rajya sabha starred question no.394...

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER

RAJYA SABHA

STARRED QUESTION NO.394 ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

THERMAL POWER PLANTS IN WATER SCARCE AREAS

*394. SHRI RAJKUMAR DHOOT: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that thermal power plants require large quantities of water during power generation; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether thermal power plants have been set up in water scarce areas of Maharashtra, Bundelkhand, etc. making them more water scarce; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) what remedial measures Government proposes to take in the matter?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL )

(a) to (e) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF STARRED QUESTION NO.394 ANSWERED IN THE RAJYA SABHA ON 10.04.2017 REGARDING THERMAL POWER PLANTS IN WATER SCARCE AREAS.

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(a) & (b): Water is required in thermal power stations for cooling purposes in condensers and plant auxiliaries, disposal of ash to ash dyke, various other consumptive uses like service water, potable water etc. Two types of cooling systems are used in thermal Power Plants (TPPs), (i) Once through Cooling and (ii) Close Cycle Cooling. Close cycle cooling system in coal based TPPs consume about 3 to 3.5m3/MWh whereas Open cycle cooling systems draw more water, i.e., 120-150 m3 /MWh. Since 1st June 1999, Once through Cooling in new plants has been discontinued. At present, more than 90% of coal based TPPs are based on closed cycle in India.

Typical list of major plant systems / applications requiring consumptive water in a thermal power plant is as below:

Type of application % consumptive water Cooling tower make up 85% Boiler water make up 3% Potable (Drinking) water 1.7% Service water 6.7% Ash handling and its disposal * -

* Requirement of ash handling system is met from cooling tower blow down and hence not considered as consumptive water.

The water consumption in combined cycle Gas based power plants is about 1.5 m3/MWh

(c) & (d) : Coal based Thermal Power Plants are set up keeping in view the availability of land, water, fuel etc. Allocation of water for Thermal Power Projects is done by Water Resources Department of the concerned State Government, where the project is located after due diligence, taking into consideration various requirements, such as drinking water, other human needs and irrigation / agricultural requirement etc. of the State.

(e): The remedial measures being adopted to reduce consumption of water in Thermal Power Plants are as follows:

I. Ash Water Recirculation System- Water from ash pond is recovered and reused in the system.

II. Dry fly ash handling system & High Concentration Slurry Disposal (HCSD) system - These ash handling techniques reduce the ash handling water requirement thereby reducing the water consumption.

III. Zero water discharge system – Treating the total waste water produced in the plant and recycling back in to the consumptive water system reduces water consumption.

IV. Operating cooling towers at higher Cycle of Concentration (COC). This reduces the waste water generated by the plant. This waste water generated is used for low grade applications like ash handling, coal dust suppression and gardening etc.

V. Government of India has notified new Tariff Policy on 28.01.2016 wherein it is mandated that the thermal power plant(s) including the existing plants located within 50 km radius of sewage treatment plant of Municipality / local bodies / similar organisation shall, in the order to their closeness to sewage treatment plant, mandatorily use treated sewage water produced by these bodies and the associated cost on this account be allowed as pass through in the tariff.

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RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4240

ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

ELECTRIFICATION OF VILLAGES UNDER DDUGJY †4240. SHRI RAM NATH THAKUR: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Government is determined to provide electricity to all villages in the country under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY); (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) the number of un-electrified villages in the country; (d) the number of such un-electrified villages in Bihar; and (e) by when Government would provide electricity to the remaining villages, along with the details thereof?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) & (b) : Yes, Sir. Government of India launched Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti

Yojana (DDUGJY) in December, 2014 for various rural electrification works including

separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders, strengthening and augmentation of

sub-transmission & distribution infrastructure, metering at distribution

transformers/feeders/consumers and electrification of villages.

(c) to (e) : As reported by the States, as on 31.03.2017, there are 5,329 un-electrified

census villages in the country including some uninhabited villages. As on 31.03.2017, there

are 437 un-electrified census villages in Bihar. All the remaining unelectrified villages are

targeted to be electrified by May, 2018.

