Page 3 - India Energy Demand

Govt to offer 26 blocks at 9th round of commercial coal mine auction on Wed

The Centre will launch the ninth round of commercial coal mines auction on Wednesday, offering as many as 26 blocks to bidders. In pursuit of ensuring energy security and driving economic development, the Ministry of Coal is set to embark on another significant stride with the launch of the 9th round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions here on 20th December 2023, the Coal Ministry said in a statement. "Of the 26 coal mines to be auctioned, seven are fully explored, while 19 are partially explored blocks," the ministry said. These mines are in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana. Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi will be the chief guest and Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines Raosaheb Patil Danve will be the guest of honour on the occasion. Unlike previous commercial coal mine auctions, there are no restrictions on the sale or utilisation of coal. "Notably, eligibility criteria have been eliminated, removing any technical or financial ..

Fossil fuel-based energy also essential for India: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the dependence on fossil fuels is definitely decreasing, but fossil fuel-based energy is also essential for India. India has always worked as a responsible country in the field of clean energy, Murmu said, addressing the National Energy Conservation Awards 2023 function here. "But we have also been making it clear from time to time that the dependence on fossil fuel is definitely decreasing but fossil fuel-based energy is also essential in our country," she stated. India is promoting clean coal technologies so that the processes of coal extraction and use become more efficient and environment friendly, she noted. It is the result of our commitment towards the environment that India has moved from 30th to 7th place in the ranking of the Climate Change Performance Index in a period of ten years, she said. The President opined that the health and happiness of all of us lie in the conservation and good health of nature. "If we make optimal ..

Average power purchase cost increases by 71 paise per unit during FY22-23

Average power purchase cost increased by 71 paise per unit during FY22-23 due to a rise in various overheads like transmission and distribution rates, Parliament was informed on Thursday. On the rise in power cost due to increased use of imported coal, Union Power Minister RK Singh, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, said, "Average power purchase cost increased by 71 paise only between FY22 and FY23. This is because of increase in various costs including an increase in transmission and distribution costs". The minister explained that with the rise in electricity demand from July 2021 onwards, the consumption of coal in thermal power plants increased. The supply of domestic coal on a daily basis was less than consumption, which resulted in the depletion of coal stock and stocks at plants came down from 28.7 million tonnes (MT) as of June 30, 2021, to about 8.1 million tonnes (MT) as of September 30, 2021, he added. Therefore, in December 2021, the Ministry of Power advised state

NTPC to build more coal plants this year to meet soaring power demand

The projects underscore how even as India sets ambitious long-term decarbonization targets, in the near term it will continue to rely on the dirtiest fossil fuel to meet rapidly growing power demand

Domestic solar capacity addition grows 27% in 2022: Mercom report

Solar capacity installations in India increased by 27 per cent to 13 gigawatts (GW) during the calendar year 2022, according to a Mercom India report. "Solar capacity made up 82 per cent of the total 16 GW new power generation capacities added in 2022," the report titled 'Mercom India Solar Market Update' said. India added 13 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity in the calendar year (CY) 2022, a 27 per cent increase year-on-year (y-o-y) compared to 10.2 GW installed in CY 2021, it added. The country's cumulative installed solar capacity now stands at 63 GW, the report said. During 2022, large-scale solar projects accounted for 87 per cent of the installations. However, in October-December 2022, India added 2.6 GW of solar, down 5 per cent from 2.8 GW a year ago, it said. India's large-scale solar project pipeline stood at 58 GW, with another 51 GW of projects tendered and pending auction at the end of 2022. "Though impressive, record solar capacity additions in 2022 were barely half

Coal minister Joshi asks CIL to remove bottlenecks to boost production

Minister of Coal and Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday urged coal companies to identify and remove production bottlenecks in order to further increase dry fuel production

India Energy Week: PM Modi seeks more investments in oil & gas, refineries

Launches E20 fuel (petrol blended with 20% ethanol) two years before target

Why India needs to build a robust framework to facilitate energy transition

The investment buzz for the transition has begun but policy frameworks still lag the process

Union minister Joshi stresses on role of coal in India's energy security

Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said the nation's energy security is important and the country would still need around 1.5 billion tonnes of coal even if 50 per cent of energy demand is met through renewable sources. As a result, there was no need to worry about the future of dry fuel, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said. Speaking at an investor conclave in Mumbai, the minister said, "Our requirement for coal is increasing, our total dispatch in 2013-14 was 572 million tonnes, last year it was 817 million tonnes, this year it will be 900 million tonnes. Despite this, domestic production will not be able to fulfil full coal demand." While the total coal production from the domestic sources will be 1 billion tonnes, the total demand would be 1,300-1,400 million tonnes, he added. As the country is aiming to become self-reliant in the coal sector, deliberations are underway on how the country can perform sustainable coal mining, he explained. The power demand, he said, will doub

Why this is India's decade

From being the 'office to the world', India is set to become its factory too

Remarks on Prophet threaten to fray India's energy ties with Islamic world

West Asia is also India's biggest supplier of LPG, the fuel that is used in kitchens. India imported 48 million tonnes, or 58 per cent of the fuel used in the last three fiscals

India on its way to becoming global energy superpower: Hardeep Singh Puri

"Global energy superpower means we will set the pace for global consumption, becoming a significant producer by way of exploration and production of different sources of energy," he added

Iran ready to meet India's energy needs, eyes rupee-rial mechanism

Iran used to be India's second largest oil supplier but New Delhi had to halt imports after Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions on its oil exports

Iran ready to meet India's energy needs, Tehran envoy tells New Delhi

Tehran is also willing to work closely with India to revive and find alternative routes for the stalled Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project for transporting natural gas to India, he said

India believes legitimate energy deals must not be politicised: Report

Countries with oil self-sufficiency or those importing themselves from Russia cannot credibly advocate restrictive trading, say sources

Energy requirements of Indians expected to double in 20 years: PM

Delivering the inaugural address at the 21st World Sustainable Development Summit 2022 (WSDS-22), Modi said environmental sustainability can only be achieved through climate justice

PM Modi sets 2047 target for becoming 'energy independent'

PM Modi set a target of becoming 'energy independent' by 2047 through a mix of electric mobility, gas-based economy, doping ethanol in petrol and making the country a hub for hydrogen production

India unlikely to accept IEA's call to stop new fossil fuel investments

"We do not think the report by IEA has been vetted by the member countries as a position document", said a senior source in the government

Covid-19 second wave can hit energy demand in April-June quarter: Ind-Ra

Restrictions following the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic could impact energy demand growth recovery in the first quarter of this financial year, says India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra)

Best of BS Opinion: Competition in e-tail, Covid-19 vaccine, and more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day