Infrastructure and Energy Sector

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A.P. policy emphasises on rooftop solar power projects - The Hindu

 

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SunEdison commits to creating over 15,000 MW of renewable energy

SunEdison Inc., a well known global name in the field of renewable energy development, has drawn up a mega plan to construct and commission 15,200 megawatts of renewable energy in India by 2022. This is, perhaps, the largest renewable energy commitment made by any renewable energy development company to date in India. This commitment should be read in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to add 100 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity to the Indian grid by 2022. "SunEdison is proud to support the Prime Minister Modi's mission to add 100 gigawatts of clean energy to India's grid by 2022," said Pashupathy Gopalan, president of SunEdison Asia-Pacific. "India has a critical need to add capacity to its grid as it continues to experience strong economic growth and growing demand for energy, and SunEdison's solar and wind solutions are an ideal solution to accomplish that goal quickly, cleanly, and efficiently," he added. The company presented its green energy commitment to the Prime Minister at the RE-Invest 2015 Global Investors Meeting and Renewable Energy conference in New Delhi on Sunday. RE-Invest 2015 is the first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet & Expo to be organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). SunEdison is expected to formulate a detailed roadmap to hit this capacity addition target.
SunEdison commits to creating over 15,000 MW of renewable energy - The Hindu

 

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2.7-lakh MW capacity to be added in 5 years - The Hindu

 

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12 smart cities to come up at ports with Rs50,000 crore investment - Livemint

 

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Government decides to speed up Rs 90,000 crore power projects - The Economic Times

 

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Mahindra World City expects Rs 500-600 crore investment in next 2 years | Business Standard News

 

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Wind energy companies Gamesa, Suzlon & Mytrah infusing huge funds into solar energy - The Economic Times

 

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PM Narendra Modi's pet 100 Smart Cities project gets Cabinet's approval - The Economic Times

 

[brational]

Govt plans Bharat Mala, a 5,000km road network - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The government is proposing to build about 5,000 km of road network all along the borders and coastal areas under a new scheme to be called "Bharat Mala". If former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's scheme of building Golden Quadrilateral gave a fillip to the highway construction in the country, the new plan will connect all untouched areas in the hinterland to push development and economic activities. Construction of the huge network would need at least Rs 50,000 crore, road ministry sources said.

Officials said the project would be part of 'work plan' the road transport ministry will submit to PM Narendra Modi on Thursday when he takes the first meeting on infrastructure sector in the current financial year. The road network will pass through all bordering states - Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Bhutan - besides covering the vast coastline.

"Already we have good road network in these stretches. We will build the missing links and also extend the network where no road exists at present. These will provide connectivity to the huge number of ports, which will be part of the 'Sagar Mala' project. Once completed, these will provide seamless connectivity along the borders, which is crucial for strategic reasons," said a ministry official.


According to sources, Rajasthan is likely to get a maximum of about 1,000 km road network under this programme while Tamil Nadu and Odisha will also get substantial portion. The roads will provide connectivity from Gujarat in the west to Mizoram in the northeast and across all other major states.

"We are identifying the stretches and will soon start preparation of the plan. We have also started consultations with state governments to get their views and to take them on board. The width of roads will differ from state to state and it will depend on the traffic demand," an official said. He said the project could take off this year and the ministry targets to complete it in the next five years.

 

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Border Infrastructure: Modi government driving strategic projects with radical changes

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

In the idyllic Andaman and Nicobar islands - fast emerging as India's strategic and economic arm into the Indian Ocean - a small strip of sea separates Port Blair from the small but upcoming town of Bamboo Flat. On the mainland, up North the Jammu-Akhnoor road has for years been a choking point for traffic heading up to Poonch, including military convoys that service troops along the Line of Control. In the Northeast, trade connections with Myanmar and Bangladesh have for decades been held ransom to shoddy roads and poor infrastructure.

A radical new approach is now being adopted to accelerate projects to unclog these bottlenecks, along with work on hundreds of other strategic projects, as the Narendra Modi government sharpens focus on creating infrastructure along India's borders. From the Bharat Mala project (it envisages a road network along India's land boundary, stretching from Gujarat to Mizoram) to Sagar Mala (under which a coastal infrastructure will be set up along the nation's vast shoreline), the government's intention is clear: bring about a road and infra construction boom to help drive trade.

