Indian Railways is likely to double the existing 135-kilometre long Banihal-Baramulla railway track in Jammu and Kashmir for faster movement of trains to and from the valley.
This comes in the backdrop of the Ministry of Railways inviting tenders to start final location survey (FLS) for double-laning of Baramulla-Qazigund section.
Currently, there is a single track line from Baramulla to Qazigund and the project, if approved, will double the capacity of the railways.
“Tenders have been issued for the engineering survey of the Railway line/roadway using modern survey techniques such as Aerial Survey (Aerial Photogrammetric survey or Aerial LiDAR) and DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System),” Saqib Yousuf, Chief Area Manager (CAM) Kashmir Railways said.
The CAM said that after the proposed survey, the capacity of the trains and the number of the trains will increase tremendously.
“The capacity of the trains will be doubled,” he said, and added that the work is expected to start soon.
What Is This Project
The Baramulla-Banihal track is part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. It aims to connect Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country by a broad-gauge railway line.
The four sections of the USBRL rail project, which is being built at a cost of Rs 27,949 crore are Udhampur-Katra, Katra-Banihal, Banihal-Qazigund, and Qazigund-Baramulla.
Alignment Plan- USBRL Project
Construction of the first three phases of the railway project has been completed and the line is operational between Banihal and Baramulla in Kashmir Valley and Jammu-Udhampur-Katra in Jammu region.
The 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla section was commissioned in three phases between October 2008 and October 2009.
The section from Banihal to Quazigund involving Pir Panjal Tunnel, the longest transportation tunnel in India of total 11.215 km length was opened to the public in June 2013.
Similarly, the 25-km Udhampur-Katra section which is 25 km long was opened to the traffic in July 2014.
Work on the intervening 111 kms of Katra-Banihal section is going on and this section is the most challenging portion for construction due to its geology and extensive riverine system with deep gorges.
With 87 per cent of the total length (97 km out of 111 km) in tunnels, this section presents an engineering challenge in the highly rugged and mountainous terrain with one of the most difficult and complex Himalayan geology.
The Katra-Banihal line is expected to be operationalised by January 2024.
A total of 10 firms have evinced interest for the proposed Versova-Virar Sea Link project (VVSLP)’s detailed geotechnical investigation work after Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) opened technical bids last week.
To facilitate the start of civil construction works, MMRDA in April 2023 had invited tenders for geotechnical investigation through six packages as reported by the MetroRailGuy.
As part of the survey, boreholes will be drilled at six different location — Versova, Charkop, Uttan, Vasai, Virar and Arnala.
Proposed location for Geotechnical Investigation
Geotechnical investigations are performed to obtain data about the subsurface soil and rock conditions of the proposed development site.
Project
The Versova-Virar sea link — a 43-km elevated road — will connect Versova, a western suburb of Mumbai, to the fast-growing, dense residential hub of Virar – Mumbai’s satellite town in the city’s larger urban agglomeration of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The project involves not only the construction of a 43 km road over the sea about 1 km off the coast of Mumbai, but also the construction of approximately 60 km of suburban roads, including connector roads and junctions (earthwork and elevated) in addition to the main road, which comes 101 km in total.
Proposed Versova-Virar Sea Link Project Map (MSRDC)
The Versova-Virar sea link was earlier to be built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). However, the project was transferred to the MMRDA in October last year.
Connecting to Other Sea links
The Versova-Virar sea link will be an extension to the Versova Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) Project in the north, which is being built by the MSRDC.
The 17-km Versova-Bandra sea link comprises construction of a sea link bridge along the West coast of Mumbai from Bandra (on South side) at Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) to Versova at Nana Nani Park (on North side).
Once built, the sea bridge connecting Versova to Virar would form a “Garland expressway” (a ring road) to the Mumbai and the suburbs.
The Garland expressway would be formed by Eastern expressway, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Western Freeway Link, Bandra Worli Sea Link, Versova Bandra Sea Link and Versova-Virar sea link.
Sea Link Project Corridor
Costliest Sea Link
The Versova-Virar sea link has an estimated budget of Rs 63,426 crore and thus would be the city’s costliest sea link, with the estimated budget for the project having more than doubled in the five years since it was first conceived.
The project first conceptualised in 2018 was estimated to cost about Rs 30,000 crore. The revision in the cost is apparently on account of new additions of certain elements, such as some interchanges and tunnels.
