Cochin (Kochi) / Ernakulam Projects II

[nik]

GAIL's Rs. 7000 cr Gas cracker on target.

Kochi petrochem project — GAIL seeks sops from Kerala Govt

Richa Mishra

At the official-level meeting, the Kerala Government has reportedly assured GAIL that it would consider favourably the fiscal benefits to make the petrochemical project viable.

New Delhi , Feb. 22

IN order to make the proposed petrochemical project in Kochi economically viable, GAIL (India) Ltd has sought fiscal concessions from the Kerala Government.

The recent discussions held between a high-level team of GAIL and State Government officials are said to have focused on the issues of fiscal concessions and the procurement of land for the proposed petrochemical project.

The GAIL Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Proshanto Banerjee, is expected to meet the Kerala Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, sometime next month when these issues will be discussed further and a final decision would be arrived at, sources said. MORE HERE

[kronik]

Kerala Cabinet clears Smart City project

The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the Rs 15-billion Smart City project, which is to be undertaken in Kochi by the Dubai Internet City. The pact in this regard will be inked next week.

A new company to take up the project has been registered and the Kerala government will hold nine per cent stake in the project.

One of the fresh clauses empowers the Kerala government to take over the project if DIC fails to create the proposed jobs. The chief minister said that it was also decided that a Rs 6,000 penalty would be slapped on DIC for each job it failed to create.

Further, the 100 acres of land that the government would provide for the project would also be taken back unconditionally. A high-level team from DIC is expected to visit the state next week to sign the agreement.

According to sources here, the state government had, in the MoU, said it would hand over the land that houses the Infopark at Kochi at a cost of Rs 109 crore, 136 acres of land at Rs 26.4 lakh per acre, and another 100 acres on a 99-year lease free of cost.
The Smart City project, when takes off, is expected to create as many as 60,000 jobs, sources said.

great project, yes, but I think the penalty for each job they fail to create is overkill.

[nik]

Originally Posted by kronik

Kerala Cabinet clears Smart City project



great project, yes, but I think the penalty for each job they fail to create is overkill.

That's a politically correct pretention- highlight intended. Imagine, a state which claims the first technology park in India, still one of the last in attracting IT investment, is doubting Dubai Internet city, for its capability . Kronik, we are just thanking heavens that this project finally got going. That is what many of our politicians are capable of.

[nik]

Originally Posted by kronik

Kerala Cabinet clears Smart City project

great project, yes, but I think the penalty for each job they fail to create is overkill.

In fact just now I heard, another hurdle has come up in way of Smart City project. Election commission has invoked poll code to prevent signing the deal. I do not know the details but, probably the next govt have to take a decision on this. And this may depend on many feudal minded "left" leaders who are worried about their growing irrelevence on the planet. If they take their usual "wisdom" this will not only be the end of this project but almost all future investments in Kerala. This has become such a benchmark for investor confidence that any negative action will drive away all the future investors from the state - pitching it back to pre-2001 bureaucracy raj. Of course, Cochin will be the only loser as all the investments to Kerala are mainly to Cochin.

[nik]

The following news reports hints what I just said above. If the fears said here come true
that will be the end of Kerala when it comes to IT. Notice that HewlettPackard had announced a big centre in Kochi expecting the advent of Smart City. I do not know how far they will go. We are really walking back to pre-2001 Raj when there was absolute blanksheet in IT as well as unabated farmers suicide - a hopelessly recession ridden economy (which at that time resulted in the defeat of the then Left govt).

A smart dream sours: Dubai team cancels visit over EC decision
Wednesday March 8 2006 00:00 IST

KOCHI: In a major setback to the Smart City dreams of Kochi, the visit of the high-level delegation from Dubai to sign the Smart City project on Wednesday has been cancelled following the Election Commission directive not to sign the deal since the election schedules have been announced.

The delegation led by Ahmed Bin Doyat, director-general, Dubai Technologies and Media Free Zone Authority (TECON), has expressed `disappointment' over the decision.

