Tamil Nadu - Projects and Development II

[Balas]

Originally Posted by kvijayasundaram

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...2702342300.htm

We see so much news on new power plants proposed, etc., - but not much in terms of improving the distribution and utilization efficiency. Do someone have any updates on any reforms taking place in that side. I am of the opinion that if we can improve the efficiency of utilization, transmission and distribution, we can avoid building couple of power plants. Recently, the Victorian state in Australia has mandated that every household/industrial unit, to have online meters that feed info to the authorities the consumption data. they plan to use this to take decision, like if a unit crosses a specified limit, then it will auto cut-off for a period, etc., - its time we started looking at such reforms.

[Tron]

Originally Posted by Balas

We see so much news on new power plants proposed, etc., - but not much in terms of improving the distribution and utilization efficiency. Do someone have any updates on any reforms taking place in that side. I am of the opinion that if we can improve the efficiency of utilization, transmission and distribution, we can avoid building couple of power plants. Recently, the Victorian state in Australia has mandated that every household/industrial unit, to have online meters that feed info to the authorities the consumption data. they plan to use this to take decision, like if a unit crosses a specified limit, then it will auto cut-off for a period, etc., - its time we started looking at such reforms.

We also need to have peak/off-peak rates to reduce non-essential peak-time power consumption to reduce load on the power grid, which leads to blackouts/brownouts.

[Leo_r]

We as citizens need to be honest. The T&D loss in Tamil Nadu is 18% and at Delhi, it is 30-40%. Dishonesty level in North seems to be quite high. There is news that reduction of T&D loss by 1% will result in a saving of Rs 150 cr.

No one bothers about Power factor improvement. Most agri pump sets manufactured will hardly have 0.8 pf. People get 3*10 Amps connection to home and load them three times. Energy audit is hardly practiced in Industries.. So lots need to be done collectively.

[kvijayasundaram]

http://www.chennaionline.com/

New Delhi, June 27: With better job opportunities and higher wages, states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra are witnessing rapid urbanisation in comparison to Bihar and Assam which are least urbanised, a UN report said today.


"Urbanisation is happening due to natural rate of population growth statically coupled with the increase in the rate of migration in these states," UNFPA (India) representative Nesim Tumkaya said after the release of the report 'State of World Population 2007'.


In India, Tamil Nadu tops the list of the major states with 43.9 per cent of the total population living in urban areas followed by Maharashtra (42.4 per cent) and Gujarat (37.4 per cent), according to the report.

On the contrary, only 10.5 per cent of the population are residing in urban areas in Bihar while 12.7 per cent population in Assam and 15 per cent population in Orissa are living in urban areas, the report said quoting Census 2001.


India's rate for urbanisation is faster than the world and by 2030 it will be 2.5 per cent against world's 1.9 per cent, the report predicted.


Observing that migration from rural to urban will continue, the report said, the move is "driven by actual or expected opportunities to improve quality of life".


Dwelling on the "pull" and "push" of migration, the report said poverty and hunger, marginal land holdings, lack of basic amenities and unemployment force the people to move from rural to urban areas, expecting better income and job opportunities and standard of living. (Agencies)

[MaduraiSelvam]

Originally Posted by kvijayasundaram

http://www.chennaionline.com/

In India, Tamil Nadu tops the list of the major states with 43.9 per cent of the total population living in urban areas followed by Maharashtra (42.4 per cent) and Gujarat (37.4 per cent), according to the report.

I guess, sometime ago TamilNadu was standing second to Maharastra. This is a very healthy sign for TamilNadu for many other reasons.

[madurai veeran]

The following report gives the inflation levels at major TN cities for the year 2006/07 in comparision with 2005/06 figures.

S.No-City-Inflation 2006-07(2005-06)in %

1. Chennai-3.6(3.5)
2. Coimbatore-5.9(2.1)
3. Madurai-3.1(2.8)
4. Salem-5.8(1.5)
5. Trichy-1.8(6.3)

While all the cities have seen increase in inflation rate, Trichy has seen a drastic decrease. Coimbatore has an alarming level of inflation rate increase, closely followed by Salem.

http://epaper.dinamalar.com/Web/Arti...07_004_002.jpg

Any reasons to why Coimbatore and Salem have seen such an artificial price rise while Chennai has only changed marginally ?.