Till now, the under-construction Sewri-Nhava Sheva Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) was touted to be Mumbai’s costliest sea link project which entails an amount of Rs 17,843 crore.
Compared to this, the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) — city’s first sea link- was built at a cost of Rs 1,634 crore. The BWSL connecting Worli and Bandra was opened to traffic in 2009.
Similarly, the cost for constructing Mumbai’s second sea-link, the Versova Bandra Sea Link, is set to rise to slightly over 60 per cent to Rs 11,332.81 crore by the time it is completed in 2023.
Versova-Bandra Sea Link Project (MSRDC)
The MMRDA has planned to build the Versova-Virar sea link on the same financial model as the MTHL. The MTHL is being funded by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with guarantees from the state and the central governments.
The bridge, when completed, would be the longest sea bridge in India and would cater to 70,000 vehicles daily.
The under-construction Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) crossed another milestone on 9 May after engineers completed the task of launching the last orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) on supporting piers.
The overall progress on the project is now 93 per cent, with the authorities targeting December 2023 opening.
Orthotropic Steel Decks (OSDs)
The OSD, a steel deck superstructure being used for the first time in the country, will carry the vehicular load more efficiently and improve the load carrying capacity of the bridge, as compared to a concrete superstructure.
Launching of last OSD on MTHL
OSD bridge has lesser self-weight but stronger structure than concrete or composite girder bridges, which requires fewer and smaller piers.
OSD contributes to shorter construction period and mitigation of safety-risks at the project site since it is manufactured in a factory and requires lesser on-site work. Moreover, fewer and smaller piers and shorter construction period mean less impact on environment and ecosystem.
India’s Longest Sea Bridge
Financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), MTHL Bridge is an under-construction 22-km-long six-lane marine road bridge implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
MTHL Alignment (MMRDA)
The project consists of sea crossing section of around 16.5 km and land section of remaining 5.5 km.
Mumbai Trans harbour link (MMRDA)
The link has interchanges at Sewri in Central Mumbai, Shivaji Nagar at Mumbai Bay and NH-4 B at Chirle, Navi Mumbai.
Popularly known as the Sewri Nhava Sheva Harbour Link, the sea link connects Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai, thereby, reducing the travel time between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to just 20 minutes from the present two hours.
The mega project is expected to mitigate traffic congestion in the island city and promote economic development in Navi Mumbai and greater economic integration of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and their extended regions such as Pune, Goa, Panvel and Alibaug.
At a Glance
70 number of OSDs in MTHL
84,000 tonnes: Cumulative weight of all 70 OSDs
8.8 km: Total length of OSDs used in MTHL
180-metre: Longest OSD launched on the MTHL, giving a navigation space of 180 metres to ships traversing under the bridge without obstruction
04 January 2022: Launch of first OSD for MTHL
09 May 2023: Launch of last OSD for MTHL
Four Packages
The MTHL bridge has been split into four packages — while packages 1 and 2 are sea based, package 3 is on land.
Package-4 entails work related to installation of an intelligent transport system (ITS), toll management system, electrical works, highway illumination system, and construction of toll plazas and administrative buildings including the command control centre.
Deadline
The commencement date of three civil works packages was 23 March 2018 and the progress is 92.60 per cent in Package-1, 92.28 per cent in Package-2, and 98.09 per cent in Package-3, as of 5 March 2023.
The bridge, when completed, would be the longest sea bridge in India and would cater to 70,000 vehicles daily.
Close on the heels of the discovery of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan government officials and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have informed that substantial reserves of ‘white gold’ have been identified in the Degana municipality of Nagaur district in Rajasthan.
The reserve found in Rajasthan is claimed to have significantly more lithium than the 5.9 million tonnes found in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir in February this year.
It is also being claimed that the quantity of lithium found in Rajasthan is capable of meeting 80 per cent of India’s total demand which can reduce the country’s dependency on China substantially.
India currently imports all the major components that go into the Li-ion cell manufacturing.
However, the recent GSI discovery has a long journey before it becomes commercially viable to mine lithium from the region and makes it to the production of lithium-ion batteries.
Finding Lithium
The United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) for Fossil Energy and Mineral Resources (UNFC 2009) categorises resources on the basis of three fundamental criteria of degree of economic/commercial viability (E), field project status and feasibility (F) and level of geological knowledge (G).
