New Delhi: The power ministry is preparing a booster dose of financial incentives and easier green norms to energize the hydel sector that would also prop up 136 private projects, including those b

Meeting slated for May 1, makes strong case for hydro to be declared as renewable energy, Jyotiraditya Scindia

Union Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will chair an advisory group on May 1 to discuss the bottlenecks in the development of hydro power projects, falling share of hydro power, delays in environment and forest clearances and high capital costs.
The group, which also includes high-profile private sector players, is expected to make a case for hydro power to be declared renewable energy, by making it obligatory to increase its share to 20 per cent of total generation by the 15th Plan from the present level of 16 per cent.

Rs 60,352-cr impact on power, urea makers; FinMin comes up with its own formula

Even before an empowered group of ministers starts deliberating on a revision in natural gas prices, the finance, power and fertiliser ministries have raised a red flag on the recommendations of the Rangarajan panel. Only the Planning Commission seems to be in agreement with the committee’s proposal to use a proposed formula as “an interim or transitional solution” till March 2017.

The government cleared a slew of infrastructure projects in the power and the oil and gas sectors on Monday, entailing investments to the tune of over Rs 58,000 crore.

The government, on Monday, approved 13 power projects, entailing investments worth Rs.33,000 crore, which were pending due to various reasons.

Greenpeace on Monday called for revision of the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mechanism based on equity principle.

The Planning Commission has recommended switching to the international pricing formula for natural gas — which presently works out to $14.5 per MBTU, almost three times more than the present price

After fertiliser, the power ministry has also opposed the recommendations made by the Rangarajan panel to increase domestic gas price from the current $4.2/mmbtu to $8.8/mmbtu, saying it will impact the power sector by about R46,360 crore annually.

The gas supplies to the sector have completely halted from the KG D6 block of Reliance Industries, which recently hit an all-time low of 15.5 mmscmd from a peak of 69.43 mmscmd in March 2010.

The proposal for the doubling of natural gas price made by the Rangarajan committee has the oil and power ministries at loggerheads.