While the idea is not new, the approach has been different - a newly created corporation has been empowered to execute projects worth Rs 34,300 crore and has been freed of red tape that traditionally binds government agencies on mega projects. And, execution has been rapid with road projects of nearly 3,200 km activated in the past year.

Central to the change has been the creation of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which last year took over several projects from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), mostly in the Northeast but also in a few other strategic areas. Its agenda is simple: create 10,000 km of roads by 2020 and revitalise India's connections with the neighbourhood.

The changeover from BRO has been crucial - there are endless tales of roads passing deadlines by several years and construction costs quadrupling during execution.

"Efficiency and transparency are the two key areas we are focusing on. Using e-tools for project monitoring and awarding of contracts, and an efficient dispute-resolution mechanism have been (the highlight of) our approach," says NHIDCL Managing Director Anand Kumar. Several critical projects have been fast-tracked, given the focus of the government on creating infrastructure.

Consider this: In Port Blair, a detailed study on what could be India's first undersea transportation tunnel is set to commence soon. The idea is to construct a 1.5-kilometre tunnel connecting the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Bamboo Flat. Oversea connection is impossible due to the heavy naval activity in the area.

A similar undersea project is also being planned in West Bengal, to connect Sagar Island and Kakdwip with a 3.5 km tunnel. In the Northeast, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari last month, dedicated the final Indian stretch of the Stilwell road, right up to the Myanmar border. The Asian Development Bank is preparing a project report on connecting Manipur's capital Imphal with the town of Moreh near the border.



Insiders say doing away with the old is central to the project. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has, for example, created a new working group last month that has just one agenda: approve new infrastructure construction technologies for use in India. The committee has been empowered to approve within a month any new, internationally proven, technology for use in India, doing away from the archaic way of clearances that would require years if not decades for approvals by the government.

Old challenges still remain, though, the biggest being land acquisition, costs of which have gone through the roof. "While in the past locals would pool resources together and offer us free land to construct roads, the demands in the Northeast for land that is virtually worthless are astounding, in some cases as much as 40 times the market value," an official says. This may be a challenge that would take a lot to resolve. In fact, a lot depends on the ability of state governments to convince landowners on the value a road can bring to a region.

Another major focus of the new government agency is building regional connectivity to promote cross-border trade and commerce. The plan is to expand 500 km of roads in the northeastern region to enable transport with other South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation member countries.

The connection between Imphal and Moreh is part of these projects. "All we need to connect Tripura to Chittagong is a bridge and a sea port would be available to the Northeast," says Vijay Chhibber, secretary at the roads transport & highways ministry.

India is now planning to use international funding through NHIDCL to push through these border connectivity projects. While the Asian Development Bank funds are to be utilised to connect Imphal to Myanmar, funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency is being planned to connect the Assam and Meghalaya borders to Bangladesh. The crucial bridge that could connect Tripura to the Bay of Bengal port of Chittagong in Bangladesh is also being planned through JICA funding.

The next two years will be critical to evaluate whether this new approach is working and at stake are India's strategic linkages, and the future of trade in the region.

 

[NSG_Blackcats]

India's coal production has surged by 11% in the first 45 days of 2015-16, assuming greater significance as it comes on the back of the highest increase in output in 40 years recorded last fiscal. Core sector growth dipped to a 17-month low of -0.1% in March, but coal output rose by 6% that month.

Source

 

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In a major initiative to take stock of the condition of highways including their maintenance and next likely schedule for overlaying, the government is carrying out a road assessment exercise through a new modified vehicle:

Assessing condition of highways in India

 

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NEW DELHI: As the Narendra Modi government marks its first year in office, it's getting ready to unveil an ambitious project aimed at making a vast improvement to the country's roads — upgrading existing ones and building new links to connect remote areas in the hinterland. It's also aiming to make a key difference in the efficacy of surface transport by building 350 railway bridges and level crossings. Cabinet notes have been prepared for the various programmes — Sethu Bharatam, Rashtriya Rajmarg Zila Sanjoyukta Pariyojana and Backward Area Highways. "We have already started DPRs (detailed project reports) of these projects," road secretary Vijay Chibber told ET. Chibber confirmed that the cabinet notes would be moved this week. Experts said the projects could change the connectivity landscape of the country. "It will send a good signal that some action is starting in the road sector and that will lead to investment. This however has to be backed by some action on the ground for which the markets have been waiting," said Vishwas Udgirkar, senior director, Deloitte India.