[Balas]

Originally Posted by MaduraiSelvam

I guess, sometime ago TamilNadu was standing second to Maharastra. This is a very healthy sign for TamilNadu for many other reasons.

Could be 5 years back. AFAIK, TN was the most urbanised state for the last 2-3 years.

[kvijayasundaram]

Originally Posted by MaduraiSelvam

I guess, sometime ago TamilNadu was standing second to Maharastra. This is a very healthy sign for TamilNadu for many other reasons.

It is not going to stop there. By 2015 TN is going to reach urbaization rate of 70-75%( which is comparable only to western world) and be the most urbaized state in India. But if you look at the current state of Affairs in TN, things are not very promising. No major initiative is being taken to improve urban amenites in Cities like Chennai, MDU, CBE etc. Even getting a new airport or a Metro in Chennai is an uphill task. Forget about second tier cities.
Without the right infrastructure, TN's urbanization is just a nightmare as we will finally end up with more bigger villages like Chennai

[madurai veeran]

Chennai, June 30 Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), one of the country’s larger infrastructure developers, plans to put up a 4,000 MW coal-based power plant in Tamil Nadu. The project would most probably come up at Cuddalore, sources in Tamil Nadu Government confirmed to Business Line on Saturday. The project could cost anywhere between Rs 16,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore, it is learnt.

It is understood that the plant would run almost entirely on coal imported from Indonesia. The IL&FS project is one the largest among the clutch of ‘merchant power projects’ that the Tamil Nadu Government wants the industry to set up merchant power projects in the State. Merchant power projects are those that sell power to the buyer offering the best price, as opposed to selling to a committed, long term, buyer for a fixed tariff.

For example, the proposed ‘ultra mega power projects’ would sell electricity at a fixed tariff.

Recently, in an informal chat with Business Line, the Tamil Nadu Power Minister, Mr Arcot Veeraswamy, had said that the Government would like to see 10,000 MW worth of merchant power plants set up in the State. In addition, the Gove rnment wants another 10,000 MW of ‘MoU route’ power projects, where the state electricity board would buy the power.

It is understood that eight companies have expressed interest in putting up the merchant power plants, including IL&FS. Among those who have expressed interest are GEA Energy Systems, jewellers Kirtilal Kalidas & Co and the Chennai-based Surana group.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...0151100500.htm

[kvijayasundaram]

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/01/stor...0154740400.htm

The Tamil Nadu Government on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cadbury India Limited (CIL) to promote cocoa cultivation under contract farming.

The MoU was signed by Horticulture Commissioner Jagmohan Singh Raju and Associate Vice-President (Cocoa Operations), CIL, K.P. Magudapathy, in the presence of Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam here at a seminar on multi-disciplinary agriculture organised by the Agriculture Department.

Cocoa grows best in coconut groves as it needs shade. About 50,000 acres are expected to be brought under cocoa in the State during the next five years.
The MoU projects an additional income generation of Rs. 80 crore a year for coconut growers of the State.

[Zailsingh]

Originally Posted by kvijayasundaram

It is not going to stop there. By 2015 TN is going to reach urbaization rate of 70-75%( which is comparable only to western world) and be the most urbaized state in India. Without the right infrastructure, TN's urbanization is just a nightmare as we will finally end up with more bigger villages like Chennai

Well said KVS. Without getting the right infrastructure it is of no use. Statistically it can be an acheivement, but on the ground it will be a different story. Still it is not too late to get it right and be a model state for the rest of the nation.

[Sathyam]

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/20654/

[cbeboy]

Nod for three power projects


Three power projects of 2,500-megawatt capacity have received environmental clearance.

The 500-megawatt Kundah pumped storage hydroelectric project, the 1000-megawatt, coal-fired thermal power project, a joint venture, at Ennore and the 1000-megawatt thermal power project, also joint venture, at Tuticorin have been cleared by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, according to a source in the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. While the NTPC is the other partner in the Ennore project, the Neyveli Lignite Corporation is the other promoter in the Tuticorin project. Though there are a few issues to be sorted out, the source is hopeful of having them settled early.

The process of selecting the executing agency for the Ennore project is nearing completion. The NLC will go ahead with the floating of bids for the Tuticorin project on getting approval from the Centre. In the case of the Kundah project, the approval of the Central Electricity Authority is expected anytime, after which the TNEB will float tenders, the sources say.

