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Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Birla Carbon announces aspiration of ‘Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050’

Mumbai, India and Marietta, USA – August 12, 2021 – Birla Carbon, one of the leading manufacturers of carbon black globally, has announced its intent to bring down its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The announcement is seen as a natural progression in Birla Carbon’s leadership in the area of Sustainability and circularity. Birla Carbon recently announced the availability of Sustainable Carbonaceous Materials (SCM) through the launch of its ContinuaTM brand.

Birla Carbon’s net zero announcement aligns with The Paris Agreement, signed as part of the United Nations Framework... Read more..

Source: Birlacarbon

RUMSL’s 500 MW Neemuch Solar Auction Gets Lowest Tariff of ₹2.14/kWh

TP Saurya, a Tata Power subsidiary, and AlJomaih Energy and Water Company are winners in the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited’s (RUMSL) auction for 500 MW of projects at the Neemuch Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh.

TP Saurya won a capacity of 170 MW quoting ₹2.14 (~$0.028)/kWh and also a capacity of 160 MW quoting ₹2.149 (~$0.0289)/kWh. Aljomaih Energy and Water Company won 170 MW at a tariff of ₹2.15 (~$0.0289)/KWh.

Last month, NTPC Renewables and Talettutayi Solar Projects Nine (SolarArise) were declared winners in RUMSL’s auction for 450 MW of solar projects at the Shajapur... Read more..

Source: Mercom India

Ashok Leyland rolls out e-buses

Commercial-vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland Ltd. on Wednesday rolled out its electric bus for Chandigarh City Bus Services Society, in Chandigarh.

ALL bagged orders for 40 electric buses under the FAME-II scheme. The buses come with fast-charging technology, it said in a statement.

On an average, this fleet would save about 6.5 lakh litre of fuel while reducing carbon emissions to the tune of 1700 tonne, annually.

ALL will operate and maintain the fleet end-to-end and the charging infrastructure will be developed across four locations. These charging stations will be... Read more..

Source: The Hindu

Augment Infrastructure invests Rs 1,650 crore in CleanMax Energy

Renewable energy company CleanMax on August 12 said US-based Augment Infrastructure has invested Rs 1,650 crore to acquire a majority stake in the company.

“This would involve a purchase of the stake held by Yellow Bell Investment Ltd (an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) in CleanMax along with an investment of primary capital in the Company to fund its growth pipeline,” CleanMax said in a statement.

UK Climate Investments (UKCI) will continue to be an investor and a... Read more..

Source: EQ Magpro

Kolkata's Atha Group to exit clean energy biz; in talks to sell 365 MW assets

Kolkata-based mining and minerals group Atha plans to exit their clean energy business by selling 365 MW assets spread across seven states. The proposed deal is likely to value the assets at an enterprise value of Rs2000 crore, said multiple people aware of the development.

Avendus Capital is advising Atha Group on the sale process. Feelers were sent to players such as O2 Power, Ayana Power, Edelweiss Infrastructure and a handful of private equity investors.

Atha has 200 MW assets in Tamil Nadu, 15 MW in Telangana, 20 MW in Karnataka, 50 MW in Maharashtra and the rest is in... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

Area for parking, charging E-vehicles on Samruddhi Mahamarg grows after Maha govt's policy

With the Maharashtra government announcing its electric vehicle (EV) policy recently, the area dedicated for parking and charging of such vehicles along the upcoming Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway has been increased five-fold, a senior official said on Wednesday. The Maharashtra government had last month announced its new EV policy with an aim of making such vehicles achieve 10 per cent share of total registrations by 2025. The new policy updated the one announced in 2018.

"Nearly 70 per cent civil work of the 701-km long Samruddhi Expressway has been completed. The amenities of... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

India's Arvind Limited partners with Textile Genesis for traceability

Arvind Limited, textile to technology conglomerate and the largest manufacturer of denims in India, has collaborated with Textile Genesis, a block-chain enabled digital transparency platform for apparel supply chain. The collaboration will address the emerging need for transparency across the Denim supply chain, backed by a credible traceability mechanism.
The Textile Genesis’ platform will provide complete traceability of upstream (cotton and other inputs) being used by Arvind Limited to the customers. This technology works closely with a network of key sustainable fibre suppliers... Read more..

Source: Fibre 2 Fashion

GEF-MNRE-UNIDO Launch loan interest subvention scheme for demonstration of innovative industrial organic waste to energy biomethanation projects and business models

MNRE in association with UNIDO and GEF launched the loan interest subvention scheme for demonstration of innovative industrial organic waste to energy biomethanation projects and business models. A GIS based inventory tool of organic waste streams was also unveiled.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India (GOI) launched the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded loan interest subvention scheme that provides financial assistance to innovative waste to energy biomethanation projects and... Read more..

