THDC asked to pull up socks on Koteshwar HEP implementation

Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has asked THDC to pick up the pace of works at its upcoming 400-mw Koteshwar hydroelectric project site. Though the project authorities are confident of commissioning the projects within the current Plan, according to the authority, there still remain critical activities to be monitored at the site which can lead to slippage of the commissioning of the units to the next Plan.

In a recent report after conducting a site visit to the Koteshwar project, the Authority stated that commissioning of two units were programmed by March 2011 and balance two units in the year 2011-12. However, due to flooding of Power House in September 2010, there are lot of activities to be carried out for refurbishment of equipments and various systems. Considering the activities associated with refurbishment of Unit 1 and associated auxiliaries system and balance work for other units, the commissioning of the first unit by March 2011 seems to be critical. Further, all efforts need to be taken by Project authorities to ensure commissioning off all the four units in the 11th Plan, the CEA reported.

The flooding of the power house resulted in submergence of various equipments. Before flooding of power house, erection of Unit 1 and associated auxiliaries was in progress. Currently, refurbishment activities for Unit 1 are being carried out and the damaged excitation system of unit has been replaced with Unit 4. Replacement of auxiliary systems and panels is being taken up and various equipments earmarked for Unit 3 and 4 are presently being used for refurbishment of Unit 1 and 2. The process for procurement of these items needs to be initiated and to be perused further with BHEL and other contractors for timely delivery so that all the four units can be commissioned within 11th Plan, the Authority stated. 

Koteshwar Project is a run-off-river scheme with minimum diurnal storage on Bhagirathi river in Uttaranchal. The project is an integral part of the 2400 mw Tehri Hydro Power Complex. It comprises of a 97.5 m. high concrete Dam and Surface Power House, housing 4 units of 100 mw each and is located around 22 kilometers downstream of Tehri Dam. The Koteshwar Project will regulate water releases from Tehri Reservoir for irrigation purposes. The reservoir created by Koteshwar Dam shall also function as balancing reservoir for Tehri Pumped Storage Plant.

Source:-http://www.projectsmonitor.com/MISC/thdc-asked-to-pull-up-socks-on-koteshwar-hep-implementation

Sensex moves into the green

After a negative start, the Sensex has moved into the positive with the index gaining 35 points at 18,331 and the Nifty added 12 points at 5,482.In the broader markets, the situation is better with the smallcap index up 0.7% and the midcap index gaining 0.3%, both outperforming the Sensex which is up 0.1%

Among the sectoral indices, Realty up 1% is the top gainer in the morning trades followed by Auto, Power and Metal. Meanwhile, IT index down 1% is the major loser. Consumer Durables, Bankex, Health Care and FMCG are the other sectors trading in the negative.

Reliance Infrastructure up 9% is the top gainer among the Sensex stocks. HDFC, Sterlite, Reliance Communications, Tata Motors, Hero Honda, Bharti Airtel gaining 1% -2% are the other noteable gainers.

Infosys, SBI down 1% each, Wipro, TCS, BHEL,Bajaj Auto losing between 0.5% - 0.7% are the top losers in the morning trades.

The market breadth is positive. Of the total 2391 stocks traded on the BSE, 1435 stocks have advanced while 866 have declined.

Source:-http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sensex-moves-intogreen/126590/on

Markets see a quiet start

Markets saw another quiet opening today, on cues from US and Asian markets. The Sensex opened at 18,273. The index slipped into red to a low of 18,238before recovering and touching a high of 18,349.The Sensex up 40 points at 18,315. 

Nifty was up eight points at 5,488.

US markets slumped the most in over two-weeks as a lower-than-expected retail sales data for January dampened investor sentiments. Dow slipped 42 points to 12,227. Nasdaq dropped 13 points to 2,804. 

Asian markets were trading on a mixed note. Hang Seng shed 61 points to 22,838. Meanwhile, Nikkei was up 41 points at 10,788. Te Japanese markets, gaining for the third straight day, crossed the 10,800 mark after nine months.

Indian markets on Tuesday ended a choppy session of trade in the green led by gains in banking and oil & gas shares. The Sensex ended up 72 points, at 18,273. The Nikkei closed at 5481, up 25 points.

Tata Steel would be a stock to watch out for as it reported a two-fold rise in net on Tuesday. The company posted a profit after tax of Rs 1,003 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2010, compared with Rs 472.65 crore in the same period last year. The stock is up 2.5% at Rs 632.

Most of the sectoral indices are in the green, barring realty and auto. Realty index has dropped 1% in opening trades.

Metal index has gained over 1% at the same time. The index is at 15,963, helped mostly by Tata Steel.

DLF shed 2% at Rs 235. HDFC slipped 1.6% to Rs 636. 

Tata Motors and Reliance Communications, BHEL, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank were in red.

On the other hand, Jindal Steel, Larsen & Toubro and Sterlite gained 1-2% each.

Other gainers include Hero Honda, Jaiprakash Associates, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Industries and SBI.

Source:-http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/markets-seequiet-start/125884/on

BHEL Joins Hands with Abengoa to Develop Concentrated Solar Power Projects in India

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India in the energy-related infrastructure sector and Abengoa, Spain, the European leader in solar and other energy-related projects, have joined hands to develop state-of-the-art Concentrated Solar Power projects in India.

To this effect, an agreement was signed in Seville, Spain, by Mr. B.P. Rao, CMD, BHEL and Mr. Santiago Seage, Chairman and CEO, Abengoa Solar. The agreement will enable both the organisations to leverage their capabilities in offering EPC solutions for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects in India, as well as give them the opportunity to explore cooperation in energy projects in other parts of the world. The agreement is highly significant in the context of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission recently launched by the Government of India, which aims at setting up 20,000 MW of solar power projects by 2022. The mission depicts the county’s commitment to the abatement of green house gas emission aimed at reducing global warming.

Through this agreement, BHEL and Abengoa are aiming at significantly contributing to the cause of reduction in global warming through the use of CSP technologies which harness the energy of the sun for power generation thereby reducing the requirement of fossil fuels which are the leading cause of emission of CO2 and other green house gases.

BHEL is the largest engineering enterprise of its kind in India and one of the foremost companies in the international power arena. While its core competence is in the power sector, it also caters to other core sectors like; Industry, Transportation, Transmission, Oil & Gas, Defence and Renewable Energy. Its diverse manufacturing base supported by contemporary and unique manufacturing facilities gives it a competitive edge. With a product portfolio of over 180 products, BHEL has its foot print in over 70 countries. In the area of renewable energy, BHEL already manufactures and supplies grid-connected solar photo-voltaic energy systems from its plant at Bangalore. The CSP systems would now be supplied on EPC basis through the new agreement with Abengoa.

Abengoa, Spain, is a leading global organization with innovative technologies serving the solar, bio-energy, environmental services and power generation sectors. The group has a major presence in Spain and other EU countries, USA, Latin America apart from Africa and Asia.

Source: Press Information Bureau English Releases