News of the Week
In two separate notices, the Power Ministry has directed imported coal-based units to run till Jun'24 and all power-generating units to import coal till Mar'24. This announcement is oddly timed. Power demand typically peaks in the summer, not winter.
The government’s order mentions an inadequate supply of domestic coal as a reason. And yet, we have had Coal India posting record production. As recently as June, India’s coal stock position was comfortable.
The final rationale, about lower hydel generation than usual – partly due to the washing away of dams like Teesta III in Sikkim – sounds more valid.
Hydel troubles continue
After Teesta III, it’s the turn of the ill-fated Subansiri – and the people downstream -- to suffer nature’s wrath. A landslide blocked its last remaining diversion tunnel, resulting in the river drying up downstream. "People are walking on the river and catching fish on the dry river bed. This has brought immense dangers to the aquatic life of the river," it was reported. Word is awaited on how the 50 dolphins in this stretch are faring. Water began to flow only when waters reached the spillway.
Between respite and a short-sight
India is pivoting to air conditioners. “Air conditioner ownership in India has increased threefold since 2010 to 24 units per 100 households due to rising heat,” reported Hindustan Times. “(Their) ownership was estimated to expand ninefold by 2050, outpacing the growth in that of household appliances including televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines.”
Delhi hosts the Intl' Solar Alliance assembly
Weeks after the spectacle of the G20 Leaders' Summit, international delegations once again found their way to Delhi -- this time for the assembly of the International Solar Alliance. Initiated in 2015 by India and France, the alliance seeks to facilitate the development of solar energy in countries of the tropical belt. Apart from building cooperation in the Global South, the agenda this year was heavy on mobilising finance. The ISA, for its part, has decided to increase viability gap funding for solar projects in member countries to 35% of the project cost from the current 10%.
In other news
The number of farm fires in Punjab is starting to surge again. In tandem, air quality in north India is starting to plummet – and the Ministry of Earth Sciences has restricted access to SAFAR’s air quality data.
The Indian government this week notified an 8.2% increase in the windfall tax collected on crude oil, bringing it to Rs. 9,800 ($117.70) per ton. Meanwhile, the tax on diesel was halved to Rs.2/litre and the Re1/litre tax on aviation fuel was removed entirely.
Muck about the Adani group kept finding its way out. After the FT investigation into the group’s persistent over-billing of imported coal, the triumvirate of Abir Dasgupta, Ravi Nair and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta published another crackling expose – showing how the group had misrepresented Howe as an unrelated third party. This is tantamount to investor fraud – and explains why Deloitte resigned as one of the group’s auditors.
RIP, Saleemul Huq.
The obits are starting to come. Here is Down To Earth, and here is Dhaka Tribune.
Climate Long Reads of the Week
1. Why Maui Burned: Lahaina’s wildfire was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. Now the community is grappling with the botched response as it tries to rebuild. (New Yorker)
2. Will Bangladesh come to regret its dash for gas? (FT)
3. Last week, the news did the rounds that the sea off Gaza has Gas reserves. Everybody Wants Gaza's Gas (Planet Critical).
4. The struggles of the offshore wind industry (FT)
5. Mine in ‘World Cobalt Capital’ Displaces Locals and Monks Under Questionable Circumstances (Pulitzer Center)
6. Who is responsible for Sikkim’s glacial lake outburst flood? (Frontline)
7. Japan prays for a solid-state battery miracle (FT)
8. A green transition, but not without the coal-rich states (Indian Express)
9. India needs customised climate projections rather than IPCC reports: study (Mongabay)
10. Fewer discussions, faster clearances: How India’s wildlife board changed after 2014 (Scroll)
11. The Return of The Rice Crisis (FT)