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Carbon dioxide emissions show record jump

Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have increased by half in the last 20 years, giving the world much less chance of avoiding dangerous climate change, according to new data.

The research was published as lead negotiators were arriving at the UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa, where prospects of a new global treaty on climate change appeared to have stalled, with deep divisions between developed and developing countries.

Last year, emissions from burning fossil fuels rose by 5.9%, bringing the total rise since 1990, the baseline year for calculating emissions under the Kyoto protocol, to 49%, an average rate of increase of about 3.1% a year.

Source - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/05/carbon-dioxide-emissions-biggest-jump

Coal crunch may trip power plants including those of NTPC

NEW DELHI | AHMEDABAD: Power plants in India are rapidly running out of coal and some have already stopped generation, plunging vast parts of the country into darkness and interrupting industrial output in many regions.

The dark spell is expected to continue for 4-5 days. With floods, strikes and the Telangana agitation crippling mining operations, half of India's 85,000 mw of thermal power capacity is running on 'super critical' fuel stocks, or enough coal to produce electricity for less than four days. Another 12% of the capacity is operating on coal stocks that will last for less than a week.

The plants are supposed to stack up fuel for an average of 25 days. Top producer NTPC has been forced to shut down 5,000 mw of capacity because of coal shortage and technical issues. Worsening the shortage is planned maintenance of plants operating on other fuels and low water level in rivers that has hurt hydroelectricity production in some states.

The only winners are merchant power plants, which had seen power rates drop to below Rs 2 per unit before the crisis. Since these plants do not have long-term power sale agreements with utilities, they are free to charge market rates, which have soared to Rs 8.

They are selling electricity at Rs 8-11 per unit, four times the price a month ago. The coal ministry is trying to step up supplies to meet the shortfall in several states, including West Bengal, Maharashtra, UP, J&K, Haryana and Punjab.

The worst affected are the southern states, where power stations have enough coal for barely three days, forcing utilities to resort to load shedding in Hyderabad for up to four hours a day. In other parts of Andhra, which is bearing the brunt of the Telangana agitation, the state government has stopped supply of subsidised power for three days in a week, crippling industries in the region.

"In the past month, the industries in the state have incurred a loss of Rs 5,000 crore and if this continues, we will have to shut manufacturing plants here," said VS Raju, president of the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry.

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