The TNEB is hopeful of getting environmental clearance for the additional unit project in the Mettur thermal power station. As this year’s southwest monsoon is vigorous in its early phase, the storage of hydel reservoirs (excluding the Mettur) is now equivalent to 1,815 million units. On the corresponding day last year, it was 1,495 million units.

The sources say the rain in the last two weeks in the catchments has increased the storage sharply. On Monday, the reservoirs recorded an inflow of 47 million units against 25 million units a year ago.

[Subra]

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/...7071212527.asp

Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu bagged the first and second places respectively.

[cbeboy]

New flyover coming up in Karur with six lanes

The road traffic scene in Karur is all set to shift to a higher realm with the commencement of work on a new flyover on Thirukampuliyur Road junction.

Keeping in mind the future needs of an expanding population, the new flyover would sport six lanes .

Participating at a ceremony, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director, M. Thangamani, said that the Union Minister for Shipping and Highways, T.R. Baalu, has instructed that all road over bridges, flyovers and bridges should be made six lane paths to meet future traffic demands.

In two decades

The National Highways could be made four lane carriageways or even six lanes highways in the next couple of decades.

Based on that, the new flyover coming up on the Thirukampuilyur Road junction would be modelled as a six-lane fly over, Mr. Thangamani said.

Important spot

Pointing out the importance of the particular spot where the new flyover was to come up, Mr. Thangamani said that from the junction four-lane National Highways would branch off to Dindigul and Namakkal, while the expanded highway to Coimbatore and the existing highway to Erode split at the spot.

The existing roundabout would give way to the flyover, he added.

V.C. Subramanyan, Project Manager of Madhucon Projects, that execute the work, said that the National Highway 7 stretch measuring 69 km between Karur and Dindigul would be converted into a four-lane road and would have, besides the new flyover at Thirukampuilyur, two major bridges across the Kodaganaru, 18 minor bridges, 12 under passes and 108 culverts.

The whole project, including the road works, bridges etc. was estimated to cost Rs. 330 crore and was scheduled for completion by April 2009. “But we hope to finish at least six months ahead of the slated time,” Lt. Col. Subramanyan said.

[kvijayasundaram]

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...1451500100.htm

The success of Krishna Godavari Basin is most likely to be carried forward by Reliance Industries Ltd in its first exploratory venture in the Cauvery Basin. If initial indications are anything to go by, the company is expecting good prospects in its deepwater block located in northern part of the Cauvery Basin.
RIL had moved further south into the Basin in search of hydrocarbons in May and initial testing in the block has shown encouraging results, sources told Business Line.
The company had started drilling two wells in the Cauvery Basin block CY-DWN-2001/2. “Drilling activity in one of the wells has been completed and currently testing phase is going on,” sources said.

Once the tests are completed, the results would be sent for third party audit, and thereafter the company would inform the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), they added.

According to industry experts, testing is taken up only when there are indications of hydrocarbons in the well.

RIL had deployed two rigs in the block –— Deepwater Frontier and Actinia.

It had shifted the rig from the Krishna Godavari Basin. The rig Deepwater Frontier has completed the drilling activity and currently testing is taking place.

RIL is the operator of the block. Initially it was holding 90 per cent participating interest, with Hardy Exploration & Production (India) Inc holding the rest.

Subsequently, Hardy pulled out and RIL now holds 100 per cent interest. RIL officials maintained that it was still premature to predict the prospects from the block.

The area of the block is 14,325 sq km. The Cauvery basin underlies the South-Eastern coast of India and the North-Eastern coast of Sri Lanka. According to experts, it is a passive margin rift basin and several small oil discoveries in the onshore blocks have been made, the first of which began production in 1986.

State-owned ONGC has already tested success in the Cauvery Basin.

In 2006-07 ONGC had produced 0.38 million tonnes of oil and 900 million standard cubic metres of gas from its Cauvery assets.

