Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:

Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy R. K. Singh has referred the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 to the Standing Committee for examination after introducing it in the Lok Sabha. The minister also took to social media to explain that there was no change in the subsidy provisions and that none of its clauses would affect farmers. The Bill proposes strengthening state electricity commissions and regulating all public or private distribution companies.

NTPC announced the successful commissioning of the entire capacity of 250 MW Kolyat, Bikaner (Shambu ki Burj-1) solar photovoltaic project in Rajasthan. The standalone installed and commercial capacity of NTPC has now reached 55.07 MW, and the group’s installed and commercial capacity is 69.43 MW.

Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, and Ford India signed a Unit Transfer Agreement to acquire Ford India’s manufacturing plant at Sanand, Gujarat. The agreement covers land and buildings, a vehicle manufacturing plant along with machinery and equipment, and the transfer of all employees of Ford India’s vehicle manufacturing operations at Sanand, for a total consideration, exclusive of taxes, of ₹7.26 billion (~$91.24 million). The transaction closure will be subject to receiving relevant approvals from the government authorities and fulfilling customary condition precedents.

Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy R. K. Singh launched Bharat eSmart Mobile Application (BeSMA), a free-to-use mobile app for prepaid smart meters, during the Review Planning & Monitoring (RPM) meeting with States and power utilities. The mobile app would provide essential information to consumers regarding their usage and the balance of electricity remaining, both in terms of units and monetary terms. It provides multiple options and gateways like UPI, net banking, and credit & debit card for payment and recharge through mobile phones. The app would be available to distribution utilities free of charge. The app can be customized to specific utility needs.

Amp Energy India announced that it had signed a power purchase agreement, with Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL) in Madhya Pradesh, for 100MW/140MWp of a floating solar project. RUMSL is planning a 600 MW floating solar park at the Omkareshwar Reservoir, India’s largest and one of the world’s largest floating solar projects. The project would be developed phase-wise, with 300 MW each to be developed in Phases 1 and 2 at pre-identified locations at the Omkareshwar reservoir. The project is under the build, own, operate, transfer model for a fixed tariff of 25 years. It will generate about 198 million units per year and help mitigate about 85,654 metric tons of CO2 per annum. RUMSL has identified land for the project’s development on the reservoir and will lease space for the development of this Floating Solar Park from NHDC.

Jitendra New EV Tech, a Maharashtra-based electric vehicle maker, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FAE Bikes, a last-mile logistics company, to supply 12,000 electric two-wheelers. The deal’s value is estimated to be ₹1.2 billion (~$15.09 million). The partnership between Jitendra New EV Tech and FAE Bikes seeks to provide electric scooters for rent to customers who wish to do a trial run of the scooter before committing to a purchase or those who want to embrace EVs, albeit without acquiring a permanent new asset. Initially, FAE Bikes will offer these new JEV scooters to its customers across Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Hyderabad.