Source: PIB

Altigreen partners MoEVing; enters Chennai with road-ready EVs

Electric vehicle maker Altigreen which has partnered with EV fleet operator MoEVing has launced its service in Chennai following its successful launch in New Delhi and Bengaluru.

"The leading EV manufacturer has joined hands with MoEVing Urban Mobility to facilitate the launch of Altigreen's electric mobility solutions for last mile delivery in the region", a company statement said here.

Altigreen has now expanded its network across markets including New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and in Chennai.

"Our road-ready vehicles have been exclusively... Read more..

Source: Business Standard

Total 5,17,322 electric vehicles registered in the country over the last three years, 38 original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of e-2W, e-3W & e- 4W registered under phase-II of FAME-India Scheme.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries formulated a Scheme Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme in 2015 to promote adoption of electric/ hybrid vehicles (xEVs) in the country. At present, Phase-II of FAME India Scheme is being implemented for a period of 5 years w.e.f. April 01, 2019 with a total budgetary support of Rs. 10,000 crores. This phase focusses on supporting electrification of public & shared transportation and aims to support, through subsidies, 7090 e-Buses, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars and... Read more..

Source: PIB

Special exhibition on biofuels organized to celebrate World Bio Fuel Day - 9 TPD Compressed Bio Gas plant dedicated to the nation

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana - PMUY) by handing over LPG connections, at Mahoba Uttar Pradesh today via video conferencing., The objective of the schemeis to issue deposit-free LPG connections to one crore additional families who could not be covered under earlier phase of PMUY. The launch event was also graced by Shri Yogi Adiyanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, and Shri RameswarTeli,Minister of State for Petroleum &... Read more..

Source: PIB

Ather Energy to offer charging connector to other OEMs

Ather Energy, a homegrown electric scooter manufacturer, today announced that the company will offer its proprietary charging connector to other OEMs to adopt for their two-wheelers, paving the way for an interoperable two-wheeler fast charging platform for the country. This would not only reduce range anxiety by allowing all scooters to access Ather Energy’s 200+ fast chargers but also allow more OEMs to build products on a common standard thus lowering infrastructure investments.

Robust charging infrastructure is one of the major drivers in accelerating the faster adoption of... Read more..

Source: Business World

Bounce ties up with deep-tech start-up Chara for local production of EV motors

Urban mobility solutions provider Bounce on Tuesday said it has joined hands with deep-tech startup Chara for local production of electric motors for its fleet of electric vehicles (EVs).

Under the partnership, Chara, which has developed motor technology that is rare-earth magnet-free, hyper-efficient, easier and cost-effective to build, will design and manufacture customised motors based on its innovative motor and drive technologies for Bounce, the company said in a statement.

Bounce Co-founder Vivekananda H R said, “We are excited to partner with Chara to source locally... Read more..

Source: Your Story

Levi Strauss sustainability chief leaves Better Cotton Initiative board

Aug 6 (Reuters) - Levi Strauss & Co's (LEVI.N)chief sustainability officer, Jeff Hogue, has left the board of trade body Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), the denim maker said on Friday.

Earlier this year, several brands including Swedish fashion chain H&M (HMb.ST) and sportswear maker Nike (NKE.N) as well as BCI became targets of some Chinese internet users after they raised concerns about alleged forced labor in Xinjiang.

Members of the coalition remain torn over how and when to respond to the Chinese attacks, with some wanting BCI to swiftly and forcefully rebut the... Read more..

Source: Reuters

India welcomes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1 contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report.

India welcomes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1 contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2021 : The Physical Science” released today by the IPCC. Several Indian Scientists have participated in the preparation of this report.

Union Environment Minister, Shri Bhupender Yadav said in his tweet message that the report is a clarion call for the developed countries to undertake immediate, deep emission cuts and decarbonisation of their economies.

Developed Countries have usurped far more than their fair share of the global... Read more..

Source: PIB

1,590 Electric Vehicles in more than 160 Central and State Government Departments in 49 cities deployed/under deployment by EESL/CESL

As per information received from Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under Ministry of Power, Government of India, through Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL – 100% Owned subsidiary of EESL) is implementing e-Mobility Programmewith the objective to reduce dependence on oil imports & to provide an impetus for domestic electric vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators, service providers, etc. to gain efficiencies of scale and drive down costs, create local manufacturing facilities, grow technical competencies for the long-term growth of the... Read more..

Source: PIB

Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission sets additional surcharge at 51 paise per kWh

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has set additional surcharge at Rs 0.51 per kWh for consumers who procure power through open access from sources other than their power distribution companies (discoms).