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RAJYA SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4241 ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

UPGRADATION OF COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

4241. SHRI T. RATHINAVEL: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has allowed more time for upgradation of coal-fired power plants; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the old polluting plants have to be replaced with super critical, super efficient plants; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) to (d) : In order to conserve scarce natural resources like land, water and coal,

old and inefficient thermal power plants / units with an aggregate capacity of 7,738

MW, have been identified by respective power utilities for replacement with super-

critical thermal power plants with an aggregate capacity of 18,560 MW, based on the

availability of essential inputs like, Land, Water, Fuel and techno-economic

feasibility. The details of such plants are given at Annexure.

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ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4241 ANSWERED IN THE RAJYA SABHA ON 10.04.2017.

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Details of new thermal power plants proposed to be set up by adopting super-critical technology as replacement of old subcritical units

(A) STATE SECTOR PROJECTS:

State Name of the Plant Name of the Developer

Capacity of Plant Retired / proposed

for Retirement (MW)

Proposed Capacity of new plant

(MW) Haryana Panipat TPS HPGCL 440 1x800

U.P. Harduaganj TPS

UPRVUNL 290 1x660

U.P. Panki TPS

UPRVUNL 210 1x660

U.P. Obra TPS UPRVUNL 438 2x660 M.P. Amarkantak TPS

MPPGCL 280 1x660

M.P. Satpura TPS MPPGCL 312.5 + 830 2x660 + 1x660

Maharashtra Nasik TPP MAHAGENCO 250 1x660 Maharashtra Bhusawal Unit 2

& Paras Unit 2 MAHAGENCO 62.5

62.5 1x660

Gujarat Ukai TPS

GSECL 240 1x660

Telangana Kothagudem TPS Stage I to IV & Ramagundem’ B TPS

TSPGCL 782.5 1x800

Tamil Nadu Ennore TPS TANGEDCO 450 1x660 West Bengal DPL TPS

DPL 280 1x660

Punjab Ropar TPS PSPCL 840 3x800 Jharkhand Patratu TPS PVUNL 360 + 480 5x800

Sub Total (A) 6608 16580 (B) CENTRAL SECTOR PROJECTS :

State Name of the Plant Name of the Developer

Capacity of Plant Retired /

proposed for Retirement (MW)

Proposed Capacity of new plant

(MW) West Bengal DVC Durgapur DVC 350 1x660 Jharkhand DVC Chandrapura DVC 780 2x660

Sub Total (B) 1130 1980 TOTAL (A+B) 7738 18560

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POWER AVAILABLE TO ALL 4242. SHRI C. P. NARAYANAN: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has a realistic plan to make power available to all citizens; (b) how many localities/houses/ production centres/commercial concerns are yet to be electrified; (c) how many people who are yet to get power connections are adivasis and other people residing in forests, islands and inaccessible places and in slums; and (d) how much more power is needed and length of electricity lines in kilometres to be laid for this?

A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) : Providing power to the households is the responsibility of the State Government/ Power Utility. However, the Central Government has taken a joint initiative with respective State Governments for preparation of State specific plans for providing 24x7 Power for All (PFA) to all households/homes, industrial & commercial consumers and adequate supply of power to agricultural consumers as per State Policy by 2022. (b) & (c) : As per Census 2011, there were 2467 lakhs (1679 Rural + 789 Urban) households in the country; of these, 808 lakhs (750 Rural + 58 Urban) households were un-electrified of which 112 lakhs were ST households. Further, based on information furnished by the States and data available on GARV-App-II (as on 06.04.2017), it is projected that there are about 463 lakhs rural households which are yet to be electrified. (d) : As per the 19th Electric Power Survey (EPS) Report, electrical energy requirement and peak electricity demand on all-India basis during the year 2021-22 would be 15,66,023 MU and 2,25,751 MW respectively. The details of length of electricity lines in kilometers expected to be laid as per rollout plan for Intra-State transmission line is as below:

Year 2017-18 2018-19 Transmission Line (Ckm ) 21011.29 19933.32

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NEW RULES FOR ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FROM IPPs 4243. SHRI HARIVANSH: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has framed new rules to get electricity supply from Independent Power Producers (IPPs); (b) whether the States have been consulted before framing these rules; and (c) if so, what are the details in this regard?