[Subra]

http://www.livemint.com/2007/07/1701...hird-time.html

Mumbai: Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) has reported a major gas find for the third time in 2007—this time in the southern-most basin on the country’s East Coast, the Cauvery-Palar Basin off the coast of Tamil Nadu.
With this, the company has found gas in all the three major basins on the East Coast where it is prospecting for oil and gas.
Confirming that the company had reported a new gas find, V.K. Sibal, the Director General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), said that he had “received a notification from Reliance Industries that they have struck oil and gas in one of the Cauvery Basin blocks”.
However, he refused to give further details of the find. An RIL spokesperson, too, refused to comment on the development.
According to people close to the development and who did not wish to be identified, RIL’s gas find in the Cauvery-Palar Basin is said to be in the region of 20 trillion cubic feet (TCF), bigger than the company’s find in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin where reserves have been pegged at 11.4 TCF by independent surveyors and ratified by DGH, the oil and gas regulator.
State-owned firms such as Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd and Oil India Ltd, which have exploration blocks in the basin, have reported gas finds, but these are in the region of a few billion cubic feet in terms of reserves.
RIL has already reported gas finds in the Mahanadi basin on the East Coast, and off the the Saurashtra coast in the last six months. While it has reported around 8.3TCF of reserves in its find in the Mahanadi basin, the Saurashtra find is yet to be quantified.
RIL has four blocks in the Cauvery–Palar basin with a total acreage of 41,770 sq. km. In March this year, RIL sought a two-year moratorium from DGH on exploration work in three of the blocks, citing a shortage of oil rigs; it simultaneously sought an extension of the first phase of exploration on the fourth one.
RIL currently has three rigs operating on the KG basin for which it is paying aggregate daily rental of $2.5 million (Rs10.1 crore). One of these rigs has been moved to the Cauvery Basin.
Mint had reported on 15 July that RIL was exploring a tie-up with Chevron Corp. to undertake exploration in the Cauvery-Palar blocks.
P.M.S. Prasad, president of RIL’s oil and gas business had told Mint then that the blocks were located in “ultra-deep” waters of around 2,000ft and that the company lacked the technology required to extract oil and gas from such depths.

[vs007]

Originally Posted by Subra

http://www.livemint.com/2007/07/1701...hird-time.html

According to people close to the development and who did not wish to be identified, RIL’s gas find in the Cauvery-Palar Basin is said to be in the region of 20 trillion cubic feet (TCF), bigger than the company’s find in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin where reserves have been pegged at 11.4 TCF by independent surveyors and ratified by DGH, the oil and gas regulator.

Coolio!!!!!!!

Now how would TN benefit from this? Will we be supplied most of the gas or any job/investments?

[kvijayasundaram]

Originally Posted by vs007

Coolio!!!!!!!

Now how would TN benefit from this? Will we be supplied most of the gas or any job/investments?

common guys,
control yourself! it is not official yet. I think we should wait for the official news rather than jumping in joy, hearing rumors. Moreover I dont think TN has any rights over the gas since the find was made in deepwaters. Reliance would most likely pipe the gas to MH or Gujarat, while allocating a part of the gas to TN's industrial and domestic needs. Nonetheless, if the above news turns out to be true, it will be a big image booster for TN. Some of the Petrochemical/power majors who consider TN to be a non-entity would take a serious look.
Well ( sighs..) Its all in the hands of almighty.

[madurai veeran]

Its official now.

MUMBAI: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Tuesday announced a significant oil and gas discovery in its first well in deep waters of the Cauvery Basin, in the East Coast of India.

This is the first time a hydrocarbon discovery has been made in the Cauvery deep-water basin.

“The success of the well CY-III-D5-A1 in the exploration block CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-III-D5) marks the beginning of a new vistas for exploration in this basin. This well is located in a water depth of 1,185 metres and is drilled to a target depth of 4,081 metres and terminated in the crystalline basement,” P.M.S. Prasad, CEO, Reliance Petroleum, said.

The well encountered a clastic reservoir with gross hydrocarbon column of around 150 metres in Cretaceous section.

The presence of oil and gas with condensate has been confirmed by several tests including Modular Dynamic Tester (MDT) and Drill-Stem Testing (DST).

During DST the well produced 31 million standard cubic feet of gas with 1,200 barrels of condensate per day from the main zone, said Mr. Prasad, adding, “Another zone tested below the main zone produced around 550 barrels of oil per day with one million standard cubic feet of gas.”

This discovery, namely ‘Dhirubhai-35,’ has been notified to the Government and the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons.

The deep-water block CY-DWN-2001/2 (CY-III-D5) located in the Cauvery Basin, with an area of 14,325 sq. km., was awarded to RIL under the bidding round of NELP III. RIL holds a 100 per cent participating interest in this block.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/18/stor...1856491800.htm