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Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Criticizes MERC for Denying Petitioner Relief

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					</table>Norway’s development finance institution <a href="https://www.norfund.no/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norfund</a> said it will invest about NOK 600 million (~$60.5 million) in the Indian solar and agricultural waste-to-energy company <a href="https://www.sael.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SAEL</a>.
The investment will help SAEL support its target of growing its renewables portfolio to 3 GW by 2028 by adding 100 MW of new biomass and 400 MW of new solar capacity annually to its existing portfolio of 600 MW.
SAEL has developed a new business model under which crop remains are used as fuel in waste-to-energy projects. The company has over 20 operating and under-construction projects using clean energy sources like solar to convert waste into energy.
The focus of the investment is centered on helping New Delhi and the surrounding states minimize air pollution that worsens as the fine particulate matter in the air increases.  Stubble burning by farmers to remove crop residue has been one of the reasons for an increase in particulate matter in the air.
The investment will help SAEL mitigate 2.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Chairman and Managing Director of SAEL Jasbir Awla said, “By collecting the crop stubble to be used as fuel in our waste-to-energy plants, we contribute to combating one of our nation’s greatest health issues, while at the same time creating local employment and extra income to farmers and local entrepreneurs. This partnership with Norfund will fast track implementation of these projects, making us one of the leaders in this space.”
Mark Davis, Executive Vice President of Renewable Energy at Norfund said, “We are thrilled to be able to contribute with the necessary financing for SAEL to reach its ambitions and contribute to reducing climate emissions and local pollution while contributing to meet India’s energy needs.”
Earlier this month, Norfund and Norway’s largest pension fund KLP <a href="https://mercomindia.com/norfund-klp-acquire-49-stake-renews-transmission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> an investment of NOK109 million (~$10.85 million) for a 49% ownership stake in ReNew Power’s Karnataka-based transmission project. Norfund will help ReNew by contributing to the connection of 2.5 GW of clean power in South India being connected to the country’s grid.
Last August, Norfund and KLP inked an agreement to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/norways-climate-investment-49-stake-solar-project-rajasthan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquire</a> a 49% stake in a 420 MW solar power project in Rajasthan.

Norfund to Invest $60 Million in Indian Waste-to-Energy Company SAEL

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					</table>Here are some noteworthy cleantech developments from around the world:
REC India, a central public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Power, <a href="https://recindia.nic.in/rec-inks-three-strategic-mous" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a memorandum of understanding with Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL) to commit to funding ₹10 billion (~$122.6 million) for the development of renewable energy parks and projects, and the associated infrastructure including power evacuation. REC also partnered with the World Bank for a program under which the former committed ₹50 billion (~$613 million) to the state’s distribution companies to carry out reforms.
The New York State Office of Renewable Energy (ORES) <a href="https://ores.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-approval-siting-permits-three-major-solar-energy-centers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> three siting permits totaling approximately 309 MW of renewable energy capacity to deliver sufficient clean energy to power over 69,000 households in New York for at least two decades. Coupled with the eight previously permitted facilities, the latest siting permits mark the approval of 11 projects, totaling around 1.8 GW of capacity since 2021. The State has approved 20 new renewable energy projects since 2021.
UK-based measurable.energy said it has <a href="https://measurable.energy/news/series-a-funding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> £4.5 million in a series A funding round to further its growth and to eliminate energy waste along with carbon dioxide emissions. The company targets using the funds to remove over 1 million tons of CO2 emissions worldwide until 2033, equal to taking 130,000 cars off the streets for a year. UK-based venture capital fund, Clean Growth Fund led the round, along with existing investor Bonheur ASA, Vectr7 Investment Partners LLP, RO Capital Partners, and MMC Ventures. The company will use the funds for increasing production and sales across the UK and globally. It also plans to enter the residential market.
Southern Current, an energyRE company, <a href="https://www.energyre.com/news/2023-01-11/southern-current-energyre-company-secures-power-purchase-agreement-dominion-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a power purchase agreement with Dominion Energy South Carolina (DESC) for the Lone Star Solar Plant based in Calhoun County of South Carolina. Once the plant is operational by 2024, the plant will have 107.8 MW of renewable capacity. The project will deploy a 108 MWh battery energy storage system in the facility spread across 572 acres, making Lone Star Solar one of the largest battery storage systems in the region and the largest battery on the DESC network.
India-based <a href="https://enkingint.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EKI Energy</a>, a global developer, and supplier of carbon credits, collaborated with <a href="https://www.dnv.com/about/supplychain/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNV Supply Chain &amp; Product Assurance</a>, a Norway-based independent assurance, and risk management provider, to foster a climate transition ecosystem with innovation and digitalization. EKI will extend advisory services to DNV’s customers and help them achieve carbon neutrality and net zero targets in addition to ESG and sustainability assurance services.
Sydney-based <a href="https://www.provaris.energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Provaris Energy</a> inked a memorandum of understanding with <a href="https://www.norwegianhydrogen.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norwegian Hydrogen</a> which develops hubs for hydrogen production across the Nordic region, to collaborate on the development of green hydrogen value chain projects. The two companies will use their respective expertise to conduct the technical and economic review for the production and supply of compressed gaseous green H2 to cover the large-scale production and export of hydrogen to key European ports. The pact will create a framework for the firms to jointly undertake concept design aimed at reviewing identified sites and selecting a preferred location for domestic and export volumes of H2.