A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL )

(a) : No, Sir. The Government has not framed new rules to get electricity

supply from Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

(b) & (c): Does not arise in view of reply to part (a) above.

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ACTION ON POC REPORT ON SUBANSIRI LOWER HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECT

4244. SHRIMATI RANEE NARAH: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) the action being taken on the two reports submitted to Government by Project Oversight Committee (POC) members of Assam and Central Government in Jan/Feb, 2016 for Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project; (b) the details of projects to maintain and control the downstream of Subansiri river in Assam; and (c) the amount of budget allocated and released during 2016-17 to maintain and control Subansiri river in Assam?

A N S W E R


(a) : Ministry of Power, after having examined both the reports in detail, decided to

endorse the report submitted by the expert members nominated by Government of India (GoI). Both

the reports of Project Oversight Committee (POC) have been submitted to the Hon’ble National

Green Tribunal (NGT), duly endorsing the POC (GoI) report, vide its affidavit filed before the

Hon’ble NGT on 24.08.2016.

(b) & (c) : To control and maintain the downstream of River Subansiri in Assam, three Projects,

namely, Subansiri Upper Project, Subansiri Middle Project and Subansiri Lower Project have been

envisaged as cascade development of River Subansiri in Arunachal Pradesh. NHPC Ltd. has also

taken up River Bank Protection/Erosion Control Measures in Assam upto 30 Km. downstream of

Dam, to be executed in three Phases, at a cost of Rs. 145 crore, of which Rs. 35 crore has been

released during 2016-17.

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ELECTRIFICATION OF VILLAGES

4245. SHRI KAPIL SIBAL: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) the details regarding electrification of villages done during the last three years, State/Union Territory-wise and date-wise; (b) the quantum of power required in the country along with the present quantum of power available with Government; and (c) the details of power loss in transmission and distribution, in respect to volume and revenue and the steps taken by Government to curb this problem?

A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) : As reported by the States, 14,528 villages have been electrified during the last three years i.e. from 2014-15 to 2016-17. The State wise details are given at Annexure. (b) : As per the Power Supply Position Report published by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for the period from April, 2016 to March, 2017, electrical energy requirement and peak electricity demand on all-India basis for the aforesaid period is 1,142,092 MU and 159,542 MW respectively. As per the Generation Overview Report (Tentative) published by the CEA for the month of March-2017, at all India level, available monitored capacity is 268218.73 MW (excluding Renewable Energy Source). (c) : At all India level, energy loss in transmission and distribution for the period 2015-16 with respect to volume is 240864.30 Gwh (21.81%).

The measures taken to curb transmission and distribution losses, include high voltage distribution system (HVDS), aerial bunched cables (ABC), use of transformers of 99.5% plus efficiency, replacement of old electro-mechanical meters with static meters, installation of capacitor banks of adequate capacity at power substations, and regular maintenance of transmission & distribution lines and equipments.

Further, Government of India has launched schemes such as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), which would, inter-alia, reduce losses too.

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ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4245 ANSWERED IN THE RAJYA SABHA ON 10.04.2017.

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Number of villages electrified during the last three years

As on 31.03.2017

Sr. No. State Villages electrified during the

financial year 2014-15 to 2016-17

1 Andhra Pradesh - 2 Arunachal Pradesh 456 3 Assam 2,350 4 Bihar 2,651 5 Chhattisgarh 766 6 Gujarat - 7 Haryana - 8 Himachal Pradesh 36 9 J & K 41 10 Jharkhand 2,015 11 Karnataka 14 12 Kerala - 13 Madhya Pradesh 459 14 Maharashtra - 15 Manipur 388 16 Meghalaya 725 17 Mizoram 85 18 Nagaland 86 19 Odisha 2,369 20 Punjab - 21 Rajasthan 496 22 Sikkim - 23 Tamil Nadu - 24 Telangana - 25 Tripura 26 26 Uttar Pradesh 1,526 27 Uttarakhand 22 28 West Bengal 17

Grand Total 14,528

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REC LOAN TO ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES IN ANDHRA PRADESH