With the EC directing the State Government that the signing and execution of the Smart City agreement should be deferred till the completion of elections, the much-awaited project is feared to be dropped forever. The decision on the project should now be the concern of the new government.

With the existing government failing to mention any specific date for signing the project, chances are that the Dubai Internet City (DIC) may withdraw from the deal.

According to the MoU signed by the then Chief Secretary Palatt Mohandas and Ahmed Bin Doyat on September 9, 2005, both parties can withdraw from the contract before the last agreement is signed. The new government can use this as a reason to drop the project if they decide to do so.

“The government has informed the latest developments to the DIC. We have conveyed the decision of the government and asked the delegation consisting of Ahmed Bin Doyat and Deepak Padmanabhan not to come,'' said P.H.Kurien, secretary, Department of Information Technology. He said that the government has not taken any other decision on the Smart City project and as such there are no plans to drop the project.

The DIC has not given any hints about dropping the Smart City project, said K.G.Gireesh Babu, chief executive officer, Infopark. “The decision by the EC might not do any harm to Smart City. But the delay will definitely disappoint them. No definite date has been announced for signing. Naturally, if this is the scenario, it may affect the project,'' said Gireesh Babu.

He said the government has not conveyed to him any further decision on the project.

The Smart City, which promised job opportunities to about five lakh people, has been one of the major projects in the developmental scenario of the city. The land acquiring procedures have been under processing for a long time. With the new decision striking hard, the Smart City dreams are now facing extinction threat.

[nik]

Anyway TCS campus is confirmed... They are keen to set up their biggest facility in Kerala in Kochi. These are investments which came up before Smart City was announced. Hopefully HP
too may go ahead. What may get affected in IBM, Intel, Sony and Seimens entry to Kerala. These were promised by Dubai Internet City, and now may be dicy

http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/08tcs.htm

TCS mulls development campus in Kochi

Nevin John in Chennai/Thiruvananthapuram | March 08, 2006 12:57 IST

Tata Consultancy Services is planning to build a 50-acre software development campus in Kochi along with their new development centre in Thiruvananthapuram. TCS is likely to take up the project proposal with the Dubai Internet City officials.

"Earlier, the company had discussions with Infopark officials in this connection. Soon after that, the Smart City project proposal came up. As the land acquisition has started for the Smart City, land may not be available for other projects," an industry source said.

TCS already has a development centre at Infopark with a seating capacity of 600. Over 400 employees are working here. The facility at the Infopark is spread across 72,500 sq ft on three floors of the 'Vismaya' building.

The Kochi facility is serving as the base for software development and IT services to meet the requirement of both domestic and overseas customers. The proposed new campus of TCS in Kochi will also help tap a large pool of highly skilled IT professionals in Kerala.

[nik]

Bluewater Energy Wins SPM Buoy Contract from Kochi Refineries
Thursday, March 09, 2006

http://www.rigzone.com

Bluewater Energy Services B.V. has been awarded a contract by Kochi Refineries Limited (KRL) for the delivery of an SPM Buoy system. The system will be installed in a water depth of approximately 30 meters about 20 km offshore Cochin, in the southwest part of India in the Arabian Sea. It will be used to offload tankers up to 300,000 dwt. KRL has appointed Intec in Kuala Lumpur as their Project Management Consultant.

Bluewater's scope of supply for the system includes the design, procurement and
fabrication of a round, Turret catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM) buoy including pipeline end manifold (PLEM) with two 48 inch ball valves. The system will be outfitted with advanced instrumentation and control systems for remote monitoring and control of temperature, pressure and product flow.

This project has been high profile in India because it is expected to significantly reduce transportation costs of crude oil by facilitating the offloading of VLCC size vessels where previously they were limited to the use of smaller capacity tankers (up to 70,000 dwt) due to draft limitations at the Cochin Channel. The delivery of the system is expected to take place in January 2007.

