Cement, Energy & Environment

He further said that National Offshore Wind Energy Authority under the aegis of MNRE, will be constituted shortly. The authority will act as the nodal agency for Offshore Wind Projects. The authority will carry out resource assessment and surveys in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and simultaneously enter into contract with project developers for development of offshore wind energy project in the territorial water (12 nautical miles). A single windows agency, it will coordinate with Ministries/ Departments concerned for clearances. However, the authority will only act as a facilitator for getting clearance and application for clearance ' will be dealt in entirety by the Ministry/ Department concerned, Watal said. A January 2012 study by Scottish Development International had indicated the potential to establish around one GW wind farm each along the coastline of Rameswaram and Kanyakuma ri in Tamil Nadu. India's offshore wind energy capacity is estimated at 350 GW. Courtesy : The Hindu Business Line ,New Delhi, 15.08.2013 Wind DRAFT POLICY ON OFFSHORE WIND POWER The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has released a draft policy for the offshore wind energy sector. As per the draft, there exist an offshore wind potential of 1,000 MW along the south coast of Tamil Nadu , with reasonable prospects in Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa as well. In this regard anodal agency - the National Offshore Wind Energy Authority- would be established for carrying out of resource assessment and surveys as well as for entering into contracts with developers for the establishment of offshore wind projects. Courtesy: Power Line, Volume1 7, No.9, May 2013 Solar TN REGULATOR PEGS SOLAR TARIFF AT ~ 5.78 A UNIT In a 'consultative paper' put up for comments from the public, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission has pegged solar power tariff at Rs 5.78 a kWhr. Anybody can put up a solar PV project and sign a 25-year power purchase agreement with the State electricity distribution company, Tangedco, and get Rs 5.78 a unit. For solar thermal and kilowatt-scale plants, the regulator has suggested tariffs of Rs 8.34 and Rs 8.15, respectively. These tariffs have been calculated on the basis of various cost assumptions, such as of capital, operations and maintenance and interest charges. The commission has invited people to give their comments by August 31. Solar industry players that Business Line spoke to were unenthusiastic to the suggested tariffs. They could not help drawing a parallel with the recently-concluded bidding round for solar projects in Tamil Nadu - the tariff discovered through the process was Rs 6.48 with 5 per cent annual escalation for the first ten years. Stressing that the suggested tariff of Rs 5. 78 a unit is "not at all feasible", P.V.R. Krishna Rao , founder of Earthcare , a solar industry consultancy, said that with the present level of the rupee-dollar equation, module prices firming up and the threat of anti-dumping duty being brought in, there is no way that a tariff of Rs 5.78 wil l work. Pointing out that the Commission had assumed an interest rate of 12 per cent, Krishna Rao wondered which banker is prepared to lend at 12 per cent, especially for a project in Tamil Nadu. Courtesy : The Hindu Business Line, Chennai, 07.08.2013 MoEF ORDER ON FLY ASH QUASHED The Madras High Court has set aside an order of the Ministry of Environment and Forests directing the Tamil Nadu General & Distribution corporation to comply with the Fly Ash Utilization Amendment Notification of November 2009. The Notification granted incentives to brick manufacturers at the cost of electricity generating companies, "which actually suffocate under accumulated losses running to thousands of crores of rupees." The notification obliged the corporation 20