4246. SHRI T.G. VENKATESH: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has sanctioned a loan of ` 60,000 crore to electricity companies in Andhra Pradesh under rural electrification project; and (b) if so, the details thereof?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) & (b) : During the financial year 2016-17, Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Limited has sanctioned loan assistance to Andhra Pradesh Electricity companies, as given below:

APSPDCL : Rs.1211.37 crore APEPDCL : Rs.112.59 crore APTRANSCO : Rs.1928.60 crore APGENCO : Rs.3965.11crore

Further, REC Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Andhra Pradesh DISCOMs for debt of Rs.10,000 crore during the next five years (upto March 2022) for implementation of distribution projects.

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RECOVERY OF DUES BY NTPC 4247. SHRI K.R. ARJUNAN: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that NTPC is considering pulling the plug on BSES Yamuna Power Limited to recover � 239 crore overdue since last ten months; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether it is a fact that NTPC supplies about � 300 crore worth of electricity every month to the two discoms in Delhi; and (d) whether it is also a fact that as per the terms of the power purchase agreement with NTPC, these discoms have to clear their payment within a calendar month?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) & (b) : No, Sir. (c) : NTPC Ltd. supplies power worth around Rs.330 crore per month to the two

Discoms of BSES.

(d) : Yes, Sir.

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SURVEY OF OLD THERMAL POWER PLANTS 4248. DR. R. LAKSHMANAN: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has undertaken a survey to identify those thermal power plants across the country which are over their life-span of 25 years; (b) if so, the details thereof, public and private, sector-wise; (c) whether Government has proposed to shut any thermal power plants; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

A N S W E R


(a) to (e) : As on 31.03.2016, the capacity of coal based thermal power plants, which were more than 25 years old, was about 37453 MW, out of which 35506 MW capacity was in Government (Central & State) sector and 1947 MW capacity was in private sector.

In July 2016, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), in consultation with various Power Utilities, identified more than 25 years old coal based plants of about 9000 MW capacity in Government Sector for retirement, on the basis of various techno-economic parameters, against which, coal based units of aggregating capacity of 3750 MW have been retired till date. In addition, non-coal based thermal units in Private sector aggregating 570.94 MW have also been retired during the same period. As such, till date, thermal units of total capacity of 4320.94 MW have been retired since September-2015.

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RAJYA SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4249 ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

PROGRESS OF UMPPs

4249. SHRI R. VAITHILINGAM: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state: (a) the details of the progress of Ultra Mega Power Plants (UMPPs) in the country; and (b) what is the future of such UMPPs and the impediments in setting them up, the details thereof?

A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) & (b) : Four Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs), namely, Sasan in Madhya Pradesh, Mundra in Gujarat, Krishnapattnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tilaiya in Jharkhand have already been awarded and transferred to the developers. Out of the four awarded UMPPs, two UMPPs namely Mundra UMPP and Sasan UMPP are in operation. The status of the awarded UMPPs is given at Annexure-I.

The power generation capacity of each of the existing and proposed UMPP is 4000 MW approximately. The fund for UMPP is arranged by the developer of the project which is selected through International Competitive Bidding Route as per the Standard Bidding Document issued by Ministry of Power.

The status of other UMPPs that are under different stages of development, is given at Annexure-II.

Major issues in setting up of UMPPs are finalisation of sites by host states,

transfer/acquisition of land, availability of water linkage and identification of suitable coal blocks.

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ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4249 ANSWERED IN THE RAJYA SABHA ON 10.04.2017.

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STATUS OF AWARDED ULTRA MEGA POWER PROJECTS

Sl.No Name of UMPP Location Status

1 Sasan UMPP

(6x660 MW)

Sasan in District Singrauli.

Madhya Pradesh

Project awarded and transferred to M/s. Reliance Power Ltd. on 07.08.2007. Project is fully commissioned.

2 Mundra UMPP

(5x800 MW)

Mundra in village Tundawand in District Kutch, Gujarat

Project awarded and transferred to M/s. Tata Power Ltd. on 24.04.2007. Project is fully commissioned.

