Staff Reporter

Japan plans to set up a new atomic safety regulator under the Environment Ministry by merging the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency with another government advisory body.

Delays at the turbine generator box up works at the unit-2 of Bellary stage 2 thermal power project will likely push back the full load achievement by another 4 months.

Karnataka Power Corporation Limited has requested for domestic gas allocation for its 2x700 MW gas based power plant near Bangalore and 3x700 MW GBPP in the Tadadi coastal area.

Vietnam persists in supporting efforts against proliferation of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction towards full disarmament, said Ambassador Le Hoai Trung. Ambassador Trung, Head of the Delegation of Permanent Representatives of Vietnam to the UN, was speaking at the July 27-28 UN General Assembly plenary meeting on revitalising the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in New York. As an active member of the UN, Vietnam has participated in and seriously fulfilled its obligations to significant international treaties on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the ambassador said. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam is closely cooperating with ASEAN countries and other partners in implementing Treaty on Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, contributing to maintaining regional peace and security. The diplomat praised CD’s previous contributions and recognised recent progress in disarmament, naming the effectiveness of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between Russia and the US in February this year and the success of the conference reviewing the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapon in May 2010. Ambassador Trung called on CD members to early approve a working programme and set up a negotiating mechanism for four major pillars of the agenda: nuclear disarmament, ensuring nuclear security for nations without nuclear weapons, cutting down the production of nuclear fission substance and preventing an arm race in the universe with priority giving to nuclear disarmament. The strengthening of peace and international security will create an essential environment for disarmament to progress, Trung said.

Vietnam's electricity sector will increase the capacity of power supply in the north, central and southern regions to meet domestic consumer demands.

Works on the associated transmission system of NHPC's 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo hydro-electric project are likely to slip into the 12th plan period.

A natural gas-fired thermal plant will be built in Tokyo by the city government.   Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said that the local government will get the help of private funding including foreign investment, as the capital faces uncertainty over future power supply. Construction of the plant is estimated to cost around JPY50 billion or $640 million and will be built and operated by a private sector on a site offered by the local government. The power generated from the plant will be equal to one nuclear plant.

Lanco Infratech will invest over Rs 13,000 crore in setting up a 2,000-Mw power plant and developing a coal block at Raigarh in Chhattishgarh.

Indian nuclear plants will be able to withstand “extreme natural events” like tsunamis, cyclones, floods and dam breaks, according to a nuclear safety review.

J-Power has closed two thermal power plants due to a steam leak and a problem with a transformer.

The 600 MW unit-1 of the Anpara 'C' thermal power plant has been shut down to inspect the normal linkages.

The No.8 mine of Sikeshu Coal Company was awarded the 2010 National Standard Coal Mine for Safety & Quality by the by State Administration of Work Safety and State Administration of Coal Mine Safety.

The tower erection work of the associated transmission system (ATS) for unit-I and II of the Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP), which has seen incessant delays up till now, is now considerably much behind schedule, as per a report by the power ministry. As of June 2011, no more than 510 towers have been erected out of a total of 856 locations for the 400 kV D/C Mundra - Limbdi (Triple Snowbird) line, with 417 CKM of transmission lines yet to be laid out. Further, right of way (RoW) issues and forestry clearance are critical for laying out the remaining 108 CKM of the 764 CKM long Mundra-Bachau-Ranchodpura line. Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO), the agency implementing the ATS for the project, needs to expedite balance pile works and work in the creek area for contingency plan of the ATS while Powergrid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has completed the connection of the Bachchau- Ranchodpura line with Limdi till Ranchodpura section. Pertinently, work is in progress for Bachchau bay extension and Limbdi bays extension. Also, progress is being made on the second transformer at Ranchodpura substation of 2 X 315 MVA. Mundra UMPP, with 2 units of 800 MW capacity each, is a Tata power project located in Gujarat. The project entails an investment of Rs 17,000 crore and is being funded through a debt-equity ratio of 75:25. The executing agencies for ATS are GETCO and PGCIL.

The total electricity production of various cascade hydropower stations in the Yellow River Basin exceeded 20TWh this year.

The first 640MW ultra-super critical unit of CPI Guixi Power Plant passed the 168-hour full-load test running.

The 72MW CPI Dongping Hydropower Project in Hunan Province successfully received the issuance of emission reductions on 28 July 2011.