Sustainability Outlook Headlines

NTPC to reduce coal supply cost at Kudgi plant with new rail infra

New Delhi: State-owned power giant NTPC on Wednesday said it will soon reduce the cost of coal supplies at Kudgi plant by using a newly constructed rail infrastructure. "NTPC Ltd would be able to reduce the transportation cost of coal to fuel to its NTPC Kudgi Super thermal power station in Karnataka, to around Rs 200-500 per metric tonnes (MT) thereby bringing down the cost of electricity generation. The transit time will also be reduced by 8-15 hours," a company statement said. The newly constructed 670-meter bridge in South Western railway is beneficial to NTPC Kudgi as it will help in... Read more..

CCEA approves relaxation in working capital lending limit to discoms

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved a one-time relaxation in working capital lending limits by PFC and REC to state distribution companies. This will enable states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir to avail about Rs 32,000 crore loans under the Centre’s liquidity injection package for power sector. “CCEA has approved one-time relaxation to Power Finance Corporation and REC for extending loans to discoms above limits of working capital cap of 25% of last year’s revenues under Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (Uday),” information and... Read more..

CM Hemant Soren launches 5 grid sub-stations across Jharkhand

RANCHI: Chief minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday inaugurated five grid sub-stations at Bhogadih in Garhwa district, Jasidih in Deoghar district, Giridih, Saria and Jamua, in Giridih district. The CM also inaugurated a double circuit Godda to Dumka transmission line to ensure 24x7 power supply in these districts. All the inaugurations were initiated online from the Project Building in Dhurwa. Around Rs 616 crore was spent to construct the grid sub-stations and lay the Godda-Dumka transmission line. “Soon after we came to power, we were hit by challenges due to the spread of coronavirus and... Read more..

Indian Solar Alliance to hold World Solar Technology Summit on September 8

The Indian Solar Alliance which India intitated with France in 2015 will hold the World Solar Technology Summit for the first time on September 8.

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West Bengal’s power distribution company to set up e-vehicle charging stations

West Bengal’s power distribution company is planning to set up e-vehicle charging points at strategic locations in the state and introduce a large number of e-vehicles in its fleet to reduce dependency on fossil fuel, it said in a statement.

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Over 8,800 tribal families in Tamil Nadu to get solar-powered homes under scheme

Darkness of the evenings, heat of summer and exposure to the elements are all too familiar to M Kaliyamma of Keelpoonachi tribal hamlet in Anamalai Tiger Reserve Forest. Living without electricity in tin sheet houses, the settlement of 47 families is among the least developed areas in TN.

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Visa Launches Green Bonds Worth $500 Million

Visa (NYSE: V), a leading global payments technology company, today announced that yesterday it successfully priced its inaugural green bond offering, totaling $500 million, paying a semi-annual coupon of 0.75% and maturing August 15, 2027. The green bond, believed to be the first issued by a digital payments network, will be used to help advance the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and a sustainable payments ecosystem. In support of that commitment and in addition to its inaugural green... Read more..

ISA to place World Solar Bank issue in annual assembly agenda

New Delhi: The International Solar Alliance’s (ISA) Director General (DG) Upendra Tripathy on Monday said that they are going to place the World Solar Bank issue in its agenda for the annual assembly scheduled in October to seek guidance. He added that they are likely to make a detailed project report (DPR) for its formation before that. “These are all big multilateral projects that take a lot of time. However, we do look forward to a special finance vehicle which can actually meet the expectations of small island countries,” said Tripathy at the virtual curtain raiser of ISA’s World Solar... Read more..

Tata Power to Help Premier Mumbai Hotels Run on Renewable Energy

Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) announced that it signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with TP Kirnali Solar Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power Company Limited. Under the agreement, Tata would provide renewable energy for IHCL’s Mumbai-based hotels for 25 years. According to the press release, IHCL-owned hotels in Mumbai like The Taj Mahal Palace, Taj Lands End, and Taj Wellington Mews will source 60% of its requirement from renewable energy. This, in turn, would help reduce approximately 22.9 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions annually, it added. “... Read more..

MERC Approves Tariff of Rs.2.59/kWh for a Hybrid Project

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) at the behest of Tata Power Company Limited (Distribution) (TPC-D) has approved the tariff of Rs.2.59/kWh for evacuation of power from a wind+solar hybrid renewable energy project of capacity 225 MW. The project will be set up in parts in Rajasthan and Maharashtra by Tata Power Green Energy Limited. TPC-D had submitted to the MERC that this power purchase will accrue towards fulfilling its renewable purchase obligation (RPO). While going through submissions, MERC observed that a transparent reverse auction had been conducted by TPC-D... Read more..

Chandigarh drops plan to buy electric buses for now

In the wake of Covid-19, the UT Administration has suspended the plan to buy electric buses for the time being. Last year, it had floated a tender for purchasing 40 medium-sized buses to reduce air pollution in the city. A senior officer of the Transport Department said the procurement had been suspended for the time being due to Covid-19 and the project would be reviewed again in December. The UT had planned to buy the buses with an aim to reduce air pollution. A few years ago, the UT had even undertaken a test drive of buses. An electric bus has a life span of 10 years and costs between... Read more..

ESG Equity Investing Ramping Up in India on Pandemic Resilience

(Bloomberg) -- Equity investment based on environmental, social and governance practices is gradually gaining traction in India, helped by the strategy’s relatively strong performance during the pandemic. Since the country’s first ESG fund launched in 2018, three more have entered the field, with the category now making up 0.6% of total equity assets under management, data compiled by Bloomberg and from the Association of Mutual Funds in India show. The appeal is financial as well as socially minded, with the best performing of the new entrants recently climbing back into the green for the... Read more..