Govt plans to invite bids for Cheyuur project by Jul

The government plans to invite bids for a 4,000MW coal-based power project at Cheyuur in Tamil Nadu by July in the hope of restarting its so-called ultra mega power project (UMPP) scheme, which has been weighed down by ecological concerns and local resistance.

Power secretary P. Umashankar said environmental studies for the Cheyuur project are expected to be completed by April. “We expect to start the award process by June-July,” he said.

The project will rely on imported coal, whose price, including freight charges, are prone to fluctuations. It will thus be crucial for companies to secure coal supplies to bid for the project, as movement in international coal prices would impact input cost.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government wants to set up 16 UMPPs, or power projects that produce at least 4,000MW each, to meet the needs of the world’s second fastest growing major economy after China. India has a power generation capacity of 169,000MW and expects to add 62,374MW by 2012.

Nine UMPPs were originally planned, but only four have been awarded—at Mundra in Gujarat, Sasan in Madhya Pradesh, Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tilaiya in Jharkhand. Two projects, at Girye in Maharashtra and Tadri in Karnataka, had to be abandoned due to local resistance. The bidding process of two others, located near coal mines at Bedabahal in Orissa and Surguja in Chhattisgarh, has been delayed.

Power Finance Corp. Ltd, the nodal agency for awarding UMPPs, extended the deadline for companies to respond to the request for qualification (RFQ) for the Orissa project for a fifth time on 31 January. The new deadline for submission of RFQ applications for the Orissa project is 31 March, and 8 March for the Chhattisgarh project.

“The RFQ deadline for the Orissa project has already been extended till 31 March. We are working with the MoEF (ministry of environment and forests) to find a solution,” said Umashankar.

The power ministry is working with MoEF on a compromise that would allow coal mining to fuel the Orissa project—in an exception to the government’s so-called “no go” policy for coal miners.

In June 2009, MoEF and coal ministry announced “go” and “no-go” areas for coal miners to protect best quality forests.

Mint reported on 26 November that MoEF is ready for a compromise to allow coal mining to fuel the Orissa UMPP.

UMPPs follow a competitive tariff-based bidding in which a special purpose vehicle (SPV) is set up to reduce risk perception and increase investor confidence. This SPV takes care of regulatory requirements such as land acquisition and environmental clearances and transfers these to the winning bidder. Each project requires an investment of around R

s.

20,000 crore.

“After the award of the first three projects, the whole process has taken enormously long,” said Anish De, chief executive at Mercados EMI Asia, an energy consulting firm. “The drive which was there for the earlier UMPP award process needs to be brought back.”

Source: Govt plans to invite bids for Cheyuur project by Jul - Home - livemint.com

Pratt & Whitney to step up component sourcing and form 5 manufacturing JVs

Bangalore: Aircraft engine maker, Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp company, plans to step up sourcing of components from India. The company is currently working with 16 Indian engine parts suppliers.

Pratt & Whitney is also holding discussions with five Indian companies to form joint ventures for manufacturing engine parts in India. One of these joint ventures could be announced sometime next week, said Vivek Saxena, country manager, Pratt & Whitney.

The company plans to double the headcount at it's sourcing office in Bangalore to about 80 people in three years. It's local sourcing of components and engineering services will increase 10-fold by 2014, to around $150-200 million a year from the current $15 million.

Pratt & Whitney is also exploring partnership opportunities with L&T, the Tata Group and other companies. The company is working with it's suppliers in India to bring them up to the required quality standards.

Boeing Company and the Indian Air Force reached preliminary agreement on the purchase of 10 C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft, and are now in the process of finalizing the details of the sale. The preliminary agreement represents the purchase of approximately 45 engines for Pratt & Whitney.

Pratt & Whitney's F117 engine, powering the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifter, recently exceeded 8 million engine flight hours. "This landmark milestone is a testament to the efficiency of the F117 engine," said Bev Deachin, vice president, Military Programs and Customer Support, Pratt & Whitney.

The C-17 Globemaster III – the world's premier heavy airlifter – is operated by four F117 engines. The F117-PW-100 first entered service in 1993 and is a derivative of Pratt & Whitney's PW2037 commercial engine powering the Boeing 757. Pratt & Whitney has delivered more than 1,050 F117 engines worldwide, including 82 with international customers.

According to reports, General Electric and Rolls-Royce have proposed an alternate engine for the aircraft.

United Technologies's Sikorsky Aircraft Corp expects Indian demand for helicopters to reach $21.4 billion in the next 20 years. "The market may become the world’s largest in terms of unit sales," said Steve Estill, vice president of strategic partnerships.

Source:-http://machinist.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3072&Itemid=1

‘Study of all power plants essential’ - Mumbai - DNA

Only the combined study of all the proposed power projects on the Konkan coastal belt, will give the real picture of the possible impact on the environmental of these plants, says the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

The 200-km-long Konkan coastline is expected to have around 15 thermal power plants, with a capacity of around 23,000MW. Adding to that will be the much controversial Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project, which has capacity of 9,900MW.

“This is not the question of one nuclear power plant. When you have such a huge number of projects coming up, you have to study the impact in totality. If you see the proposed plans on map, there is no open space available in the belt of 200km from Dabhol to Sindhudurg. Plus, all these projects will be releasing hot water in to the sea, which will increase the seawater temperature,” said Dr Deepak Apte, deputy director, conservation.

He added that the rising temperature does alter the present ecosystem and increase the number of newer species. “It is good for some species, but not for others. Therefore, we feel that all the projects should be studied in a combined manner to reach a conclusion,” said Apte, adding that had there been a single project, then an isolated study could have helped.

BNHS also released its interim report on the impact of oil spill, which took place after the collision between two vessels namely MSC Chitra and Khalijia in August 2010.

The report claims that the spill has harmed the mangroves spread over the 1,273.24-hectare area, which is almost 60% of the total mangrove cover in and around Mumbai. It also says that the regeneration process of mangroves has stopped because of the oil cover.

Source: ‘Study of all power plants essential’ - Mumbai - DNA

Jindal Steel starts land survey for coal mining

DURGAPUR, 6 FEB: Chinese mining experts, appointed by Jindal Steel for the purpose, started a survey for a coal mining project in the Sarpi-Ichapur area in Laudoha block about 12 km from Durgapur town. The coal deposits were located in January, 2011. A group of 31 Chinese coal mining experts headed by Mr U Lee were seen conducting land survey in the Ichapur-Sarpi area this morning. They were given adequate police protection apprehending local protests against the project.

Jindal Steel was awarded three captive coal blocks in Ichapur, Kulti and Salanpur in Burdwan district for extracting coal for the purpose of running its proposed steel plant at Salboni in Midnapore West. Incidentally, the project had met with protests from the People’s Committee against Police Action (PCPA) which brought a long-sustained political turmoil in Lalgarh and its adjoining areas, experiencing a slew of police-Maoist encounters in recent times. Jindal Steel officials had intimated the nearby Laudoha police station of the survey prior to the visit of Chinese experts. The West Bengal Mineral Trading Development Corporation, the prime custodian of coal blocks, had awarded mining lease to the Jindals for the purpose of captive usage. The Ichapur – Sarpi mine, according to experts: “Would have a 10 square km operation zone and would be an underground mine lifting coal from the seam reserve located 1400 ft underground. 80 to 90 drillings will be conducted to know the thickness of the seam bed.” The company is planning to use Chinese or Australian technology for coal extraction from the mine. sns

Source: Jindal Steel starts land survey for coal mining