The idea is to create an extensive network of seamless, high-quality highways that would speed up movement of goods and ease passenger traffic. Sethu Bharatam has been conceived to provide such connectivity along national highways with the construction of 150 railway over-bridges and 204 level crossings in one year.


Read more:
Infrastructure push: Modi government steps up to improve roads, increase connectivity

 

[ezsasa]

Not sure how true this article is, but if true it goes to prove not everybody in Govt are idiots. Geo-tagging 23000 KM in four days is no mean feat.

A.P. prepares to launch Fibre Grid Corporation

In a rare feat, two government departments in Andhra Pradesh have succeeded geo-mapping 3.6 lakh electricity poles in four days to enable laying of aerial fibre network to provide internet and broadband connections at Rs. 150 per month to 1.3 crore households in the State. The government intends to complete rolling of broadband connections by December.

The Investment & Infrastructure and Energy and the Rural Development departments executed the challenging exercise for the ambitious plan of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The two departments were tasked with the job after the government estimated that the private GPS/GIS agencies will take not less than six months and charge any where between Rs.6 crore and Rs.10 crore.

“The deadline for the entire project is December, 2015. If the geo-tagging alone takes months, we cannot meet the deadline set by the Chief Minister Naidu to roll out broadband connections,” senior officials told The Hindu .

The location-specific (GIS) data on poles and sub-stations is needed for laying “aerial fibre network” which rides overhead on the existing electricity poles to provide internet connection. There are 3.6 lakh of poles and 2,600 substations spread around 23,000 km. Without the basic data, one cannot design the optimal route for pulling the fibre, officials have said.

RD commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu said, “We are proud that our field teams working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and experienced in geo-tagging of NREGS works could complete the task in four days and save crores. A perfect example to show even semi-skilled persons can create wonders with the right kind of technology.”

About 4,000 field-level personnel from NREGS and the engineers of power distribution companies and linemen were explained through teleconference about the process and the special software deployed in the GPS phones for geo-tagging energy department assets. The geo tagging of assets with unique ID would help in identifying the specific problem area in the aerial fibre network and address it, he said.

Ajay Jain, Secretary, I &I and Energy said now that the geo-tagging of poles and substations was done, detailed optimum route plans were being finalised to know the quantum of fibre required.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...corporation/article7284272.ece?ref=sliderNews

 

[ezsasa]

Found this on other forum, posting this here since i didn't know about these phases before......

NATIONAL HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT(NHDP)

The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in Indiato a higher standard.

http://**********/attachments/balasoreparadeep-jpg.227867/

The project is composed of the following phases:

• Phase I: The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ; 5,846 km) connecting the four major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata with 4 lane highways. This project connecting four metro cities, would be 5,846 km (3,633 mi). Total cost of the project is Rs.300 billion (US$6.8 billion), funded largely by the government’s special petroleum product tax revenues and government borrowing. In January 2012, India announced the four lane GQ highway network as complete.

• Phase II: North-South and East-West corridors comprising national highways connecting four extreme points of the country with 4 lane highways. The North–South and East–West Corridor (NS-EW; 7,300 km) connecting Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, including spur from Salem to Kanyakumari (Via Coimbatore and Kochi) and Silchar in the east to Porbandar in the west. Total length of the network is 7,300 km (4,500 mi).

• Phase III: The government recently approved NHDP-III to upgrade 12,109 km (7,524 mi)of national highways to 4 lane highways on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, which takes into account high-density traffic, connectivity of state capitals via NHDP Phase I and II, and connectivity to centres of economic importance.

• Phase IV: The government is widening 13,203 km of highway that were not part of Phase I, II, or III. Phase IV will convert existing single lane highways into two lanes with paved shoulders.