Bluewater Energy Services B.V., a member of the Bluewater group of companies, has built a technological lead specialising in lease and operation of tanker-based Production and Storage (FPSO/FSO) systems, and has become a leading provider of innovative Single Point Mooring (SPM) systems. Bluewater operates worldwide with offices in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Singapore and China.

[nik]

Port to invite expression of interest
Monday March 20 2006 10:07 IST
New Indian Express

KOCHI: As a support to the government’s efforts to promote Kochi as a world class tourist destination, the Cochin Port Trust has decided to invite expression of interest globally to appoint consultants for designing a cruise terminal at the northern end of Willingdon Island.

The project, envisaged on a PPP (Public Private Participation) model, will have two components. One is the construction of a modern cruise jetty of about 200 metres quay length in continuation of the existing 917 metre-long Ernakulam wharf, and the other is the construction of a world class cruise terminal complex-cum-multi-purpose public plaza.

In order to make the project financially viable, the Port intends to develop part of the terminal complex as an accessible public destination offering a range of entertainment, recreation and hospitality facilities including restaurants and food courts, shopping malls, facilities to conduct arts and cultural events, facilities for medical and ayurveda products as well as provisions to hold business conferences and trade exhibitions.

About 12 acres of prime waterfront land has been earmarked for development of the complex. The Port is planning to appoint a consultant to give concrete shape to the above plan and prepare a feasibility report.

[nik]

NeST begins work on VLSI design center in Kerala
Posted : 07 Apr 2006

http://www.eetasia.com/

Network Systems and Technologies Group (NeST), an R&D and EMS-oriented group based in Kerala, India, has started work on a VLSI design center together with an undisclosed Japanese chipmaker, as part of its plan to set up a manufacturing foundry for memory chips.

The design center being established at its software center in Kochi will become operational in July this year with about 100 employees, according to S. Sasikumar, president of NeST. Presently, 50 engineers are undergoing training in Japan. Sasikumar added that the center would provide design for all types of chips and would address all aspects of analog and digital communication.

The NeST foundry is expected to be ready by the end of 2008. This is the third foundry set to be operational in India in the coming two to three years. The other two are planned in Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh by SemIndia Inc. and Korean company, Intellect.

The semiconductor and embedded design industry in India is estimated to grow at 30 percent annually to generate revenue worth $43 billion by 2015, according to two research reports released by the Indian Semiconductor Association and Frost & Sullivan.

The total consumption of electronic equipment would rise from the present $28.2 billion to $363 billion by 2015, pushing up the market for semiconductors. The two reports have predicted a growth rate of 29.8 percent in the electronics equipment consumption during this period.

The NeST foundry will manufacture memory chips for mobile handsets and consumer electronics products in the domestic and foreign markets. The company expects a huge growth in demand for memory chips in the country's consumer electronics sector. NeST expects India to be one of the biggest consumer markets for memory chips in the near future.

[nik]

Election Commission order on Smart City project quashed

http://www.newkerala.com

Kochi: The Kerala High Court today quashed the order of the Election Commission preventing the state government from signing the Kochi Smart City project.

Permitting the state government to go ahead with the project, Justice S Sirijagan said the Election Commission's model code of conduct would not apply on the project since the decision on starting the same was made in 2004.

In fact, it was only due to the pendency of a case before the court the government could not proceed with the project, he pointed out.

The starting of the project will not amount to financial grant, the judge held. The court permitted the state Chief Secretary to proceed with the signing of the contract.

The order was issued on a PIL by Kochi-based Intelligent Decisions (India) Private Ltd seeking to quash the EC's direction to the state government not to execute the project agreement until the assembly elections were over.

The EC had informed the court that execution of the agreement on election eve would violate the model code of conduct, while the state government had submitted that it was willing to proceed with the contract if court permits.

The state government has already signed an MoU relating to the IT infrastructure project with the Dubai Technology of Media Free Zone Authority. The signing of the final agreement had been held up due to the EC order.

Govt of Kerala must strike the deal to make up their lapses earlier.

[nik]

Best hopes for Smart City project. TECOM (which owns Dubai Internet City) themselves suggested postponement of signing the deal.

