News Updates

IEEMA held the INTELECT 2017 & DISTRIBUELEC, one of its only kind´s exhibition cum conference, from 23rd - 25th January 2017 at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, NCR-Delhi. The event is supported by the Ministry of Power, National Smart Grid Mission, with Madhya Pradesh as partner state and CESC & TPDDL as partner utilities.

Fitch Ratings has assigned an expected rating of ´BBB-(EXP)´ to NTPC Ltd´s (BBB-/Stable) proposed senior unsecured EUR notes, which are to be issued out of its USD four billion medium-term note programme.

While Delhi government´s Power Amnesty Scheme has resolved problems of overcharging or non-payment of bills, state discoms claim they have not yet received the promised payments. Government data revealed that the scheme which was open for nine months offered waivers in power bills of consumers worth a whopping Rs.128 crore.

Work on J&K´s first wind power project, to be built in Reasi district at an estimated cost of `46 crore, will begin in 2017-18 fiscal, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu has said. A windy site at Bidda village in Reasi with potential to generate 25 MW power has been identified.

Chhattisgarh´s request for a revision in royalty rates on coal to 30 per cent from the existing 14 per cent ad-valorem, will push up the cost of electricity by 7 per cent or 10-12paisa/kWh, India Ratings today said in a report.

The government is considering capping the amount of coal blocks that a company can hold. The clause is part of the draft coal block allocation guidelines issued for public comments by the coal ministry and would apply to mines other than the 204 blocks that were cancelled by the Supreme Court in October 2014.

The NTPC management has started raising the alarm on the declining coal stock in its two units. NTPC authorities from both Kahalgaon (Bihar) and Farakka based thermal power units have been in touch with the ECL authorities here and expressed their concern over the disruption of coal supply since the December 29 incident of sliding in one of its excavation sites in Lalmatia.

Indicating significant growth in the power transmission sector, CEA has estimated an investment of Rs.2.6 lakh crore till 2022. These and other estimates form the base for a draft National Electricity Plan-Volume II, which would be the basis for investment and policy planning in the sector.

Moody´s Investors Service and its Indian affiliate, ICRA predicts stable outlook for the power sector over the next 12-18 months reflecting sustained improvement in domestic coal availability, as well as the Indian government´s policy initiatives, which is likely to lead to improvements in financial positions of state-owned electricity distribution companies in the next two to three years.