The level of geological knowledge about a resource consists of four stages:
G4 (Reconnaissance) stage: Quantities associated with a potential deposit, estimated primarily on indirect evidence.
G3 (Prospecting) stage: Searching for a mineral deposit by narrowing down areas of promising enhanced mineral potential and aims to identify a deposit that will be the target for further exploration.
G2 (general exploration): More studies are done to estimate the minerals’ shape, size, and grade and is aimed at deciding whether a Pre-feasibility Study and detailed exploration are warranted.
G1 stage (Detailed Exploration): It is the final stage where characteristics of the deposit are established with a high degree of accuracy.
The recent discovery in India was classified as G3, implying that they are a product of a prospecting study where the calculation confidence is low. It needs to be backed by more proof to substantiate the quantum of minerals available at such sites.
Another major concern is that the lithium find in J&K, in inferred terms, is also comparatively small. According to the US Geological Survey, the world’s largest identified lithium resources are as follows: Bolivia, 21 million tons; Argentina, 20 million tons; Chile, 11 million tons; Australia, 7.9 million tons; China, 6.8 million tons.
Mining Issues
Lithium can be extracted in different ways, depending on the type of the deposit — generally either through solar evaporation of large brine pools, or from hard-rock extraction of the ore.
The ‘inferred’ reserves of 5.9 million tonne in J&K’s Reasi are mixed with other minerals into the rocks, which means more challenges in terms of cost and technology of processing.
“India is not habituated to extracting lithium and purifying it. It is mixed with rocks and other minerals. It would require breaking the rocks and removing volatile chemicals with evaporation and magnetic impurities with magnets besides other chemicals and processing. India has never done this, and neither has the best experience, tested technology to rely on, nor established industries for this,” said Sagar Mitra, Professor, Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay.
He also added that such a complex exercise could also prove costly.
“However, Australia has similar lithium reserves like J&K reserve, where lithium is mixed with bauxite. We may need technology transfers and tie-ups with the lithium metal extraction industry outside,” he said, adding that India must expedite the whole process, keeping in mind the rising demand for batteries and EVs.
It should be noted that Chile, which has world’s largest lithium reserves is keen to extend technical expertise in exploiting the newly established resource base.
Chile-based Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), the world’s largest global lithium producer, has a venture in Australia to tap lithium in mineral form. This means the expertise of a Chilean company on lithium can be utilised for exploitation of the white alkali metal.
Environmental Concerns
The process of obtaining lithium from hard rock mines involves open-pit mining and roasting the ore using fossil fuels. Industry estimates indicate that for every tonne of lithium extracted, this process consumes 170 cubic meters of water and emits 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
As such any attempt to extract the mineral would should take care of local communities and offset the consequences of mining on local agriculture, animal husbandry, and tourism.
Ironically, the country had a long history of misplaced environmental activism, in part aided by the lack of pro-active disclosure and the governmental apathy.
The geostrategic importance of Li exploration and extraction makes it even more important that the exploration and extraction of resources should be based on sound and rigorous environmental impact assessment framework.
What lies ahead
Also referred to as “white gold”, lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is used in rechargeable batteries, which power not only laptops and mobile phones but also electric vehicles (EVs) — a crucial part of the world’s plan to tackle climate change.
It takes up to 10 years to build a greenfield lithium brine project and, in some cases, the process is becoming more difficult due to resistance from local communities.
While the GSI’s study has given an approximate idea of the total reserve, there is a long road ahead.India needs additional infrastructure, technological expertise, and experience in processing and refining mined lithium to make it ready to be used in batteries.
For this to happen, energy, capital and the government’s hand-holding support is required.
Also, considering that exploration for lithium is still young in India and given that there have been quite a number of G4 and G3 finds, we may have more major lithium discoveries in India in the near future.
However, while the excitement on lithium discovery is understandable, unless the find is mined, the hype may soon turn into hyperbole.
The ‘land of rising sun’, Arunachal Pradesh will soon be witnessing the inauguration of Tezu Airport.
The Tezu airport in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh has been re-developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) — UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) at a cost of Rs 170 crore. This airport will connect the beautiful Tezu town with the rest of the country.
The development and modernisation work at the airport includes the construction of a New Terminal Building having an area of 4,000 sq m, a Fire Station-cum-ATC Tower and the extension of runway. The new Terminal Building will be capable to handle 300 passengers during peak hours.