Let dust settle over Smart City: TECOM
Friday April 21 2006 13:39 IST

KOCHI: The Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone (TECOM) authorities on Thursday made it clear that the decision to put off the inking of the Smart City project was taken by the Kerala Government in consultation with them.

"The decision is a joint one. We want the entire process to be transparent," TECOM real estates and properties senior manager Baju George told This websites newspaper over phone from Dubai.

He said that the Kerala Government had alerted the TECOM about the HC verdict on Tuesday itself. The willingness to sign the agreement at the earliest was also conveyed and the TECOM authorities reciprocated promptly.

It’s learnt that Thursday was almost fixed as the date for signing the agreement. According to sources, Ahmad-bin Bayat, director general of the TECOM, expressed his interest to sign the agreement any time.

But the government took a U-turn on Wednesday and cancelled the programme. The Chief Minister informed the TECOM authorities that the agreement cannot be inked in a hurry.

There were rumours that the government was compelled to take such a decision as the TECOM top brass didn’t want to sign the agreement on election-eve. When asked about these rumours, Baju George said, "We understand that some sections in the state still have serious doubts about the project.

We don’t want to create an air of confusion. So it was decided not to pursue the agreement for the time being." He emphasised that the decision was jointly taken by the government and the company.

Baju George reiterated their keenness in the project. "We will surely discuss the matter with the new government. Let’s see how things turn out," he said.

This is really a great news - despite all the tantrum it gave, positive vibes have emerged from Left front on Smart City project - offering it an even better hope. The CPM - leader even said that his party will implement it in an even better manner !!

[nik]

Green Signal for Petronet $600 mn plus project
Petronet doubles Kochi terminal capacity

Petronet meets green norms for Kochi terminal
S.P.S. PANNU
Green signal

New Delhi, April 23: Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL) has obtained the environmental clearances for the Kochi liquefied natural gas terminal and is planning to cruise ahead with the project.

PLL director (technical) Sham Sundar told The Telegraph that Tractabel of Belgium, Japanese company IHI, Technimont of Italy and French firm Technigen have emerged as the front runners to set up the Rs 2,300-crore LNG terminal.

The capacity of the terminal, which was initially planned at 2.5 million tonnes per annum, has now been increased to 5 million tonnes and for this the size of the storage tanks has been increased from 1,10,000 tonnes to 1,55,000 tonnes. full story

[nik]

Petronet LNG to raise $100 mn for Kochi terminal

By Indo Asian News Service

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Petronet LNG Ltd, which announced a jump in its net profit Thursday, is planning to raise $100 million to part fund its Kochi regassification terminal.

The board of Petronet LNG, which has been set up by a consortium of state-owned oil and gas companies, has approved plans 'for raising funds through issuance of foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) to the extent of $100 million to part finance the LNG terminal at Kochi,' the company stated Thursday.

Qatar's RasGas has committed to supply 7.5 million tonnes LNG for both terminals. While five million tonnes is already being supplied, the additional supplies will begin in 2010, when the Kochi terminal will be commissioned.

Meanwhile, the firm notched up a net profit of Rs.1.95 billion in the fiscal 2005-06 - up from Rs.284 million in the previous year.

[nik]

KRL gets clearance for phase II capacity expansion

Staff Reporter - The Hindu

Project envisages Rs.2,000-crore investment

# Project to upgrade auto fuels MS and HSD to Euro III specification
# To increase refining capacity to 9.5 million tonnes a year
# Community development schemes have also been started

KOCHI: The Board of Directors of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has given the green signal to Kochi Refineries Limited (KRL) to go ahead with phase II of capacity expansion, envisaging an investment to the tune of Rs.2,000 crores. The investment clearance came last week, it is learnt. full story

[nik]

Sutherland plumps for Technopolis. Click to see Technopolis

Sutherland is also building their own mega campus at Kalamassery.