3 Krishnapatnam UMPP

(6x660 MW)

Krishnapatnam in District Nellore, Andhra Pradesh

The Project awarded and transferred to M/s. Reliance Power Ltd. on 29.01.2008. The developer has stopped work at site, citing new regulation of coal pricing in Indonesia. The procurers have issued termination notice. The matter is subjudice.

4 Tilaiya UMPP

(6x660 MW)

Near Tilaiya village in Hazaribagh and Koderma Districts, Jharkhand

Project awarded and transferred to M/s Reliance Power Ltd on 07.08.2009.

The developer (Jharkhand Integrated Power Ltd) has issued notice for termination of Power Purchase Agreement on 28.4.2015.

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ANNEXURE-II

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4249 ANSWERED IN THE RAJYA SABHA ON 10.04.2017.

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STATUS OF OTHER IDENTIFIED ULTRA MEGA POWER PROJECTS

Sl. No.

Name of UMPP

Location Status

Odisha 1 Bedabahal

Odisha Bedabahal in Sundergarh District.

Fresh bid would be issued after finalization of Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs) and allocation of coal blocks to Infra SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle).

2 1st additional UMPP in Odisha

Bijoypatna in Chandbali Tehsil of Bhadrak district for coastal location

Site identified.

3 2nd additional UMPP in Odisha

Narla & Kasinga sub division of kalahandi District for inland location

Site identified. However, MoP vide letter dated 22.09.2016 sought decision of Govt. of Odisha whether they are willing to set up UMPP or not. Response is awaited.

Tamil Nadu 4 Cheyyur

UMPP Village Cheyyur, District Kancheepuram.

Fresh bid would be issued after finalization of SBDs.

5 2nd UMPP in Tamil Nadu

Site Not finalized CEA vide letter dated 22.01.2015 requested TANGENDCO to identify an alternative site for setting up of 2nd UMPP in Tamil Nadu.

Jharkhand 6 Deoghar (2nd

Jharkhand) UMPP

Husainabad, Deoghar Distt

Operating SPV namely Deoghar Mega Power Ltd and Infrastructure SPV namely Deoghar Infra Limited were incorporated on 26.4.2012 and 30.06.2015 respectively. Ministry of Power (MoP) has requested Ministry of Coal (MoC) on 24.02.2016 to identify an alternative suitable coal block, having Geological Report (GR) available.

Gujarat 7 2nd UMPP in

Gujarat --- On 12.01.2016 a team of CEA & PFCCL

officials visited the site in Gir Somnath District identified by Govt of Gujarat to explore the possibilities for setting up of UMPP. A meeting was also held on 03.11.2016 for finalization of the site. MoP, vide letter dated 06.10.2016, requested Govt. of Gujarat to comment upon whether Govt. of Gujarat is interested in pursuing the UMPP further.

...........2.

- 2 -

Karnataka 8 Karnataka Govt. of Karnataka has

identified a suitable site in Niddodi village of Mangalore taluka Dakshina Kannada District.

Site visit report sent by CEA to Govt. of Karnataka for Niddodi village of Mangalore taluka Dakshina Kannada District highlighting issues with respect to the site and requested for quick resolution of the issues. MoP, vide letter dated 22.09.2016, sought decision of Govt. of Karnataka whether they are willing to set up UMPP or not. Their response is still awaited.

Maharashtra 9 Maharashtra ---- Project has been closed as of now due to

resistance by local people. Formal confirmation has been sought from Govt. of Maharashtra vide MoP communication dated 22.09.2016, 15.11.2016 and 04.01.2017. Their response is still awaited.

Bihar 10 Bihar Kakwara in Banka Distt. Infrastructure SPV, namely, Bihar Infrapower

Limited and Operating SPV namely Bihar Mega Power Limited were incorporated on 30.06.2015 and 09.07.2015 respectively. MoC has tentatively recommended Pirpainti/ Barahat coal blocks.

Uttar Pradesh11 UMPP in

Uttar Pradesh Etah In the meeting held on 21.7.2015, under the

Chairmanship of Secretary (Power), Govt. of India, Principal Secretary (Energy), Govt. of U.P informed that a site has been identified for UMPP at Etah, Uttar Pradesh.