• Phase V: As road traffic increases over time, a number of four lane highways will need to be upgraded/expanded to six lanes. The current plan calls for upgrade of about 6,500 km of four-lane roads,(Includeing entire GQ )

• Phase VI: The government is planning to construct expressways that would connect major commercial and industrial townships. It has already identified 400 km (250 mi) of Vadodara (earlier Baroda)-Mumbai section that would connect to the existing Vadodara (earlier Baroda)-Ahmedabad section.The 334 km (208 mi) Expressway between Chennai—Bangalore and 277 km (172 mi) Expressway between Kolkata—Dhanbad has been identified and feasibility study and DPR contract has been awarded by NHAI.

• Phase VII: This phase calls for improvements to city road networks by adding ring roads to enable easier connectivity with national highways to important cities. In addition, improvements will be made to stretches of national highways that require additional flyovers and bypasses . The 19 km (12 mi) long Chennai Port—Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway is being executed under this phase.

National Highways Development Project is being implemented in all phases except phase VI at present. The present phases improving more than 49,260 km of arterial routes of NH Network to international standards. The project-wise details NHDP all Phases as below.

We have 21932 km of four lane National Highways & 2115 km of six at lane National Highways at present.

Around 26,000 km. length of National Highways is to be upgraded to 4-lane divided carriageway facility, 6,500 km of National Highways to be upgraded to six lane facility, 20,000 km of existing deficient stretches to be improved to two-lane with paved shoulder facility & 1000 km of expressways will be built

http://**********/attachments/14-jpg.227864/

Check the updates here .:NHAI:. What it is?

 

[NSG_Blackcats]

Azure Power commissions 100 MW solar PV plant in Rajasthan under India's National Solar Mission

Azure Power India Pvt Ltd. (New Delhi, India), an independent power producer in the Indian solar power sector, has announced the commissioning of its largest (100 MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant under India's National Solar Mission (NSM) policy in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Azure Power had won this project under the NSM Phase-2 Batch I to supply power to Solar Energy Corporation of India, for 25 years.

With the commissioning of this PV plant, Azure Power is now the single largest owner and operator of solar PV projects under the NSM with a cumulative operational capacity of 142 MW under this policy, the company emphasizes.

 

[cobra commando]

SoftBank in tie-up for $20bn investment in Indian solar projects

NEW DELHI: Japan's Softbank Corp is to team up with Bharti Enterprises and Taiwan's Foxconn to invest about $20 billion in solar projects in India as the country steps up efforts to boost the renewable energy sector. Softbank, which has said it will invest $10 billion in India over time, said on Monday that the companies had a minimum commitment of generating 20 gigawatts of energy. The rapidly falling cost of solar power, which is expected to reach parity with conventional energy by 2017, has ignited interest in its potential in India.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has looked to industry for help in funding what could be a $100 billion expansion in clean energy. Softbank chief executive Masayoshi Son said Foxconn will help with planned solar equipment manufacturing for the projects. The companies are looking at manufacturing equipment in India, he added.

SoftBank in tie-up for $20bn investment in Indian solar projects

 

[ezsasa]

Found an interesting tender document for Ganga Project released this week, below is the excerpt from the tender. More interestingly i was surprised that such a service for cleaning ghats did not exist till now. Maybe somebody living on the cities/towns mentioned below can comment on this.I say this is a good idea, instead of depending on public participation for clean up of river.

Scope of work
(A) Solid Waste Management:
(i) Arresting the entry of all floating solid waste into River at all inlet points
(ii) Cleaning of floating trash from the river surface and surveillance through public address system
(iii) Cleaning of Ghats
(iv) Installation of adequate dustbins
(v) Disposal of Cremation ghat waste
(vi) Creation of Toilet Facilities to ensure open defecation free Ghats/ river banks
(vii) Collection of Waste from 100m wide corridor along the bank through Vehicles fitted with Public address system

(B) Environmental monitoring / surveillance of drains in 11 identified towns namely Rishikesh, Haridwar, Garhmukteshwar, Mathura-Vrindavan, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Sahibganj, Kolkata and Nabadweep distributed in Packages

 

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Govt flips the switch to 20- year power plan

 

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Coal imports drop for first time in 15 months

Coal imports fell 11 per cent to 19.3 million tonnes in July from a year earlier - the sharpest and the first drop in more than a year - as local supplies rose and money losing power generators held up purchases, commodities trader mjunction said.