Staff Reporter

India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board will a delegation from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission led by its chairman Gregory B Jaczko from November 14 to 18.

India's NTPC plans to take its capacity to over 128,000 Mw by 2032.

First Solar would delay $300 million factory in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City.

The United States will push China to take "concrete and measurable" steps to boost U.S. exports. The annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, or JCCT, meeting on Nov. 20-21 "is an important opportunity to address and resolve key trade concerns with China," U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson said in a statement. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel with Bryson to Chengdu for the talks just a week after President Barack Obama hosts Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Asia-Pacific leaders in Honolulu for an annual summit meeting. Obama is expected to press Hu on China's currency practices, which many U.S. lawmakers believe give Chinese companies an unfair trade advantage and has become an issue in next year's presidential election. "Through this year's JCCT, we are pressing China for concrete and measurable results on a number of significant issues including China's policies on intellectual property rights, investment and innovation, as well as a range of sector-specific industrial policies," Kirk said. Last month, the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate passed a bill to crack down on the practice, but the Republican-run House of Representatives has refused to take up the measure on the grounds it could start a trade war. House Democrats waged another effort on Thursday to force action on the bill, but were turned back. "We will continue to press for action on this measure until the House is allowed to work its will," Representative Sander Levin, a senior Democrat, said after the effort failed. At the 2010 JCCT, China promised action on a long list of U.S. concerns, including the development of "smart grid" standards that threaten to prevent U.S. sales. Administration officials said they believed the JCCT dialogue had opened up significant commercial opportunities in areas such as smart grid electric power transmission systems.

The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission has dismissed Hindalco Industries plea that grid connected that grid-connected coal based cogeneration be considered for fulfillment of the Renewable Purchase Obligation.

Struggling to regain its grip on the critical activities of its 600 MW unit of the Mundra thermal power plant (TPP), Adani Power Limited (APL) has made a contingency arrangement for structural erection works associated with the coal handling plant, hoping that the process is completed before the revised estimate of December 2011. With the grim reality of unstable progress weighing down on APL, it has now resorted to expediting the civil and structural fabrication works. Further, it has also started maintaining the ash handling plant, which has been reported as ‘critical’ recently. In all likelihood, the works of the plant, along with the commencement of full load operations, will now be completed by the end of January 2012. In addition to this, the feasibility of unit commissioning is also dependent upon the boiler light up (BLU) and turbine generator (TG) box up works, both of which have now been pushed ahead by a period of six months. The oil synchronization process is now scheduled to be completed by mid December this year. APL has been struggling with the coal firing process, with this crucial activity now anticipated to be completed by end of December 2011.  

Japan has approved a plan to provide 900 billion yen or $11.5 billion in public funds to Tepco.Japan's nuclear minister, Goshi Hosono, says the aid is meant to be a preliminary installment to help the cash-strapped Tokyo Electric Power Co. to cover the massive cost of ongoing decontamination and future dismantling of its reactors damaged in the ongoing nuclear crisis.The money comes from the fund made up of all Japanese nuclear plant operators and the government.

Power Plants being built from now on need to be Carbon Capture ready. The price for electricity produced for fossil fuel power plants equipped with CCS plants will becomparable to nuclear, geothermal, on-shore wind and hydro sources by 2015, saysPhilippe Paelinck, Alstom's Director of CO2 Business Development.

The region needs proven technologies that are already adopted by major industries.

Biorenewables will greatly impact several billion dollar markets and revenues can grow to as much as EUR 450b by 2020.

Smart meters for among 80% households to be delivered come 2015 instead of 2020.

ADB will provide approximately $465 million to support the construction of a 440-megawatt hydropower plant that will supply power to Thailand.

A*STAR unveiled its S$38 million  Experimental Power Grid Centre in Jurong Island.

Electricity of Vietnam invested up to 2.644 trillion dong in October.

The Japan government already sent several missions to China, Malaysia and Vietnam for smart community development and guess where the next stop is?