Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said there is an urgent need to fast-track highway projects besides expeditious resolution of problems such as land acquisition and green clearance. The Road Transport and Highways Minister, who reviewed the projects by NHAI, said, “While a record 16,271 km of National Highways have been awarded and 8,231 km constructed during the year 2016-17, work needs to be done at a much faster pace to award more projects and construct those that have been awarded.” The Minister emphasised on fast-tracking the award and construction of National Highway projects, as per an official statement by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Publication: Money Control

To give a boost to its ambitious Bharatmala plan, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will bring all future road projects such as economic corridors and coastal roads under its aegis. The total investment for this flagship programme is estimated at Rs10 trillion—the largest ever outlay for a government road construction scheme. According to government officials working out the details of the scheme, the total road length to be developed as expressways under Bharatmala will be around 51,000km. In the first phase 29,000km will be developed with an outlay of Rs5.5 trillion.

Publication: Live Mint

India’s clean energy project developers are in talks to merge their portfolios as part of a strategy to achieve scale for selling the assets to overseas investors scouting for large investment opportunities in the country. A case in point is Ravi Jhunjhunwala’s LNJ Bhilwara Group, which is in talks with rivals to merge its wind energy portfolio. Another company following this strategy is Continuum Wind Energy Pte Ltd. Mint reported on 20 February about LNJ Bhilwara Group putting up its wind energy portfolio for sale and hiring Yes Bank Ltd to manage the sale.

Publication: Live Mint

Leaf, claimed to be the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle by manufacturer Nissan, is likely to set foot in India. According to a Mint report today, the company is assessing the market for electric cars in the country and is in discussion with government bodies and private sector firms in this regard. Pilot run for the Leaf, which has sold nearly 250,000 units globally so far, is scheduled for later this year in India. This run will help the Japanese auto maker in testing the car on Indian roads. Nissan is likely to initially seek incentives to provide the product at competitive prices and bolster demand. Once sales improve, the company may explore assembling the car or sourcing parts locally.

Publication: Money Control

Quite unexpectedly, India finds itself at the cusp of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that could have a profound influence on how we live. Under assault from dangerously high levels of pollution, our roads need a vehicular revolution on par with the one in the early 1990s that changed the way we communicate. With the advances in electric vehicle (EV) technology reaching a tipping point, there is a chance for India to leapfrog into an age of clean and efficient mobility.

Publication: Live Mint

India could be among the top 10 global markets for Audi within the next decade and we are also looking to double sales in the country in a faster time frame than earlier (plan of 10 years). Audi will also focus on alternative fuel technology, including electric vehicles, as it looks to bring environmentally sustainable mobility solutions to India.

Publication: ET Auto

Non-fossil fuels — renewables, nuclear and large hydroelectric power plants — will account for more than half (56.5%) of India’s installed power capacity within the 10 years to 2027, according to a draft of the third National Electricity Plan (NEP3) released in December 2016. The draft notes that if India achieves its target to install 175 gigawatts (GW, which consists of 1,000 megawatts) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 — as it has committed to under the 2015 Paris Agreement — it will not need to install, at least until 2027, any more coal-fired capacity than the 50 GW currently under construction.

Publication: The Hindustan Times

In India, Gas to Power (G2P) still remains the priority for the Government and energy companies. On the other hand, the developed countries across the world are working on commercialization of Power to Gas (P2G), a new solution to address storage issues involved with electricity. Moreover, long term storage of renewable power with greater efficiency remains one of the biggest challenges across the globe. Some of the most technologically advanced countries are even struggling to find a real solution to the limiting factor of storing renewable power. Rapid growth in solar and wind power generation demands sustainable solutions for energy storage, which address fluctuations and peak demand.

Publication: ET Energy World 

India achieved a record low solar tariff of Rs 3.29 (US¢ 5.1)/kWh in the Rewa tender in February. That record was surpassed last week in an auction conducted by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for a 250 MW project in Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh, where Engie’s Solairedirect submitted the winning bid of INR 3.15 (US¢ 4.9)/kWh. The project will be built in a solar park, developed by the state government. Ostro, Canadian Solar, Greenko, Azure Power, Adani and Mahindra were some of the unsuccessful bidders.

Publication: Money Control

Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies have given rise to new technologies like connected car telematics. Telematics is a field that encompasses telecommunications, vehicular technologies, road transportation, road safety, electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedia, Internet, etc.). Internet of Things (IoT) eco-system in the cargo and logistics industry now acts as a fleet operator, where it talks to the Lorries or trucks and in return we get feedback from these Lorries and trucks. They check in to tell us where they are, how fast they’re going, whether they’re low on fuel, need air in the tires, or are just passing through particularly cold or hot weather.

Publication: ET Telecom