Page 3 - Electricity

Millions in Cuba remain in dark after blackout as national grid collapses

Cuba blames the crisis on US sanctions, which complicate financial transactions and the purchase of fuel

Power companies should coordinate in electricity production: Khattar

Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar emphasised the need for power companies to coordinate in electricity production and distribution to provide relief to consumers and prevent losses. Addressing the eighth annual Distribution Utility Meet (DUM) conference here, Khattar highlighted that energy would play a critical role in strengthening the economy and achieving India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. "All electricity companies should work together to ensure that consumers aren't overburdened and that companies avoid losses," he said. Khattar also stressed the importance of increasing power generation nationwide and ensuring energy accessibility across all regions. He underlined the need for a greater focus on green and solar energy to reduce carbon emissions, noting that current energy demand is 250 GW and continues to rise. The Union minister suggested states focus on establishing nuclear-based power plants and noted that the government is working toward ...

Indian Energy Exchange electricity trade volumes up 4% at 9,642 MUs in Oct

Indian Energy Exchange's (IEX) total trade volume rose 4 per cent year-on-year to 9,642 million units (MU) in October this year. During the month, the exchange-traded 4.44 lakh renewable energy certificates (RECs), recording a 105 per cent year-on-year increase. It has achieved electricity traded volume of 9,642 million units (MU) in October 2024, marking a 4 per cent year-on-year increase, IEX said in a statement. A total of 4.44 lakh RECs were traded in the trading sessions held on October 9 and 30 at a clearing price of Rs 110/REC and Rs 120/REC, respectively. The Day-Ahead Market (DAM) volume declined 7 per cent to 4,388 MU in October from 4,742 MU volume in the same month last year. The Real-Time Electricity Market (RTM) achieved a monthly volume of 3,123 MU in October 2024 compared to 2,402 MU a year ago, a rise of 30 per cent. IEX Green Market, comprising the Green Day-Ahead and Green Term-Ahead Market segments, achieved 872 MU volume during October 2024 against 188 MU in

V-Guard Q2FY25 results: Net profit increases 7.5% to Rs 63.39 crore

The company's consolidated net revenue from operations for the quarter ended September 30 this year was Rs 1,293.99 crore, marking a growth of 14.1%

ADB commits $241 mn loan to improve power distribution in West Bengal

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 241.3-million loan to improve electricity distribution in West Bengal in order to help enhance people's quality of life by ensuring reliable and sustainable power supply. "This ADB programme is aligned with the government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, which aims to strengthen the operational efficiency of power distribution companies," ADB Principal Energy Specialist Roka Sanda said in a statement. Reliable and sustainable electricity distribution and service is essential to West Bengal's growth and development, the statement said. The West Bengal Distribution System Strengthening Program will improve electricity distribution for 8.96 million consumers in seven districts in the state, it said. The programme will ensure replacement of low-tension overhead lines with aerial bundled cables, separate electricity feeders for agriculture and non-agriculture users, and an integrated information and operation management system fo

Cubans struggle as power not fully restored after days of blackout

Many Cubans were waiting in anguish on Sunday as electricity on much of the island has yet to be totally restored after days of blackout. Some neighbourhoods had electricity restored in Cuba's capital, where 2 million people live, but most of Havana remained dark. The impact of the blackout goes beyond lighting, as services like water supply also depend on electricity to run pumps. People resorted to cooking with improvised wood stoves on the streets before the food went bad in refrigerators. In tears, Ylenis de la Caridad Napoles, mother of a 7-year-old girl, says she is reaching a point of desperation. The failure of the Antonio Guiteras plant on Friday, which caused the collapse of the island's whole system, was just the latest in a series of problems with energy distribution in a country where electricity has been restricted and rotated to different regions at different times of the day. People lined up for hours on Sunday morning to buy bread in the few bakeries that could ..

Adani Energy signs pact to operate electricity transmission lines in Kenya

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani-led conglomerate has signed a pact to build and operate key electricity transmission lines in Kenya for 30 years, the African nation's Cabinet Secretary for Energy Opiyo Wandayi said. Adani Energy Solutions Ltd signed a project agreement with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (Ketraco). "This agreement marks the beginning of a transformative initiative to develop, finance, construct, operate, and maintain key transmission lines and substations across Kenya," he said in a press statement. Kenya faces persistent power blackouts and the projects awarded to Adani are to upgrade the country's transmission infrastructure to ensure reliable power. "As part of this infrastructure development, the project company (AESL) will raise all the funding in the form of debt and equity that will be repaid over the 30-year period of the project agreement," he said. "The project cost, that is currently estimated at Kenyan shilling 95.68 billion (USD 736 ...

Over 3 million without power as Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida

Hurricane Milton crashed into Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, pounding the coast with ferocious winds of over 100 mph (160 kph) and producing a series of tornadoes around the state. Tampa avoided a direct hit. The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (205 kph) as it roared ashore 8:30 p.m. near Siesta Key, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said. Siesta Key is a prosperous strip of white-sand beaches that's home to 5,500 people about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. The Tampa Bay area has not taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century, but the storm was still bringing a potentially deadly storm surge to much of Florida's Gulf Coast, including densely populated areas such as Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers. Heavy rains were also likely to cause flooding inland along rivers and lakes as Milton traverses the Florida peninsula as a hurricane, eventually to emerge in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday. More than 1 ..