Daily News Wrap-Up: REC India Commits ₹10 Billion for Renewable Projects in MP

The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://www.uperc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UPERC</a>) has extended the scheduled commissioning date (SCOD) for a 14 MW municipal solid waste (MSW)-based power project in Agra.
It also directed the involved parties &#8211; Spaak Bresson Private Limited and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (<a href="https://www.upenergy.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UPPCL</a>) &#8211; to get approval for the supplemental power purchase agreement (SPPA) at least one month before the plant is commissioned.
Background: 
Spaak Bresson had filed a petition with the UPERC seeking approval for its amended PPA to purchase 14 MW of power from an MSW project in Agra. The generating company could not commission the power project by the scheduled commissioning date and sought a one-year extension until February 2020.
The company further sought for the UPPCL to extend the SCOD of the project by 18 months to August 2021 since it was not able to acquire a no objections certificate from the Taz Trapazium Zone Authority (TTZ). The UPPCL approved both the SCOD extension requests and signed an SPPA with Spaak Bresson.
According to the SPPA, the power generation project is scheduled to be commissioned by August 2021 under the condition that the tariff for the project for the first year would be ₹6.9 (~$0.093)/kWh. The tariff for the subsequent years would be determined as per the Commission&#8217;s Captive and Renewable Energy Generating Plants Regulations, 2019.
Commission&#8217;s Stance: 
Upon analysis, the Commission said that the project had not received consent to be established, and it seemed unlikely for it to be commissioned by August 2021. It cited a provision in the National Tariff Policy, 2016, which mandated distribution licensees to buy 100% of the power produced by waste-to-energy projects in the state. It subsequently allowed for the SCOD of the project to be extended.
However, it said that even though the parties have agreed to a tariff of ₹6.9 (~$0.093)/kWh, the tariff for the supply of power to UPPCL can only be determined once the project is commissioned. It rejected the petitioner&#8217;s request for approving the tariff, given that TTZ and other clearances were not made available. It directed both parties to get the clearances and approach the commission for SPPA approval at least one month before the project is commissioned.
According to Mercom India&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/q3-2020-india-solar-market-update/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Q3 2020 India Solar Market Update</a>, about 8% of Uttar Pradesh&#8217;s power is generated from Biomass and Bagasse-based sources.
In June 2020, the UPERC had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/municipal-solid-wast-based-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">directed</a> the UPPCL and Ecogreen Energy Lucknow to come up with a firm agreement for the amended power purchase agreement for a 13.5 MW municipal solid waste-based power project.
In 2019, the Commission had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/uttar-pradesh-ppa-municipal-solid-waste/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">approved</a> the power purchase agreement signed between UPPCL and Accord Hydroair (Pikhuwa) Private Limited. The PPA was signed between UPPCL and Accord Hydroair in April 2018 for the purchase of power produced from MSW-based 9 MW of projects at Pipalheda village and 5.5 MW of project at Phikuwa village.

