India

Infrastructure India Plc. is acquiring Indian Energy Plc. in an all-stock deal valued at £7.9 million or US $13 million.

The website carries here, a status update on the associated transmission system (ATS) of NHPC's 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo hydro-electric project (HEP), works for which are likely to slip into the 12th plan period. Work on the ATS has commenced, with the transmission lines and substation works having been awarded in two separate contracts (supply and erection & commissioning), which encompass works for 66 kV lines, 66 kV /11kV substations, 11kV lines, LT lines and BPL connections. As per the present status, an approval for the revised cost estimates (RCE) from Rural Electrification Corporation (REC)/Ministry of Power (MoP), which had been submitted to REC in October last year, is currently awaited. Any further delay in the approval of the RCE is likely to now push the completion of the lines and substations to the next fiscal period, since the working period is maximum from April-October.   --It is pertinent to note that a revised RCE had been prepared where the estimates are over 20%, to take into account the substantial increase in the Bill of Quantities particularly for the erection contract. Most of the works will be taken up subsequent to the approval of the RCE and amendment to the contract. The 45 MW project is a run-of-river scheme, planned to harness the hydropower potential of the Indus river, in the Leh district of the state. The project envisages the construction of a 57 m high concrete gravity dam, three 6.3 m long penstocks, with a diameter of 3.3 m, each, and a surface power house with four Francis turbine units of 15 MW capacity, each. The project would afford an annual energy generation of 239 million units (MU), assuming 90% performance.  

The CEA sent a team to review the progress at the 110 MW Guruji combined cycle power project at Dadri in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Vestas will supply, install and commission 51 units of V100-1.8 wind turbines totaling 92MW for an Asia Pacific wind project on a turnkey basis.

The nuclear power complex at Kalpakkam will soon have a nuclear desalination plant, now being built by the Desalination Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, at Rs.40-crore.

NTPC’s power trading arm NTPC Vidyut Vypar Nigam would export 250 Mw of power to Bangladesh, from the company’s 15 per cent unallocated quota.

Energy Advisor Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury said the government will address shortcomings in the energy sector through comprehensive initiatives and adoption of state-of-the-art technology.

Bangladesh's Energy Advisor Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury revealed that the government is working to set up a regional connectivity network to exchange power and energy among the countries in the region.

In an effort to help India meet its Solar Mission goal of 1000MW of grid-connected solar power projects by 2013, Thermax Limited and Amonix signed a new deal to bring CPV technology to India.

NTPC may commence work on its 1,320 Mw thermal project in Bangladesh in the next six months.

India's Reliance Power is seeking a loan of INR28bn ($625m) from the US Exim Bank for the construction of a 2,400MW gas-based power plant in Andhra Pradesh, India. The loan is a part of the $5bn deal with Reliance Power for the purchase of US-manufactured equipment for power projects. US Exim Bank president and chairman Fred Hoghberg told the Times of India. The company expects the loan to be disbursed by next month. Besides the $5bn deal with the US Exim Bank, Reliance Power has struck a deal with the Chinese Exim Bank for $12bn to fund power projects.  

Commissioning of Teesta III hydro electric project (HEP) unit-I is likely to slip to the next fiscal, 2012-13 according to the latest report of the Ministry of Power on associated transmission system (ATS) availability. ATS for the 200 MW unit-I includes a 456 circuit kilometers (CKM) long 400 kV D/C (Q) Teesta-III - Karandighi transmission line, for which stringing is yet to start. As of now only 40 towers have been erected out of a total 621 locations. Pace of works on all major fronts needs to be expedited including forest clearances in Sikkim and Bengal. Further, a contingency arrangement plan is in place. It includes 67.4 CKM long LILO of one circuit of Teesta V-Siliguri transmission line at Teesta III and 6.2 CKM long energy restoration system (ERS) with 24 towers. Notably, the stringing and tower erection for the above transmission line has not started, thus far. To accelerate pace, increase in resources needs to be expedited along with a supply of complete towers. Pertinently, works of balance on tower protos, testing and supply are behind schedule and timely procurement of the ERS system is crucial. The Teesta-III HEP, project under joint venture of Teesta Urja Limited and Government of Sikkim, envisages the construction of a 32.5 m high barrage across the Teesta river and a 125 m x 22 m x 56 m surface power house, with four Kaplan turbine generator units, of 33 MW capacity each. The project would afford an annual energy generation of 594.07 million units (MU), assuming 90% performance.  

Hydropower plants in Himachal Pradesh were shut down due to the high silt level in Sutlej river, sparking a power crisis in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

India's brokerages prefer equipment made by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, saying its offerings have an “edge” over rivals from China.

Pakistan has reportedly decided not to take up an Indian offer to supply electricity because of strategic reasons.

NTPC's 800 MW Kol Dam hydro electric project is now expected to be commissioned by March 2013,