The rate is applicable to open access consumers of the four state-owned discoms for the period from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, GERC said in its recent order.

The commission decides the additional surcharge on a six-monthly basis based on data furnished by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL).

GERC had set the additional surcharge at Rs 0.... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

PM Modi to launch Ujjwala Yojana 2.0 on Aug 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be launching the next leg of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) on August 10. An official statement said that Modi will do so by handing over Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG or cooking gas) connections, at Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing. He will interact with beneficiaries of the Ujjwala scheme and will also address the nation.

PMUY 2.0 was announced in the Union budget for financial year 2021-22. There was a provision for an additional 10 million LPG connections under the scheme. “These 10 million additional PMUY connections (under... Read more..

Source: Business Standard

Reliance, Bill Gates, others invest $144 mn in US-based energy storage firm Ambri

Reliance Industries’ wholly-owned subsidiary Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd (RNESL), along with strategic investors Paulson & Co, Bill Gates, and others have invested $144 million in energy storage company Ambri Inc. RNESL will invest $50 million to acquire 42.3 million shares of preferred stock in the company. This investment comes after RIL recently announced its plans to build a Giga Factory in Jamnagar to store intermittent energy as part of its Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex project.

Massachusetts-based Ambri is commercialising a new, long-duration battery... Read more..

Source: Business Today

Maersk’s Green Shipping Plan Runs Up Against Scarce Cooking Oil

A.P. Moller Maersk A/S’s efforts to become carbon-neutral face an unusual hurdle: There isn’t enough used cooking oil to make the biofuel that powers the vessels.

“The biofuel is sourced from used cooking oil, but the problem is that the world doesn’t eat enough french fries,” said CEO Soren Skou. “We can’t keep scaling it. If our growth rates continue, we will run out of cooking oil in one or two years.”

Still, Skou said the Copenhagen-based carrier, which controls a fleet of more than 700 vessels, is done ordering ships that only run on fossil fuel. Maersk has pledged to... Read more..

Source: TT News

13 states have approved, notified dedicated EV policies: Centre

As many as 13 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka, have approved or notified dedicated policies to promote the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), Parliament was informed on Monday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar said that as per information received from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), battery is an important part of electric vehicles and it is estimated that battery price is around 30-40 per cent of the vehicle price.

"Thirteen states (Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

India to make Green Hydrogen mandatory for user industries

NEW DELHI: The government is set to make it mandatory for user industries to produce or procure green hydrogen to meet part of their needs, a move that has the potential to make India one of the largest producers of what is being seen as a 'fuel of the future' that will play a key role in energy transition and carbon reduction.

Oil refineries and fertiliser manufacturers will be asked to implement the policy immediately after the Cabinet approves the proposal, power and renewable energy minister R K Singh told in an interview.

He said the renewable energy ministry has sent... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

On a mission mode towards Green Railways, Indian Railways Organisation of Alternative Fuels (IROAF) invite bids for Hydrogen Fuel Cell based Train on Indian Railways Network

“Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Batteries” and “National Hydrogen Mission” are two flagship programs of Government of India so as to meet out the targets of reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emission under Paris Climate Agreement 2015 and “Mission Net Zero Carbon Emission Railway” by 2030. Accordingly, there has been recent budgetary pronouncement to kick off the concept of Hydrogen Mobility in the Country. Accepting it as a challenge, Indian Railways Organization of Alternate Fuel (IROAF), Green Fuel vertical of Indian Railways, has invited the bids for Hydrogen Fuel Cell based Train on... Read more..

Source: PIB

Handloom production needs to Double from present level around Rs.60000 Cr to Rs 125000 crore in 3 years - Shri Goyal

Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal has said that steps needs to be taken to increase the production capacities of handloom sector from existing 60 thousand crore rupees to over one lakh 25 thousand crore rupees within three years. He added that target must be set to increase the export of handloom items from existing 2,500 crore rupees to 10,000 crore rupees in the next three years. Addressing an event on the occasion of 7th National Handloom Day here today, Shri Goyal said that nation is committed to... Read more..

Source: PIB

ReNew Power to invest $1.2 billion for round-the-clock 400 MW supply

NEW DELHI : ReNew Power plans to invest $1.2 billion to supply round-the-clock 400 megawatt (MW), and has signed the long pending power purchase agreement (PPA) with state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (Seci) for the same.

“ReNew had won the bid to supply Round-The-Clock power in 2020 through an auction conducted by SECI. As per the contract, ReNew Power will supply electricity in the first year at ₹2.90/kWh (about 3.9 cents). This tariff will increase by 3% annually for the first 15 years, after which it will stabilize for the remaining 10 years of the 25-year contract,"... Read more..

Source: Livemint
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