Presently, the state has four airports at Pasighat in East Siang district, Tezu in Lohit district, Ziro in Lower Subansiri district and Donyi Polo airport in Hollongi, close to the state capital of Itanagar.
Pasighat Airport
Popularly known as the ‘Land of the Dawn-lit-Mountains’, Arunachal Pradesh is India’s remotest state and the first Indian soil to greet the rising sun.
However, despite attaining statehood 36 years ago in 1987, the quest for a civilian airport remained a distant dream for the state until 2018 when Arunachal Pradesh became the last of the eight north-eastern States to get on India’s commercial flight service map.
Map of Arunachal Pradesh
The history was created when the first commercial flight of the Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, landed at the Pasighat airport in Arunachal Pradesh on 21 May 2018.
Pasighat, about 570 km northeast of Guwahati, is the headquarters of East Siang district and the State’s oldest city. Earlier, in order to reach Pasighat, people had to travel from Guwahati or Itanagar for almost a day in the hilly terrain.
The Pasighat airport was one of six operational advance landing grounds (ALGs) in Arunachal Pradesh and was mostly used by the Armed forces.
It was virtually abandoned after the China-India war in 1962 until the Indian Air Force took it over in 2010.
The airport was inaugurated in August 2016 with the landing of a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet. A civilian terminal was built in 2017 and a test landing of Alliance Air’s commercial flight was carried out in April 2018.
The airport has also a strategic significance as it is just 300 kms away from the Indo-China border.
Tezu Airport
Tezu in the eastern Arunachal, is the headquarters of Lohit district. It is the nearest town to Walong, where a legendary battle between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place between 16 October to 16 November 1962.
The city entered onto the aviation map of the country in August 2021, when the first commercial flight of Flybig Airlines flew to Assam’s capital Guwahati. The new airport has made everything much more accessible and connected, especially in the eastern side of the state.
The commercial airport in Tezu has also firmed up India’s strategic space by smoothening transport to several high-altitude districts near the India-China border.
Donyi Polo Airport
Arunachal’s first full-fledged airport at Hollongi, 15 km from Itanagar, the state capital was inaugurated on 19 November 2022 and has been operational since 28 November 2022.
The state government has named the airport as “Donyi Polo Airport” to reflect the long-standing indigenous respect for the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo) among the populace.
The airport, also the first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh, has been developed in an area of more than 690 acres at a cost of more than Rs 640 crore.
The new airport has connected the capital city with an airport – earlier no airport existed in vicinity of Itanagar, the closest one being Lilabari Airport in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district which was at a distance of 80 km and takes around three hours to reach by road.
Also, the new airport is suitable for landing of larger aircrafts — bigger commercial flights wouldn’t land at Pasighat and Tezu. With a runway of 2300 metres, the airport is suitable for the operations of Airbus-320 (A-320) category of aircraft, thereby providing direct flights to metro cities as well as international destinations.
To put this in perspective, the new airport will be great for tourism in the central belt of the state, hitherto limited to the western and eastern belt.
Connecting NorthEast
The northeast has been an important component of air connectivity expansion.
in 2013, there only nine airports in the northeast, which has now increased to 17. This means close to about eight new airports have been built in the last ten years, including all the four airports in Arunachal.
This dramatic increase in the aerial connectivity of the northeast with the rest of the country, is what was termed as “real Bharat Jodo” by Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA) Jyotiraditya Scindia on the sidelines of the inauguration of air connectivity from Hollongi airport on 20 November.
What lies ahead
The emergence of multiple airports in Arunachal is a testimony to how focus on the region has aided its connectivity, creating shared prosperity.
The string of airports is expected to be a game-changer for the landlocked state, which shares a border with China to the north and northeast, Myanmar to the east, and Bhutan to the west.
The improvements in connectivity is significant in view of the statements by Beijing’s officials asserting China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh.
“The disputed territory in the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, including Tawang, is inalienable from China’s Tibet in terms of cultural background and administrative jurisdiction,” said Dai Bingguo, former Special Representative of China to the border talks with India.
Howeevr, the continuing focus on aviation infrastructure development will not only provide the necessary support for the strategic preparedness for the forces in the mountains, but will also augur well for aspiration of local community .
Hopes of improved connectivity, tourism and economic growth are riding on them.
