in solar installation startup Oriano Solar through its private arm

Samridhi Fund, a Rs 450-crore fund owned by the private investment arm of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), has agreed to make a Rs 20-crore investment in Mumbai-based solar installation startup Oriano Solar.

The Series A investment comprises a mix of debt and debenture and, according to Oriano Solar chief executive Sachin Jain, SIDBI Ventures is keen to invest another Rs 9.75 crore ($1.5... Read more..

Date : Mar 31

Source: The Economic Times

Azure Power wins 46 MWs solar rooftop projects from Indian Railways

Azure Power today said it has bagged from Indian Railways 46 MWs of solar rooftop projects spread across eleven states in India.

The power purchase agreement (PPA) will be signed with Indian Railways for their respective zones and coach factory for 25 years, the company said in a statement.

According to the... Read more..

Date : Mar 31

Source: The Economic Times

Solar energy reaches another milestone, electricity generation reaches over 10 billion units in January

Figures released by the Central Electricity Authority today show that the Indian solar energy sector crossed a milestone in January – generating over 10 billion units of electricity for the first time.

In the April 2016-Januray 2017 period, solar power plants in India generated more than 10,565 million kWhr of electricity—roughly twice (5,726 million kWhr) as much as it did in the corresponding period of... Read more..

Date : Mar 31

Source: Business Line

Vikram Solar ties up with Israel firm to develop innovative water technology for India

Vikram Solar today said it has signed an MoU with Israels Water-Gen to develop clean and hygienic drinking water solutions in the country.

"The technology developed by Water-Gen to create and store drinking water by harvesting condensation from air, provides a potential solution to the clean and safe drinkable water crisis faced by India," Vikram Solar said in a statement.

Date : Mar 31

Source: India Today In

Ostro Energy plans $250 million bond issue

Ostro Energy Pvt. Ltd, the renewable energy platform set up by private equity firm Actis, plans to raise $250 million by selling bonds overseas, two people aware of the development said.

The Delhi-based firm is in the process of hiring bankers for the bond sale. Ostro plans to build a 1,000 megawatt (MW) portfolio of renewable energy projects by 2019.

Date : Mar 31

Source: livemint