Sutherland Global Services to open shop in Kochi

Indo-Asian News Service
Kochi, May 19, 2006

Sutherland Global Services, a global leader in business process outsourcing (BPO) will open a new centre at Technopolis, Kerala's first private IT Park.

The agreement to establish the BPO facility was successfully concluded between the New York-headquartered Sutherland and the Muthoot Pappachan Group that owns Technopolis.

Dilip Vellodi, Sutherland CEO, said they are confident that the talent pool and robust infrastructure in Kerala will provide advantages of cost, scalability and more importantly, value across the spectrum of services we offer our clients.

Technopolis is a state-of-the-art park built upon an area of 3,55,000 square feet housed in the Cochin Special Economic Zone.

Sutherland manages global client relationships in 14 locations across the US, Canada, India and the Philippines.

[nik]

Rs 9,000 cr for Kochi to tap its port potential

KOCHI: Planning over Rs 9,000-crore investment over the next few years, a slew of projects including the Rs 3,000-crore international container transshipment terminal for which work has already begun, the Cochin Port Trust is on the development track.

Proximity to the international maritime route gives it an advantage it has not been able to use owing to several reasons, including historical ones of militant trade unionism, says port deputy chairman Capt Subash Kumar. But once the proposed projects are in place, the port would have an important place in the global maritime map, he asserts.

It has been a two-decade long struggle for the ICTT. Post tender, re-tender, central rejection hurdles, the present Dubai Ports clinched the deal just over a year ago. It has taken over operations of the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) and is expected to begin construction of the new terminal at Vallarpadam Island, off Kochi, in a few years.

According to DP officials, productivity at RGCT has improved over the past year, rising from under nine gross moves per hour up now to 14. Better quality of vessels in May alone sent gross moves up to 22 an hour, they say, adding that with larger parcel sizes, productivity is bound to improve further.

Work is going on for the Rs 720-crore single buoy moor at Puthuvypu for Kochi Refineries Ltd (KRL), whose crude is the port’s lifeline.

Another major proposal is the Rs 2,050 LNG terminal by Petronet. Although mooted before the Dahej project in Gujarat, it is yet to take shape, despite that there would be takers for the gas. Especially with NTPC’s Kayamkulam plant, which plans to expand capacity (a shift from the costly naphtha-based fuel to gas), projected as the largest consumer of at least 2.5 mt.

To the port’s advantage, the project is now headed by former port chairman Jacob Thomas who expects work to start this year. Connected with the project is GAIL’s proposal to set up a petrochem complex with an investment of over Rs 7,000 crore and lay pipelines for distributing gas.

Common infrastructure development like deep dredging at an investment of Rs 464 crore to 14.5 metre depth, national highway connectivity to the ICTT at a cost of Rs 375 crore, and rail connectivity costing Rs 245 crore, are some of the high priority projects, says Capt Subash Kumar. The port has central clearance for a Rs 150-crore port-based Special Economic Zone.

In the last fiscal, the port handled 13.94 mt cargo , lower than 14.1 mt the previous year. Port officials say that the shut down of the KRL plant for maintenance was the reason of lesser crude throughput. Meanwhile, incentives for timber handling saw the return of this commodity to the port.

[nik]

LNG terminal update

SPVs for LNG carriers: Petronet shortlists 7 cos
Santanu Sanyal
Two vessels of 165,000 cbm capacity each for use at Kochi terminal

In the pipeline Petronet India has indicated to hold 49 per cent stake in the SPVs The source of supply of gas yet to be identified

Kolkata , May 24

Petronet India has shortlisted several shipping firms, including a consortium, for the purpose of floating two special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for acquiring and operating two LNG carriers for its proposed terminal at Kochi. full story

[nik]

CIAL celebrates 7th annual day today
A Correspondent - The Hindu

The airport is in an expansion mode
Organising variety entertainment programme
Construction of new departure block is fast progressing

NEDUMBASSERY:

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is set to celebrate its
seventh annual day on Thursday. The airport, the first greenfield airport
in the country, turned operational on May 25, 1999.