Industrial and automotive battery major Amara Raja Batteries on Saturday (6 May) held a ground-breaking ceremony for lithium-ion cell gigafactory in Mahbubnagar district in Telangana to produce Lithium Cell and Battery Pack.
The ground-breaking ceremony officially marked the beginning of ‘Amara Raja Giga Corridor’ which includes first-of-its kind advanced energy research centre in Hyderabad and giga scale manufacturing of advanced cell technology products.
The giga scale cell production facility will be India’s largest Li-Ion Cell manufacturing facility with 16 GWh (giga watt hour) cell manufacturing output and a Battery Pack Assembly unit up to 5 GWh.
For Amara Raja, whose corporate office is in Hyderabad, this would be first manufacturing investment in Telangana. The company, whose existing battery manufacturing plants are in Chittoor and Tirupati, in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, made the decision after evaluating multiple locations in south and western India and the incentive package offered by the States.
At its Tirupati facility, the company has been working on Li-ion cell chemistries and supplying, as part of a pilot project, lithium battery packs and chargers to some 2 and 3-wheeler OEMs.
The foray into advanced cell chemistry manufacturing is the latest in its pivot to becoming an ‘Energy & Mobility’ enterprise.
Rs 9500 crore Investment
Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL) had earlier said it will be investing over Rs 9,500 crore, over a period of 10 years to spur development of a comprehensive EV and ACC (Advanced Cell Chemistry) ecosystem in Telangana, thus creating a large-scale manufacturing hub, creating many direct and indirect jobs.
This is not only the group’s largest investment till date, but it is also India’s largest investment in advanced cell chemistry till date.
Earlier in November 2022, the company had signed an MoU with the State government for the state’s first Lithium-ion Battery Gigafactory facility in Divitipally, Mahabubnagar district.
MoU signing ceremony
The facility also aims to create direct employment for about 4,500 people and a similar number of indirect jobs that will make significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the region.
E-Hub
The ARBL has recently signed a land lease agreement with GMR to set up an Advanced Energy Research and Innovation Centre, called the E-Hub, at GMR Aerospace & Industrial Park, AeroCity Hyderabad.
The R&D centre spread across approximately 7 acres in the Industrial Zone of the AeroCity centre will be a one-of-a-kind institute in India that will pioneer the development of advanced clean energy technologies for mobility and energy storage.
The E-Hub will be equipped with advanced laboratories and testing infrastructure for material research, prototyping, product life cycle analysis and Proof of Concept demonstration.
This will cater to the development needs of the Amara Raja as well as to provide a range of facilities open to other players in the energy and mobility ecosystem.
As many as nine players have submitted Expression of Interest (EoI) for the international container transshipment port (ICTP) project at Great Nicobar Island, in the Bay of Bengal, as reported by ET Infra.
Earlier in January 2023, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways had invited EoI from interested parties to develop first phase of ICTP project.
Development of a greenfield port is part of the Island Development programme which envisages holistic development of the Great Nicobar Island.
As part of this, four projects namely, a port, greenfield international airport, township and a power plant are stated to come up in the southernmost island of India.
The proposed port will come at Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar Island of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Overall layout of proposed development plan at Great Nicobar Island.
The environmental clearance for all these projects has been accorded.
Phase-Wise Expansion
The Port facilities are proposed to be developed in four phases between 2028 and 2058 and would handle 16 million containers per year, in the ultimate stage of development.
The first phase, upon completion in 2028, will handle 4 million containers per year. The estimated cost for the first phase of the port is Rs 18,000 crore.
Layout of the Phase 1 Port Development.
Global-level infrastructure such as breakwaters, 400 m wide navigational channel, container yard, container berth, container handling equipment, two liquid cargo berths to support bunkering operations and ship repair facilities are some of the key facilities to be developed as part of the first phase of ICTP project.
Landlord Mode
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) is the nodal agency for undertaking development of proposed port project in landlord mode.
In this model, the publicly governed port authority acts as a regulatory body and as a landlord, while private companies carry out port operation — mainly cargo-handling activities.
Here, the port authority maintains ownership of the port, while the infrastructure is leased to private firms that provide and maintain their own superstructure and install their own equipment to handle cargo. In return, the landlord port gets a share of the revenue from the private entity.
According to the EoI, the Port Authority will provide the basic infrastructure and 125 hectares of reclaimed land for development of the container yard and other infrastructure facilities.
