Here is an ongoing summary of short news stories of November and October 2022. These stories have not been covered elsewhere on this portal.
NTPC has dispatched its first coal rake from NTPC Talaipalli coal mines to NTPC Lara super thermal power project — both located in Chhattisgarh. The MGR (merry-go-round) track length from Talaipalli to Lara is 65 km. The commencement of rake loading paves the way forward for NTPC’s Talaipalli Mine to dispatch coal in a smooth and eco-friendly manner to meet the coal requirements of NTPC’s 1600-mw NTPC Lara power plant, NTPC said. (November 23, 2022)
Power Finance Corporation Ltd, in a regulatory filing, said that its wholly-owned subsidiary PFC Consulting Ltd (PFCCL) has, in turn, incorporated two new special purpose vehicles for the development of independent power transmission projects. These two SPVs are wholly-owned subsidiaries of PFCCL and will be transferred to the developer selected using the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) mechanism. The two subsidiaries are: Raipur Pool Dhamatari Transmission Ltd for the development of “Western Region Expansion Scheme-XXVII (WRES XXVII)” and Dharamjaigarh Transmission Ltd for development of “Western Region Expansion Scheme-XXVIII (WRES XXVIII) and Western Region Expansion Scheme-XXIX (WRES XXIX)”. Both these SPVs were incorporated on November 18, 2022, the filing said. (November 21, 2022)
Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd (TPSSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd, has tied up with Union Bank of India (UBI) to help MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) sector switch to solar solutions. The objective of this collaboration is to improve access to green energy and save on the cost of electricity, thus making MSMEs more profitable. The association will be implemented under UBI’s solar scheme called ‘Union Solar’, which was launched on a pan-India level to relieve the MSME’s from the stress of higher power costs and grid exigencies. MSMEs can avail the dual services of solar EPC by TPSSL, financed through term loan facility by UBI. (November 16, 2022)
Private developer Chhattisgarh Hydropower LLP has given ANDRITZ the contract for the supply of electro-mechanical equipment comprising of turbine, generator, main inlet valve and related auxiliaries and SCADA for the Rehar-1 hydro project. The project comprises of 3 vertical Francis units of 8.3 MW unit capacity. The project is in Chhattisgarh state and the scope covers design, manufacture, testing, supply, installation and commissioning of the above equipment, ANDRITZ said in a statement. (November 15, 2022)
ABB Measurement & Analytics recently opened its first smart instrumentation factory in Bangalore, to support the region’s ambition of transforming into a global design and manufacturing hub. Aligned with the local government’s ‘Make in India’ program aimed at supporting local economy, the factory is equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing technology to meet the growing demand for instrumentation devices that enables more efficient and sustainable customer operations. The new plant will manufacture field devices such as pressure and temperature transmitters, IP convertors and electromagnetic flowmeters for a wide variety of industries, including power, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, water and other segments. (November 1, 2022)
SJVN has won a 105-mw floating solar project through e-reverse auction held by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco). The project was won at a tariff of Rs.3.93 per kwh, on BOO basis under a TBCB process by Mahagenco. The tentative cost for development of this project will be Rs.730 crore. The project will be commissioned within 15 months from the effective date of the PPA that will be signed between Mahagenco and SJVN. (October 20, 2022)
KP Energy has received order for providing erection and installation services for five Suzlon-make wind turbines (Model 5120) having a rated capacity of 2100kW and with hub height of 140m at the Vinjalpar site in Gujarat. The order was placed by ABREL Century Energy Ltd, the project developer. KP Energy shall provide services including loading and unloading of WTG materials at site, inter carting of WTG and erection and installation of the wind turbines. KP Energy has started performing its scope of works and the project is scheduled to be completed in Q3 of FY23, a release from KP Energy said. (October 19, 2022)
Avaada Group has signed a long-term contract with Israel-based Airtouch Solar for the maintenance of its solar modules using robotic cleaning solutions. The agreement, for a period of 25 years, will include the supply, erection, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of Airtouch robotic cleaning systems at Avaada solar farms. (October 13, 2022)
Tata Power Trading Company Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power, and 75F Smart Innovations India Pvt Ltd have signed an agreement to jointly promote building automation and energy-efficiency solutions in the commercial building space across industry verticals like IT/ITeS, BFSI hospitality, healthcare, education, government and retail. The association will greatly help businesses optimize their energy consumption and usage. With this collaboration, TPTCL and 75F shall jointly offer solutions in the space of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) optimization and smart building automation powered by technologies like IoT, cloud and AI/ML. These solutions can help commercial buildings with centrally air-conditioned spaces attain savings on their HVAC energy consumption, which typically constitutes at least 50 per cent of a building’s total energy consumption. (October 13, 2022)
REC Power Development & Consultancy Ltd (RECPDCL), the bid process coordinator and a wholly-owned subsidiary of REC Ltd, has transferred the entire shareholding of ER-NER Transmission Ltd, currently held by RECPDCL, to Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL). The transfer took place on October 10, 2022. PGCIL, it may be mentioned, emerged as the successful bidder and was selected through the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) route for development of the interstate transmission system (ISTS) project officially termed as “System Strengthening Scheme for Eastern and North Eastern Regions.” Accordingly, ER-NER Transmission Ltd has ceased to be a subsidiary of REC/RECPDCL, effective October 10, 2022. (October 11, 2022)