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ANSWERED ON10.04.2017

IMPLEMENTATION OF DDUGJY AND UDAY 4250. DR. KANWAR DEEP SINGH:

SHRI DERÉK O’BRIEN: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) the number of villages that have been electrified under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY); (b) the number of households that have been electrified, thereunder; (c) the number of States that have adopted the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) to help discoms to become profitable; (d) the status of implementation of UDAY in the various States; (e) how many States and discom have failed to undertake obligations under this scheme; and (f) the details of the action taken against them?

A N S W E R


(a) & (b) : Under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) including its Rural Electrification component, 14,528 un-electrified census villages have been electrified and free electricity service connections to 44.40 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) households have been released during 2014-15 to 2016-17.

(c) : Twenty-six (26) States and One (1) UT have joined Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) so far.

(d) : The scheme is under implementation phase in participating States. States have issued Bonds worth Rs.208641.29 crore. In addition to this, DISCOM bonds worth Rs.23859 crore has also been issued. States/DISCOMs have shown positive trends in operational parameters like reduction in Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) loss and narrowing of Average Cost of Supply – Average Revenue Realized (ACS-ARR) Gap. (e) & (f) : In view of above, question does not arise.

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SAFEGUARDING ECOLOGICAL INTERESTS BY POWER PLANTS 4251. SHRI K. R. ARJUNAN: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the existing power plants in the country are not adhering to the norms meant to safeguard ecological interest; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether it is also fact that the report covered 216 projects which were granted clearances between January, 2011 and July, 2015; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) to (d) : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in its Report No.39 of

2016 Tabled on 10th March, 2017 has sampled 216 projects across different sectors which

had been granted Environmental Clearance (EC) between calendar years 2011 to July, 2015,

to examine the process of grant of Terms of Reference (ToR) and Environmental Clearance

(EC) at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). This

examination included 48 projects of Power Sector – 7 River Valley and Hydro Electric

Projects (RV&HEPs) and 41 Thermal Power Projects. CAG Report indicates that 7 RV &

HEPs and 9 Thermal Power Projects reveal different levels of non-compliance to EC norms.

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LAUNCHING OF UJALA SCHEME IN JHARKHAND 4252. DR. PRADEEP KUMAR BALMUCHU: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government has recently launched the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs For All (UJALA) scheme in Jharkhand; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) what are the targets fixed by Government for the ensuing financial year?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL ) (a) & (b) : Yes, Sir. “Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All” (UJALA) scheme

has been launched in Jharkhand, on 15th November 2015, by Energy Efficiency

Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture company of Public Sector Undertakings

(PSUs) of Ministry of Power. As on 31.03.2017, over 87.94 lakh LED bulbs have

been distributed by EESL under the scheme in Jharkhand.

(c) : EESL has proposed a target for distribution of 20 Lakhs LED bulbs in

Jharkhand during financial year 2017-18.

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POWER PROJECTS IN KARNATAKA 4253. SHRI BASAWARAJ PATIL: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) the details and capacity of power projects under the Central Government in Karnataka; and (b) the details of ongoing projects and those which are yet to start along with their potential and cost of production and by when they will be completed?

A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER, COAL, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES ( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL )

(a) : The details and capacity of power projects under the Central Government in

Karnataka are given at Annex .

(b) : In the central sector Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project (STPP) Phase I

(Unit 3) is under construction in Karnataka, with an approved cost ( for all three units

3x800 MWs) of Rs.15,166.19 crore. The anticipated date of commissioning of Unit 3

is 1.08.2017.

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ANNEX

ANNEX REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4253 ANSWERED IN THE RAJYA SABHA ON 10.04.2017.

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Existing Power projects under Central Government in Karnataka

State Sector Project Name Prime Mover Unit

Total Capacity

Date of commissioning

Karnataka Central Sector

KAIGA A.P.S. Nuclear 1 220 26/9/2000KAIGA A.P.S. Nuclear 2 220 2/12/1999KAIGA A.P.S. Nuclear 3 220 11/4/2007KAIGA A.P.S. Nuclear 4 220 20/1/2011KUDGI STPP Steam 1 800 25/12/2016KUDGI STPP Steam 2 800 23/03/2017

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