Eye on accuracy

Life has no free lunches. More so, when a rapidly growing population wants to somehow bite into the limited pie of resources. This mad scramble has made measurement of who uses how much all the more vital. It is for this reason that utility managers are investing in meters that give precise readings. The focus is on improved electricity and water meters. Finding solutions to reduce errors will help utilities avoid the vicious cycle of poor service and low revenue generation.

Bidding exposes solar tariff game

BIDDING for the first phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission has put a question mark on the ambitious target set to augment the country’s energy needs through the solar route.

In court

GMR bypasses clearance: A district court of Raipur in Chhattisgarh issued summons to three top officials of gmr Energy for starting construction activities for a 1,200 MW power plant near Raipur without environmental clearance. They are to appear in court on November 22. During a site visit, the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board officials witnessed digging in progress, and issued notice. GMR ignored it. The board moved court.

The balancing act

ON SEPTEMBER 17, the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) cancelled two environmental clearances: Vedanta’s bauxite mining in Niyamgiri Hills in Odisha and the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC’s)Kotli-Behl 1B dam on the Alakananda river in Uttarakhand.

GMR jumps the gun

GMR Energy, the flagship power venture of the GMR group has started constructing a coal-fired power plant in Raikheda village near Raipur without obtaining environmental clearance.

Jindal power plant risk to alphonsos

THE Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has bent backward to commission the 1,200 MW thermal plant in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, promoted by the Jindal group.

Attention, environment minister

Letter triggers action  

Jindal pays for flouting law

JINDAL Power Limited (JPL), the power bigwig of the private arena in India, is making news.

Smart cards to buy electricity

Maharashtra may soon have to pay for their electricity in advance. On January 7, the Maharashtra electricity regulatory commission approved the state-owned power distribution company’s plan to launch pre-paid electricity meters on a pilot basis. To begin with, the prepaid meters would be installed in the houses of the power company employees.

India’s carbon roadmap

The government’s newly formed expert group on low carbon economy has identified construction activity, transport and power as the key areas for reducing carbon emissions. The 26-member expert group, headed by economist Kirit Parekh, was set up by the Planning Commission to suggest ways to reduce carbon emission intensity by 20 to 25 per cent below 2005 levels. Union minister of state for environment, Jairam Ramesh, had said the expert group will recommend steps that can be activated by the 12th five-year-plan period 2012-2017.