UPERC Allows Time Extension for Completing a Municipal Solid Waste Power Project

<a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NTPC Limited</a> has invited bids for biomass pellets to use as fuel alongside coal at its thermal power stations. This would help mitigate the air pollution caused by farmers burning crop residue in the open.
Interested bidders are expected to specify the number of projects they plan to undertake and to submit a bid security amount of ₹100,000 (~$1,359) for each. The deadline for the submission of bids is October 19, 2020.
The scope of work includes supplying, loading, transporting, and delivering the agro residue-based biomass pellets at the specified sites. NTPC said it plans to fund this project through domestic funds.
According to the tender documents issued by the NTPC, bidders must be at least 21 years of age of Indian nationality or a corporate entity with a registered office in India.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Power said that NTPC plans to use five million tons of pellets in the current year at 17 of its power projects in the country, including ones in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka. The ministry noted that suppliers from Punjab and Haryana would be given preference.
A co-firing project is one where a certain percentage of fuel in a thermal project is replaced with an alternative fuel. In this case, NTPC intends to substitute a percentage of coal with biomass pellets in its thermal projects.
The MoP said that NTPC had conducted a pilot program for this initiative in 2017 for biomass co-firing by replacing some of the coal with pellet-based fuel at its project in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. The test-firing was carried out in four phases, with the percentage of pellets being gradually increased from 2.5% to 10%. NTPC has fired more than 7,000 tons of these agro residue-based pellets towards this initiative so far.
NTPC also believes that this move can help create large-scale rural employment opportunities in the processing and supply chains for biomass.
The practice of burning old rice crop stubble by farmers in the states of Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh after harvesting season was banned late last year by the central government. The move came after the process contributed to a significant increase in air pollution and deterioration in air quality in New Delhi and its surrounding areas.
This new initiative could prove to be a good way for farmers to get rid of their agricultural waste while avoiding the adverse effects of crop burning.
In April, a recent study <a href="https://mercomindia.com/wood-burning-clean-source-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published</a> in Science Advances, a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary open-access scientific journal, concluded that the harmful effects of burning wood for energy on the climate could be mitigated with efficiently designed climate policy.
Previously, the Central Electricity Authority <a href="https://mercomindia.com/cea-biomass-pellets-power-generation-thermal-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> to all states and union territories across the country and asked them to promote the use of biomass pellets at all of their thermal power plants, whether public or private.
More recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-biomass-program-extended/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extended</a> the validity of its biomass-based cogeneration program. The program was extended until March 31, 2021, or until the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission come into effect, whichever comes first. The program was set to end in March 2020.

NTPC Seeks Suppliers of Biomass Pellets for Co-Firing at its Thermal Power Stations

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://karunadu.karnataka.gov.in/kerc/Pages/home.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KERC</a>) has extended the validity of the generic tariff ₹7.08 (~$0.096)/kWh for waste to energy (WTE) projects in the state.
The validity of the tariff has now been extended up to March 31, 2021.
Background:  
The Commission had previously set a generic tariff of ₹7.08 (~$0.096)/kWh on September 19, 2016, for all waste to energy projects in the state.
The tariff applied to all of the state’s MSW-based power projects commissioned between September 19, 2016, and March 31, 2018.
The Commission decided to extend the validity of the existing generic tariff as no additional waste to energy projects have been proposed in the state, and those previously submitted by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (<a href="http://karnatakapower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KPCL</a>) are already in progress.
In March, the KPCL <a href="https://mercomindia.com/karnataka-tender-waste-energy-bidadi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">floated</a> a tender for an 11.5 MW waste to energy project at Bidadi in the Ramanagar district of the state. The scope of work included the design, engineering, manufacturing, testing, supply, and commissioning of the project. It also included two years of operation and maintenance services for the project.
Previously, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/karnataka-generic-tariff-waste-energy-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extended</a> the validity of the generic tariff it had set for municipal solid waste projects in the state to March 2020.
Earlier, Mercom had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-municipal-solid-waste-to-energy-program-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued revised guidelines for its waste to energy program. The new guidelines will supersede the existing guidelines of Waste to Energy Program, which was issued on July 30, 2018. One new addition to the guidelines is the inclusion of municipal solid waste-based projects, based on the clarification by the Department of Expenditure.
In December 2019, the Union Power Minister R.K.Singh told Parliament that to recover energy from waste and effluent generated from industries, India has <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-has-set-up-waste-to-energy-projects-so-far/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">set up</a> 186 waste-to-energy projects for the generation of biogas, bio CNG with a cumulative capacity of 317.03 MW. Out of the 186 projects, five projects are based on municipality solid waste, thus generating a total capacity of 66.5 MW of energy.
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Image credit: Unsplash

Karnataka Commission Extends Validity of Generic Tariff on Waste to Energy Projects

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (<a href="http://mcdonline.gov.in/tri/sdmc_mcdportal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SDMC</a>) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Oil and NTPC Limited to develop a demonstration waste-to-energy project at the Okhla landfill site in Delhi.
This project will use gasification technology to process about 17,500 tons of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) per year. Combustible components from municipal waste will be used to generate ‘syngas’ which will then be used to generate electricity.
Biomass gasification refers to the process of converting solid biomass fuel into a combustible gas, called “producer gas,” which is then used to produce power.
“Solid waste management is a big challenge in the national capital. The city can process only half of its waste. The commissioning of such plants would not only provide a clean and environment-friendly way to handle solid waste but also generate gas and manure,” said Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor of Delhi.
The Minister of Power, R.K. Singh, who was also present for the signing, said that the Ministry would support such projects, regardless of the cost of the production of gas from them. He said that technology used in the Delhi project would result in fewer emissions, and also provide usable residues.
The gas generation from waste will also help in cutting imports of petroleum products and saving precious foreign exchange, noted Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas &amp; Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan
In March, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-municipal-solid-waste-to-energy-program-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> revised guidelines for its waste to energy program. One new addition to the guidelines is the inclusion of municipal solid waste-based projects, based on the clarification by the Department of Expenditure.
Last year, NTPC Limited and East Delhi Municipal Corporation <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-edmc-jv-waste-to-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">joined hands</a> to form a joint venture company to harness municipal waste into green energy. As per the terms and conditions of the proposed JV, NTPC and EDMC will have a 74:26 equity involvement, respectively. The JV aims to develop and operate a state-of-the-art integrated waste management and energy generation facility.
Then, it was also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/delhi-metro-power-waste-to-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (<a href="http://www.delhimetrorail.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">DMRC</a>) started utilizing power from a 12 MW waste to energy project set up by the East Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited in Gazipur, Uttar Pradesh. This was the first of a kind initiative where a Metro Rail company in India is receiving power from a waste to energy project. A total of 2 MW capacity will be supplied to the DMRC through this facility.

