News Bulletin : December 2021 – Issue 1
1. Gas-based power plants to be allowed in coastal regulation zone in Andaman & Nicobar : COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Seeking to meet energy requirements of the islanders while reducing the dependency of Andaman & Nicobar Islands on highly polluting diesel-based power generation, the Centre has proposed allowing gas-based power plants within \’Island Coastal Regulation Zone\’ in bigger islands with geographical areas of more than 100 sq.km
The environment ministry has, to this effect, issued two draft notifications. Final decision would be taken on this after mid-January next year after analysing suggestions and views of stakeholders including environmentalists and local residents in the next two months.
Source: Times of India
2. Comprehensive database under PM GatiShakti to bring in cost efficiencies, competitiveness: Govt : BUSINESS PARKS AND ECONOMIC ZONES
To facilitate the process, capacity building exercise is being conducted by the BISAG-N team with senior-level officers of relevant ministries and departments under Government of India with an aim to integrate and synchronise data on their existing/planned projects in a single platform.
Source: Zeebiz
3. Outlook on the Offshore Mooring Systems Global Market to 2026 : FLOATING STRUCTURES
The global offshore mooring systems market exhibited moderate growth during 2015-2020. Looking forward, ResearchAndMarkets.com expects the market to grow at a CAGR of 6.3% during 2021-2026.
Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.
Source: Finance
4. Intense competition: next big thing in Indian ports & terminals industry : INLAND WATERWAYS
The next 10 years will be very critical for Indian ports and the economy that depends heavily on them. Everybody from port operators to govt, and from regulators to private players are gearing up for this by opening the industry to a more free-market, modernising, automating and connecting hinterlands in a multimodal way. The result would be intense competition.
Indian ports account for 95 percent of the country’s external merchant trade by volume and 70 percent in terms of value, according to Indian Ports Association (IPA), and the total cargo handled at Indian ports is likely to reach 2400 million tonnes per annum (MPTA) by 2030 from the present 1250 MTPA handled in FY 2020-21. This means the traffic will almost double in the next 10 years.
Source: Itln
5. Ports: 101 projects lined up under PM Gati Shakti : INLAND WATERWAYS
Emerging as one of the early movers under PM Gati Shakti, the national master plan for bolstering multi-modal connectivity, the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways has identified 101 projects for implementation by 2024-25. The identified projects include many at state-run ‘major ports’, which have recently got the freedom to determine the tariffs for various port-related services as well as the terms for private developers, thanks to the abolition of the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP).
The identified projects are in addition to the 80-odd Sagarmala projects that are under way, and include many waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, minister for ports, shipping and waterways, said at a CII session here.
Source: Financial Express
6. “We need to reduce cost of logistics and power to become globally competitive”, Amitabh Kant : LOGISTICS
Sustained growth is key to India’s future, for which growth in manufacturing and exports is critical. To this end, states will need to become champions of reforms and reduce cost of logistics and power. This was pointed out by Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog.
He was speaking on the issue of Improving India’s Competitiveness for Inclusive Growth, at an event co-organised by CUTS International and Institute for Studies in Industrial Development. He also launched a White Paper prepared by CUTS on this issue.
The White Paper is available at bit.ly/3r6nLuz.
Source: APN News
7. Railways plan dedicated freight village near upcoming Jewar International Airport: RAILWAYS AND METRO
The Indian Railways is setting up a dedicated freight village (DFV) near the upcoming Noida International Airport, also known as Jewar airport, the foundation of which was laid on Thursday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The proposed DFV will be linked with dedicated freight corridors to facilitate movement of freight cargos to different parts of country. An official in the know of this project told media that the DFV with all modern facilities will be set up at a cost of nearly Rs 540 crore at the strategic junction of both the Eastern Railway and the Western Corridor of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation.
Source: New Indian Express
8. Blockchain’s role in the energy transition : RENEWABLE ENERGY
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for over half of total final global energy consumption, 85 per cent of which comes from fossil fuels. The associated emissions are expected to increase as the region struggles to meet its renewable energy (RE) targets and decrease its energy intensity.
One factor that contributes to the region’s dependence on fossil fuels is technological, infrastructural, institutional and behavioural lock-ins, which make the entire sector subject to a strong path dependence. Once a country takes an energy-intensive pathway, it becomes challenging to shift to a more sustainable energy system.
Source: Unescap
9. 5 Reasons why energy and utility companies should automate their processes : RESOURCES AND UTILITIES
Automating your industrial processes can give you access to many benefits, including reduced energy costs, greener energy options, and personalised solutions to complex problems, among others.
A July 2020 global survey by McKinsey found that 67% of companies surveyed had accelerated their deployment of automation and AI due to the pandemic. While the advantages of automation are numerous, there are still plenty of people who are hesitant to commit to this course of action. Here is a list of the top five reasons why energy and utility companies automate their industrial processes to remove some of the guesswork from decision-making.
Source: Energy Live News
10. NHAI to continue awarding road projects this fiscal, HAM dominates: Crisil : ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
The National Highways Authority of India\’s vigour in awarding road projects will continue in the current financial year, with the hybrid annuity model expected to account for half of the projects, according to a report released on Monday.
Credit rating agency Crisil said that mid-sized regional players will grab a large chunk of these Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) awards.
A total of 4,500-5,000 kilometres is expected to be awarded, out of which 45-55 per cent should be under the HAM mode. Another 40- 45 per cent would be under the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) mode and less 5 per cent under the build operate-transfer (BOT)-toll mode, the report said.
Source: Business Standard
11. National Highways develops automation and digital strategy for roads and road projects : ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
National Highways has begun a digital revolution, adopting new technologies for road maintenance and operation.
As the world of construction technology evolves, National Highways’ digital strategy is moving with it.
In September, the roads operator revealed a swathe of new initiatives and systems as part of its new digital roads strategy – a plan that includes connected and autonomous vehicles, digital twins and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
Source: New Civil Engineer
12. Direct Ministry of Road Transport to declare eight State Highways as National Highways: T.N. CM : ROADS & HIGHWAYS
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday requesting him to direct the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to issue the requisite notifications to declare eight State Highway roads, for which in-principle approval has been accorded for development, as new National Highways, and to entrust the development work with the State government with necessary funding.
Mr. Stalin said the MoRTH had granted in-principle approval for the conversion of eight State Highways as National Highways and sanction had been accorded for the preparation of detailed project reports (DPR).
Source: The Hindu
13. Extensive water pollution around 2 thermal power plants in Nagpur: Study : WATER & ENVIRONMENT
A new study has revealed extensive and rampant water pollution in the areas around two thermal power plants in Nagpur. The study was jointly conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) in Nagpur, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra in Pune, and ASAR Social Impact Advisors Pvt Ltd. The study collected water samples from 25 locations and found surface and groundwater contaminated with toxic metals.
Source: Indian Express