A two-hour-long variety entertainment programme has been organised at
the departure side of the domestic terminal in connection with the
annual day.

The airport has achieved remarkable feats in the aviation sector and is
ranked fourth among the airports in the country in terms of
international passenger movement. The airport has received appreciation from far
and wide and similar airports modelled on it are coming up in Hyderabad
and Bangalore.

There are six domestic carriers and together they operate around 144
services in a week. Besides the public sector Indian, private carriers
like Jet Airways, Air Sahara, Paramount Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Air
Deccan, country's first low-cost domestic budget carrier, and Go Air
operates from here.

In the international sector there are 11 players, including the public
sector Air-India and its no-frills subsidiary Air India Express. About
131 services to various foreign destinations, predominantly to the Gulf
countries, are operated from here.

Foreign airlines like Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Gulf
Air, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Silk Air, Mahan Air and SriLankan
Airlines are based here. The latest entrant to this list is Air Arabia,
the national budget carrier of the United Arab Emirates, which launched
its operations this month.

The airport is in an expansion mode as part of which a state-of-the-art
new international arrival block was opened last October. The
construction of the new departure block is fast progressing. Besides this, the
airport company has also drawn up elaborate projects for commercially
utilising the land owned by it.

[nik]

Cusat to have fast-track mechanism for status elevation

Staff Reporter - The Hindu

KOCHI: The decision to set up a fast-track mechanism to speed up background work to pave the way for the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) to be raised to the status of an Indian Institute of Technology once again highlights the aspirations of the university to build a new future.

The decision was taken at the Syndicate meeting of the university on Saturday and comes in the wake of instructions from Minister for Education M.A. Baby that steps should be taken to implement time-bound programmes to get the university the status within three years.

Directive hailed

The Syndicate and Vice-Chancellor P.K. Abdul Aziz have welcomed the directive of the Minister and has decided to work to achieve the goal.

The grant given to the university will be utilised in building additional hostels and classrooms and in increasing the number of fellowships. Besides, the money will also go into improving the quality of teaching, induction of information and communication technology and improving research facilities in thrust areas.

The aspirations of the university to find a place among premier academic institutions are evident from its eagerness to host the 95th Indian Science Congress in January 2008.

[nik]

Vallarpadam road connectivity may see state's longest bridge too.

To bridge or not to
Wednesday May 31 2006 08:44 IST

KOCHI: A high-level delegation of the Union Ministry of Environment will arrive here to take a final decision on the mode of road construction along the 5 km backwater stretch in Mulavukadu that forms part of the proposed Kalamassery-Vallarpadam Road.

The 17.5 km road is envisaged for establishing road connectivity between Vallarpadam Island -where the International Container Transhipment Terminal is coming up and the main land at Kalamassery.

Though the land acquisition proceedings were almost over, a final decision on the mode of road construction to be adopted in the backwater stretch at Mulavukadu is not yet taken.

The delegation, which is expected to arrive here next week, was formed following a recommendation from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). There will be three members on the team.

District Collector Mohammed Hanish told reporters that a decision on whether a bridge should be constructed or reclamation of backwater should be done to establish road link between Cheranalloor and Vallarpadam would be taken after the team’s visit.

If the team proposes a bridge along this 5 km stretch, that will be the longest bridge ever constructed in the state.

The District Collector said that the district administration has requested the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to grant it Rs 30 crore to distribute as a compensation for those who have surrendered their land for the project. Around 100 acres of land in seven villages in the district was acquired for the project.

A meeting of the officials of the KWA, KSEB, KITCO, FACT, HIL, TCC, BPC and IOC will be convened on June 9 to discuss the modalities for relaying of the pipes and cables along the route.

The meet will consider the demand raised by the FACT to construct underpasses along the proposed highway. A blueprint for the relaying of pipes and cables will be drawn out after that meet, the Collector said.

Vallarpadam already have road connectivity. The 400 cr four laner is coming up so as not to stress city roads, which are already reeling under heavy traffic due the neglect of Kerala govt.