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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Automakers accelerate flex fuel vehicle development ahead of new CAFE rules announcement
KOLKATA: Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) have all stepped on the flexi fuel accelerator following the minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari's recent remark that new Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) rules would balance both electric and flex fuel engines. This means the new CAFE 3 framework, due in April 2027, will give flex fuel vehicles that run on petrol-ethanol blends the same regulatory benefits as EVs. Flex fuel refers to petrol mixed with ethanol anywhere between 20% to 100% that is derived from the fermentation of sugars and starches found in plants. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Gadkari's recent remarks follow a meeting he held last year with representatives of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in which he asked automakers to look into ways of making these flex fuel vehicles more acceptable to the public, citing Brazil's successful integration of flex fuels and biofuels in its transportation. During the Bharat Mobility Show 2025, automakers displayed flex cars — Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Toyota Hycross, Hyundai Creta, Tata Punch, and Mahindra XUV 3XO — that can run on up to 85-100% ethanol. While ethanol is less expensive than petrol, there is a downside to the fuel: it delivers less efficiency or mileage by 30% than pure petrol. Toyota plans to overcome this disadvantage by electrifying the flex fuel vehicle using strong hybrid technology. "Strong hybrid cars with petrol engines are usually 40% to 50% more fuel efficient than petrol-only vehicles. So the loss in efficiency from E100 will be more than compensated by the improved efficiency of a strong hybrid with less carbon footprints," said TKM Senior VP & director (technical & purchase) Sudeep S Dalvi, who expects the rollout of flex fuel vehicles to be aligned to government policies and regulations. Maruti Suzuki has in its 2030 product plan said 25% of its vehicles will be compatible with ethanol-blended fuel E20 while another 25% will be hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). At present, it has two HEV products in its portfolio: the Grand Vitara and Invicto, which use Toyota's Strong Hybrid Technology.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Is Achieving 100 GW Capacity In Nuclear Power By 2047 Feasible?
Last Updated: Nuclear energy can partly reduce India's thermal dependence, but despite gains from the Nuclear Mission, achieving 100 GW by 2047 remains a tough challenge. India's reliance on thermal power to meet its growing electricity demand has been significant and somewhat risky. This imbalance became noticeable by the late 1980s. The VG Rajadhyaksha Committee on Power (1980) highlighted how the hydel contribution had dropped from 49 percent to 46 percent over the previous three decades, while thermal power (including coal) had increased from 47 percent to 51 percent. Nuclear energy contribution was noted at three percent. The installed capacities for thermal (14,887 MW), hydro (10,883 MW), and nuclear (640 MW) power in 1978-79 represented 55.7 percent, 40.6 percent, and 2.3 percent respectively. During this period, no electricity was generated from renewable sources like wind, solar, or bio-gas, maintaining a semblance of balance. A significant change occurred in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s, thermal power constituted 69 percent of total installed capacity and contributed around 72 percent of total power generation. As of March 31, 2024, the installed capacity for thermal power had risen to 2,43,217 MW or 55 percent of power from all sources. The share of hydro power in installed capacity had dropped to 10.62 percent, amounting to 46,928 MW. In terms of actual generation figures, thermal power contributed 1206.2 billion units (BU), or 74 percent, whereas hydro power contributed only 10 percent at 162 billion units. The share of nuclear power in total installed capacity was 1.85 percent at 8180 MW, but in terms of generation, it contributed 2.8 percent, amounting to 45.861 billion units. Thermal sources (coal, gas, lignite, and diesel) thus performed significantly above their weight. Despite the rise of renewable energy sources (wind, solar, and bio-gas), which constituted 32 percent of installed capacity, they only contributed 12.5 percent of generated power during FY 2023-24. Their output is unstable, fluctuating based on wind-flow and sunshine conditions. Saurav Jha (2010) explains in 'The Upside Down Book of Nuclear Power" that popular renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, are intermittent. Wind power is only available when the wind blows, and solar power requires bright sunshine at a specific angle. These sources are unsuitable for baseload power. Integrating power from renewable sources into a synchronous grid poses a major challenge. India's growing power demand necessitates augmenting thermal power capacity. The government targets an installed capacity of 283 GW in coal and lignite by FY 2031-32. Measures to reduce carbon emissions, such as promoting Electric Vehicles (EVs) and LED bulbs, cannot meet emission targets with disproportionate reliance on thermal sources. Indian coal, with high fly ash content, is not clean energy, and renewable sources are unreliable for baseload demands. Nuclear energy, cultivated by India since independence, offers an alternative for clean and stable energy at competitive rates. The Union Budget 2025-26 targets 100 GW of installed nuclear power capacity by 2047, consistent with Viksit Bharat's goals of ensuring energy reliability and reducing fossil fuel dependence. Achieving this goal is uncertain. The existing installed nuclear power capacity is 8180 MW, below the 10,000 MW target set for 2000 AD when the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) was established in 1987. Dr HN Sethna, the Atomic Energy Commission Chairman in 1981, admitted that the 10,000 MW target was ambitious for two decades. Suresh Kalmadi criticised the government during a Rajya Sabha debate on August 6, 1984, for 'setting the clock back" on India's nuclear capability and energy program with the