On the other hand, the chosen Concessionaire will design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the container handling facilities envisaged in Phase-I under a long-term concession agreement of 30-50 years.
The Concessionaire shall have the flexibility to develop storage area and handling equipment based on their market assessment subject to the minimum guaranteed traffic. It will be responsible for the provision of port services and shall have the rights to levy, collect and retain charges from port users.
Full-service carrier Vistara, on 4 May created history by operating India’s first domestic commercial flight on a wide-body aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
This historic feat was achieved on Vistara’s brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, flying from Delhi to Mumbai, using a blend of 17 per cent SAF with 83 per cent conventional jet fuel.
The pioneering initiative helped Vistara reduce approximately 10,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions and is part of company’s ongoing efforts to minimize carbon footprint.
Earlier, last month, Vistara became the first Indian carrier to operate a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul international route using a blend of SAF when it operated the delivery flight of a Dreamliner between Charleston International Airport, South Carolina to IGI Airport, Delhi.
This ferry flight (without passengers, only operating crew) on Boeing 787-9 aircraft using a blend of 30 per cent SAF with 70 per cent conventional jet fuel helped Vistara reduce about 1.5 lakh pounds of CO₂ emissions over the fuel’s life cycle.
Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said, “We have always been committed to driving sustainability and innovation in aviation, and are delighted to carry out yet another industry-first initiative of operating a commercial flight on a wide-body using SAF. We are thankful to our partners and the relevant authorities for their support.”
What is SAF
SAF is a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable resources such as waste oils from a biological origin, agri-residues, municipal solid wastes or algae.
SAF can reduce Carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 65 per cent over the fuel’s life cycle with the potential to reach 100 per cent in future. It is recognised as offering the most immediate and greatest potential to decarbonise aviation over the next 20-30 years.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) last year adopted a target to cut emissions to net zero by 2050, and SAF has long been seen as the industry’s fastest way to reduce emissions.
Mile markers
The path to airlines using SAF has been a long one. From the first tentative test flight in 2008, to the first commercial flight using SAF in 2011, this year will see the world’s first net zero transatlantic flight using 100 per cent SAF.
In 2023, one of Virgin Atlantic’s flagship Boeing 787s, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, will take off from London Heathrow and make the journey to New York’s John F Kennedy Airport using solely sustainable aviation fuel.
As on date, Airbus and Boeing aircraft are capable of flying with up to a 50 per cent blend of SAF. Both the manufacturers aim to enable 100 per cent SAF capability by 2030.
Among Indian carriers, IndiGo on 18 Feb 2022 operated its A320 NEO flight from Toulouse, France to New Delhi with 10 per cent blend of sustainable aviation fuel under the IndiGo Green initiative.
Similarly, SpiceJet had conducted a demonstration flight with Bombardier Q400 aircraft in August 2018 using bio-fuel blended with Aviation fuel (in the ratio of 25:75) in one engine.
Vistara, along with other airline companies of the TATA group, has been working extensively towards reduction of carbon emissions through use of sustainable technologies.
Last year, they had signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Indian Institute of Petroleum to collaborate on the research, development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuels.
Vistara is also working through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), to lower Carbon dioxide emissions for international flights and to curb the industry’s impact on climate change.
However, the main issue remains sustainable availability of SAF — in terms of regularly getting the required quantity of this fuel. India, like other countries, is trying to increase the same as aviation aims to become carbon neutral or net zero by 2050, with significant cuts having achieved by 2030.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the nodal agency for the Navi Mumbai Metro (NMM) project, has approved implementation of NMM Line 2, 3 and 4 with modified mode of transport viz MetroNeo in place of standard gauge Metro.
The development comes as the metro agency is readying to operationalise Line 1 once the final statutory clearance of Commission of Railway Safety (CMRS) is received.
Line 2 of Navi Mumbai Metro will connect MIDC Taloja to Khandeshwar (7.12 km) with 6 elevated stations. Line 3 will connect Pendhar to MIDC Taloja (3.87 km) with 3 elevated stations while Line 4 will connect Navi Mumbai International Airport to Panvel (4.17 km).
Metro Neo System
The Neo Metro is a trolley bus system with rubber tyres, powered by overhead traction system. The buses will be air conditioned with automatic door closing system, level boarding, comfortable seats, passenger announcement and information system with electronic display.
