Cement Energy and Environment

However, the producers feel that as Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme itself entails timely tariff increases, further spike in costs would be stoutly resisted by the consumers. Subsidies The industry and regulators would have to deal with the additional expenditure involved and consequent tariff hike, hence, a careful evaluation is necessary and making sure that the additional burden shall not be passed on to the consumers in the form of a tariff hike, proposes IPPAI. CSE also feels so. ·we believe, while cess is being levied on the power sector, a portion of it could be spent on the power sector either to subsidise their loans or provide some other support that could help them to install these pollution control equipment. It will give a lot of relief and offset the tariff hikes in the sector,· said Bhati. The power sector is presently shelling out about Rs.22,000-23 ,000 crore per annum towards coal cess/clean energy cess. Conclusion Coal is expected to remain central to India 's power needs. Environmental consciousness is on rise and climate change is presenting its darker side every now and then, stirring up concerns relating to protection of environment. In that context, and to maintain use of coal , the cheapest means, we have to maintain its acceptance in society and its environmental sustainability has to be vouched. So the new norms are part of efforts to maintain that balance . The future focus for coal-based TPPs should be efficient management, especially in the areas of PLF, efficiency improvement, pollution control, water consumption and ash utilisation. The new TPPs deploying ultra-super critical technology contribute significantly to reduction in C02 emissions. A thorough cost-benefit analysis at the sector level before notifying the new norms would have given the required thrust to implementation programme. Health costs, including hospitalisation cost, health cost, productivity cost, absence from work etc., due to pollution would definitely surpass the costs that the power generators would incur. But a study would have been more convincing. Prescribing environmental measures for old plants at the evening of their life seems slightly eccentric. Setting some parameters and closing down or replacing them as many as possible would be a right idea. Though generating companies are not fully responsible for the rising bad debts of power sector, banks funding is unlikely to come by for investments for meeting norms without the assurance from the government that the additional capital costs would be passed on to the users. Or else the additional costs these norms are thrusting on the power generators should be amortised through subsidies . At a time when 25,000-MW capacity is begging for buyers, solutions are not easy to come by. Is the government ready to bite the bullet? Courtesy: Power Today, October 2016 Renewable Energy DALMIA CEMENT FIRST CEMENT COMPANY TO COMMIT TO RENEWABLE POWER Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd is the first cement company to join RE100- a global collaborative initiative of the world's most influential companies committed to 100 percent renewable power, led by The Climate Group in partnership with COP. The flagship company of Indian conglomerate Dalmia Bharat Group, Dalmia Cement is the third Indian business to join the RE100 initiative in after lnfosys and Tata Motors. The company's new long-term commitment to transition to 100 percent renewable electricity comes on Energy Day at COP22 in Marrakech (Morocco). where world governments and non– state actors gathered to increase ambition and action on climate change. It is a week to the day that the landmark Paris Agreement entered into force and more businesses than ever before are taking bold climate actions, to help ensure global warming stays well below two degrees. After adding 8 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity for its captive use, Dalmia Cement has set an ambitious interim target to increase fourfold its percentage of renewable energy consumption by 2030 compared to 2015. 45