Pokhran nuclear test on May 18, 1974. He alleged that the test ignored India's peaceful nuclear roadmap, resulting in international sanctions on technology and raw material, stunting nuclear power progress. He noted that where 10 per cent of global power came from atomic energy, India generated only 2.5 per cent from nuclear power. Kalmadi suggested opening India's civil nuclear programme to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for technology and raw material supply assurance. Though controversial, the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement (2008) achieved this, ending a three-decade technology denial to India and ensuring access to nuclear fuel and technology while placing facilities under IAEA safeguards. Despite controversy, this agreement boosted India's civil nuclear programme. The international embargo stunted nuclear power capacity between 1974 and 2008, as admitted by Dr. Jitendra Singh, MoS, Department of Atomic Energy, in response to Vivek K Tankha's question in Rajya Sabha on December 28, 2017. The MoS estimated scaling up installed capacity to 22,480 MW by 2031. The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines a Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat, targeting 100 GW of installed nuclear power capacity by 2047, involving private sector partnership. Amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 are needed. The mission includes research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), with Rs 20,000 crore allocated. The government aims to operationalize five indigenously developed SMRs by 2033. According to the IAEA, SMRs are advanced reactors with up to 300 MW per unit capacity. Five SMRs might add 1500 MW by 2033, assuming the minimum number envisaged. NPCIL operates 23 nuclear reactors, 13 of which began commercial operations this century, yet the installed capacity remains below the 2000 AD target. Nuclear energy's advantage lies in its dependability for 24×7 power generation. For example, during FY 2023-24, four reactors—Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) Unit-6, Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) Unit-2, Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) Unit-1, and Kakrapur Atomic Station (KAPS) Unit—ran non-stop for over a year before manual shutdown for inspection and maintenance. The government relies on 10 nuclear reactors under construction in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh, as stated by Dr. Jitendra Singh in a February 5 interview. Plans for 10 more reactors are in progress, including a major 6×1208 MW plant in collaboration with the USA at Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh. However, reaching 22,480 MW from the current 8180 MW within six years requires over 2000 MW annual addition, escalating to 4875 MW per year to reach 100 GW by 2047. Setting up nuclear reactors is capital-intensive, technology-intensive, and time-consuming, making the target appear unrealistic. Nevertheless, with the international embargo issue resolved, India can hope to benefit from the Nuclear Energy Mission and reach some milestone. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. tags : nuclear energy view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 23, 2025, 15:39 IST News opinion Opinion | Is Achieving 100 GW Capacity In Nuclear Power By 2047 Feasible? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. 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News18
2 days ago
- News18
Setback For Gensol: NCLT Admits IREDA Insolvency Plea Over Rs 510 Cr Default
Last Updated: The NCLT Ahmedabad admitted IREDA's plea for insolvency against Gensol Engineering Ltd over Rs 510.10 crore loan default. SEBI barred Gensol's promoters for fund misuse. In a setback for Gensol Engineering Limited, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Ahmedabad Bench has admitted a plea by Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA) to initiate insolvency proceedings under Section 7 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. IREDA, a public sector NBFC under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, alleged that Gensol defaulted on loan repayments worth Rs 510.10 crore across five sanctioned financial facilities, including electric vehicle leasing and solar power projects. The loans were disbursed between March 2022 and May 2024. According to the shared court order copy, the tribunal said that Gensol had failed to maintain financial discipline, citing defaults on 31 March, 19 April, and 12 May 2025. IREDA in the filing said that it filed an application on May 14 under Section 7 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy code, 2016 against Gensol Engineering Limited for a defaulted amount of Rs 510,00,52,672. IREDA admitted supporting evidence including ledger extracts, bank statements, and filings with NeSL (National E-Governance Services Ltd), as well as invoking personal guarantees of the company's promoters. The tribunal also directed IREDA to deposit Rs 20 lakh towards CIRP costs and instructed all concerned authorities, including the Registrar of Companies and IBBI, to be notified of the order. Gensol Engineering shares hit the 5% lower circuit to halt trading at Rs 48.72 apiece today, July 23. Gensol Fund Saga Sebi had barred the Gensol Engineering's promoters, Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi, from the securities market due to allegations of misusing public company funds for personal gain. The promoters are accused of siphoning off loan funds meant for the company, misleading investors, lenders, and regulators. The interim order not only restricts them from accessing capital markets but also prevents them from holding key positions in any listed company for the time being. It is the alleged misuse of nearly Rs 262 crore from the Rs 978 crore loaned to Gensol by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC). The funds were intended for acquiring 6,400 EVs for leasing to BluSmart, but only 4,704 vehicles were purchased. Sebi's findings suggest that a portion of the funds was redirected to personal luxuries, such as high-end real estate, foreign travel, golf equipment, and other personal expenses. Since the unfolding of the Gensol Fund saga, shares of the company plummeted up to 93 per cent. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