It is a seamless, fast, reliable and cost-effective Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) with reduced system requirements as compared to a conventional Metro rail system, while providing travel experience of international standards at par with Metro systems.
CIDCO has planned to take up work on the three remaining lines of 2, 3 and 4 after line 1 becomes operational and aims to complete the Neo Metro in the next two years.
“The detailed project reports and Rs 1,000-crore credit line are ready. Soon tenders will be called and contractors will be appointed,” said a CIDCO official.
According to the official, a Neo Metro is planned since the expected ridership in Metro in Navi Mumbai during peak hours is only 8,000, unlike the Mumbai Metro that has over a lakh ridership.
Line 1
The Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 from Belapur to Pendhar is a Standard gauge Metro and is set to be commissioned and put into operational use in the next few months.
The 11.1-km stretch has 11 metro stations — Belapur, Sector-7 Belapur, Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector 11 Kharghar, Sector 14 Kharghar, Central Park, Pethapada, Sector 34 Kharghar, Panchnand and Pendhar Terminal.
Navi Mumbai Metro Map
The Line 1 will have a car depot for maintenance at Taloja and two traction sub-stations at Panchanand and Kharghar.
While CIDCO obtained the CMRS certification for the Kharghar-Pendhar stretch in October 2021, it is awaiting the final statutory clearance of CMRS for the Belapur-Kharghar stretch, following which it can begin operations on the line.
Long Delay
The NMM project was initiated in May 2011 by the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan with bhoomipujan in Kharghar. At the time, the government announced that the metro would be operational in the city within three years.
The contract to build stations and technical aspects of Line I was given to a consortium of San José Constructora–Mahavir Roads–Supreme Infra. However, the project experienced delays, following which the contract was cancelled. CIDCO attributed the delays to engineering skills and other issues.
In February 2021, in an effort to expedite the project, CIDCO appointed Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) to complete the remaining work on Line 1 at a cost of Rs 850 crore.
Subsequently, in July 2021, Maha Metro was also appointed to manage operation and maintenance of service on Line 1 for a period of 10 years, for which they will receive payment of Rs 885 crore plus taxes.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is planning to build a Rs 1,000 crore ($122 million) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant at Panipat in Haryana to meet the surging demand for eco-friendly fuel.
The move to establish the nation’s first SAF facility should it be constructed, would help deal with availability issues as global supplies run significantly short of what’s needed by airlines to meet decarbonization goals.
“This is going to be a booming business. The reason for us to conceive such a big plant is that unless the capacity is higher, you won’t get the economies of scale,” said SSV Ramakumar, director for research and development in an interview.
Apart from IOC, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. is also planning to build a bio-ATF pilot plant at Mangalore using CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum’s technology using non edible oils and used cooking oil as feedstock.
What is SAF
SAF is a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable resources such as waste oils from a biological origin, agri-residues, municipal solid wastes or algae.
SAF can reduce Carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 65 per cent over the fuel’s life cycle with the potential to reach 100 per cent in future. It is recognised as offering the most immediate and greatest potential to decarbonise aviation over the next 20-30 years.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) last year adopted a target to cut emissions to net zero by 2050, and SAF has long been seen as the industry’s fastest way to reduce emissions.
However, global output is currently only a fraction of what’s needed and airlines are banking on a huge supply boost.
Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology
The SAF plant is likely to be built at Indian Oil’s Panipat refinery north of New Delhi and utilise LanzaJet’s leading and proven Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology.
The facility will have capacity to produce 86.8 Thousand Metric Tonnes Per Annum (TMTPA) of SAF and Indian Oil is seeking to partner with other oil companies on the project.
Earlier in February 2023, Indian Oil had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LanzaJet, to pursue large capacity SAF production in India based on LanzaJet’s leading and proven Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology using Indian waste and ethanol sources.
Policy Boost
The much-needed plan to indigenise SAF production, however, will need major policy interventions to make it sustainable.
To start with, tax incentives will be needed for Indian Oil to push ahead with the investment in the plant, Ramakumar said, without elaborating.
The next step will be a government recommendation to blend SAF with jet fuel, which will be key to airlines signing supply agreements with Indian Oil.
An oil ministry panel, which Ramakumar leads, recommended an initial blending of 1 per cent SAF into regular fuel from 2026 followed by a gradual ramp up, he said.
Further, airlines will also need tax breaks from the government or carbon credits to make it viable to use SAF due to the tight cost of operations, he said.