NTPC and Indian Oil to Set Up a Waste-to-Energy Project in Delhi

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/">MNRE</a>) has announced that its waste-to-energy program would be extended beyond March 31, 2020. It said that the program would continue without any changes to its scope, nature, or coverage. No new posts will be created until March 31, 2021.
The objective of the program is to promote setting up projects for generating biogas, bio-CNG, or power from urban, industrial, and agricultural waste. It also aims to promote projects for recovering energy from municipal solid waste (MSW) to be fed back into the grid for meeting captive power, thermal, and vehicle fuel requirements. The program also promotes biomass gasifiers to convert solid biomass fuel into a combustible gas for feeding power into the grid for meeting the captive power and thermal needs or rice mills, other industries, and villages.
Under the program, central financial assistance (CFA) in the form of capital subsidy and grants-in-aid will be provided for biogas production. The assistance will also be provided for power generation or production of bio-CNG, enriched biogas produced from industrial waste, sewage treatment plants, urban and agricultural waste.
In March, the MNRE <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-municipal-solid-waste-to-energy-program-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> revised guidelines for its waste to energy program. The new guidelines were to supersede the existing guidelines which were issued on July 30, 2018. One new addition to the guidelines was the inclusion of MSW-based projects, based on the clarification by the Department of Expenditure.
Previously, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-has-set-up-waste-to-energy-projects-so-far/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that India had set up 186 waste-to-energy projects with a cumulative capacity of about 317 MW to recover energy from waste and industrial effluents. Out of the 186 projects, five projects are based on municipality solid waste, generating a total capacity of 66.5 MW of energy. Meanwhile, 181 projects are agricultural, urban, and industrial waste-based waste-to-energy projects. Out of this, 94 projects are biogas and bio-CNG off-grid purposes.

MNRE Announces Extension to its Waste to Energy Program

The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (<a href="http://karnatakapower.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KPCL</a>) has floated a tender for an 11.5 MW waste to energy project at Bidadi in the Ramanagar district of the state.
The scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacturing, quality surveillance, testing, packing, supply, delivery, erection, commissioning, and conducting performance guarantee tests with all civil, structural, mechanical electrical, control and instrumentation work. This also includes two years of operation and maintenance services for the project.
The contractor will also be responsible for providing all material, equipment, and service, which are required for ensuring the operability, maintainability, reliability, and safety of the project.
Interested bidders must pay an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹21 million (~$275,807). The last date for the submission of bids is April 21, 2020.
To be eligible to take part in the competitive bidding process, applicants must have completed a minimum of 5 MW of similar waste-to-energy projects anywhere in the world. The completed project must have been operating successfully for at least two years in the last five financial years at the time of bid submission.
The annual turnover of the bidder must also be not less than ₹2.1 billion (~27.6 million) in any two of the last five financial years to qualify for placing the bids.
The successful bidder also needs to submit the security deposit of 5% in the form of a bank guarantee which will not carry any interest towards the EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) cost valid for five years. For the operation and maintenance of the project, a performance guarantee of 5% of the O&amp;M cost must also be submitted before the O&amp;M begins.
Previously, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/karnataka-generic-tariff-waste-energy-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">extended</a> the validity of the generic tariff it had set for municipal solid waste projects in the state. A tariff of ₹7.08 (~$0.10)/kWh was set by the commission back in 2016, which applied to all of the state’s MSW-based power projects, which were commissioned between September 19, 2016, to March 31, 2018.
More recently, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-municipal-solid-waste-to-energy-program-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued revised guidelines for its waste to energy program. The new guidelines will supersede the existing guidelines of Waste to Energy Program, which was issued on July 30, 2018. One new addition to the guidelines is the inclusion of municipal solid waste (MSW)-based projects, based on the clarification by the Department of Expenditure.

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