Will campaign for BJP if PM Modi provides free electricity: Kejriwal

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free electricity in the NDA-ruled states before the Delhi Assembly elections, promising to campaign for the saffron party if he fulfills this demand. Addressing a public gathering at 'Janta Ki Adalat', Kejriwal accused the BJP's "double engine" governments of failing across the states, predicting their ouster from Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. He termed the "double engine" model as "double loot and double corruption". "I challenge PM Modi to provide free electricity in all 22 BJP-ruled states before the Delhi Assembly elections in February. If he does, I will campaign for the BJP," Kejriwal asserted. "The exit polls show the BJP's double engine governments will soon collapse in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir," he added. Kejriwal further accused the BJP of being anti-poor, citing the removal of bus marshals and data entry operators as well as the halting of home guards' salaries in Delhi. "The

Solar power companies growing fast in Africa, where 600 mn without power

Companies that bring solar power to some of the poorest homes in Central and West Africa are said to be among the fastest growing on a continent whose governments have long struggled to address some of the world's worst infrastructure and the complications of climate change. The often African-owned companies operate in areas where the vast majority of people live disconnected from the electricity grid, and offer products ranging from solar-powered lamps that allow children to study at night to elaborate home systems that power kitchen appliances and plasma televisions. Prices range from less than USD 20 for a solar-powered lamp to thousands of dollars for home appliances and entertainment systems. Central and West Africa have some of the world's lowest electrification rates. In West Africa, where 220 million people live without power, this is as low as 8 per cent, according to the World Bank. Many rely on expensive kerosene and other fuels that fill homes and businesses with fumes a

Over 1.6 million US customers still without power after Hurricane Helene

US energy company Duke Energy had the most power outages in the Carolinas with about 415,601 customers still out in South Carolina and 287,369 out in North Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us.

Freebies, declining central grants: Himachal's uphill task to fix finances

State has announced it will impose electricity consumption cess and defer salaries of ministers for two months

Telangana govt orders to provide free electricity in govt edu institutions

The Telangana government on Thursday issued an order providing free power supply to government educational institutions in the state to impart quality education. The scheme will into effect immediately, the Government Order (GO) said. According to the modalities for the scheme's implementation, the DISCOMS (power distribution companies) will create an online portal with logins given to respective departments of all the government educational institutions of Telangana. The secretaries of the concerned departments would finalise the list of institutions to be covered in the scheme and include the same on the online portal. Monthly billing will be done for each institution and will be displayed in the departments' login. The portal would also enable generation of reports pertaining to the consumption, bill amount, historical consumption, billing, payments and others. The portal will be integrated with the finance department to enable the departments to pay the bills to DISCOMS using

Atishi holds meet on providing 400 units of free power to 1984 riot victims

Atishi also instructed the Revenue Department officials to make unique ID cards for the riot victims

Brick kiln workers in western UP begin transition to solar energy

Smoke swirls from brick kiln chimneys rise up lazily, clouding around sleek solar panels that reflect the monsoon skies above, the ancient and the very new melding easily across the flat lands of western Uttar Pradesh where solar energy is changing lives in ways big and small. The harsh summer of endless days of the sun beating down mercilessly has given way to rain and sullen clouds. But the stored solar energy in the panels continues to do its work, bringing down pollution in the traditional brick kiln industry and providing electricity, and digital connectivity, to villages in the area. Eight brick kilns in Aligarh district's Kodiaganj, Pilakhana and Akrabad have already made the pioneering shift from coal to solar panels to meet their electricity needs. It's a fraction of the district's 555 brick kilns according to a report by the UP Pollution Control Board but at least a beginning. Om Prakash Sharma, who owns a brick kiln, said the initial costs were steep at Rs 7 lakh but

Electricity: A strategic view

Heavy lifting is now required in electricity and financial reforms

Fire dept NOC to be must for electric connection in buildings over 15 m

With a rise in the number of fire incidents in summer months in the national capital, power regulator DERC has proposed that residential buildings that are over 15 metres high will have to obtain a no objection certificate of the fire safety department for getting an electricity connection. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has also mooted authorising discoms to disconnect power supply of buildings to be demolished by the civic agencies. The DERC issued a notice for amendments to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (Supply Code and Performance Standards) Regulations, 2017. in exercise of the powers conferred "by Section 57 read with Section 181(2)(za) of the Electricity Act, 2003 (Act 36 of 2003)" . As per Regulation No 10(7) of the principal regulations, the discoms may disconnect the supply of electricity in case a direction or order for demolition of the premises is passed by a Court, or DDA or MCD or Competent Statutory Authority, said the ...

Power outages persist in North India amid rising demand and heatwaves

Trouble could be mounting in the intra-state systems affecting power supply as states are still unwilling to bid out the lines at prices that would attract investors to upgrade capacities

Electricity KYC fraud: DoT blocks 392 handsets, checking 31,740 connections

The Department has also directed them to re-verify 31,740 mobile connections linked to these mobile handsets

Delhi: Over 50 shops gutted in Chandni Chowk fire, cooling op underway

Flames were still simmering under some collapsed portions of buildings and a cooling operation is underway, officials said on Friday