Latest news with #SethuramanNR
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Cricket-IPL's Bengaluru pledge financial aid for victims of crowd surge
FILE PHOTO: People walk past scattered shoes left behind following a stampede outside a cricket stadium in Bengaluru, India, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Sethuraman N R/File Photo BENGALURU, India (Reuters) -Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru have pledged one million Indian rupees ($11,654) to each family of the 11 fans who died in a crowd surge outside the team's home stadium on Wednesday during celebrations following their maiden IPL title. The franchise will also launch a support fund for the injured. At least 11 people died and 47 were injured in the crowd surge as thousands of people lined the streets around the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the team's bus arrived. Bengaluru were celebrating their win over Punjab Kings in the final of the IPL's 18th edition, the world's richest T20 cricket league. The team had given away free passes for the event on their website but said that numbers would be limited. As the celebrations continued, some fans without passes tried to push through the gates while others climbed trees and the stadium wall for a better view. Images from the scene showed people climbing over each other. "The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family," the team said in a statement on Thursday. "As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of 10 lakh (one million) Indian Rupees to each of the 11 families of the deceased. "In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident." Karnataka State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, said the venue could not handle the size of the crowd, adding that the stadium's capacity was 35,000 but 200,000 to 300,000 people had turned up for the celebrations. "In the wake of the tragic stampede during RCB's victory celebrations, the Karnataka Government will bear the full medical expenses of all those injured, whether admitted in government or private hospitals," Siddaramaiah said in a statement on Thursday. "Orders have been issued to the Health Department and Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) to ensure this without delay." ($1 = 85.8010 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
India coal-fired power output falls at fastest pace in five years in May
By Sudarshan Varadhan and Sethuraman N R SINGAPORE (Reuters) - India's coal-fired electricity generation in May fell at the fastest pace in five years, as overall power demand declined for the first time since August and renewable energy generation rose to a record high, a Reuters analysis of government data showed. Increased generation from less polluting power sources including hydro and nuclear also led to a decline in natural gas-fired power output, which fell at the steepest rate in nearly three years, a review of data from the federal power grid regulator Grid India showed. The decline in demand for fossil fuels for electricity generation in India - the second largest importer of coal and the fourth biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) - comes at a time when benchmark prices of the fuels are under pressure. "Demand from the power sector - typically strong during peak season - remained limited. Additionally, economic headwinds have weighed on non-power industries," Indian coal trader I-Energy said in a note this week. Asian spot LNG prices have declined more than 15% this year, while benchmark prices of thermal coal have plunged to more than 4-year lows due to weak demand from China and India - the top coal importing countries. India's coal-fired power generation fell 9.5% in May on an annual basis to 113.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), a review of data from the federal power grid regulator Grid India showed, marking the sharpest year-on-year decline since June 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide lockdown. A sustained slowdown in demand for fossil fuels for power generation could help the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases slash emissions after it previously boosted its reliance on coal to power a post-pandemic economic recovery. India has repeatedly cited lower per capita emissions compared with richer nations to defend its high coal use. Utilities in China and India have cut dependence on coal and LNG imports this year also due to record coal stocks and slower growth in power demand. India had forced gas-based power plants to operate last year to meet high power demand as temperatures soared. As power demand is lower and prices are high for gas-fired power to be competitive with other sources such as solar this year, utilities will buy fewer volumes, said Prashant Vashisth, vice president at Moody's affiliate ICRA. Total electricity generation in May fell 5.3% year-on-year to 160.4 billion kWh, the data showed, with the highest peak demand about 8% lower on-year at 231 GW, mainly due to milder temperatures, government officials said. Peak demand - a measure of the maximum electricity requirement over any given time - reached 250 GW during a heatwave in May 2024. Meanwhile, renewable energy output surged to a record high of 24.7 billion kWh in May, up 17.2% from a year earlier, with its share in the overall power mix rising to 15.4% - the highest since records began in 2018. The share of coal in India's power mix dropped to 70.7% in May, down from 74.0% a year earlier and the lowest level since June 2022, according to the Grid India data. Hydropower generation jumped 8.3% to 14.5 billion kWh, accounting for 9.0% of total generation compared to 7.9% in May 2024, the data showed. Natural gas-fired power generation fell 46.5% annually to 2.78 billion kWh in May, the steepest decline since October 2022.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
India coal-fired power output falls at fastest pace in five years in May
By Sudarshan Varadhan and Sethuraman N R SINGAPORE (Reuters) - India's coal-fired electricity generation in May fell at the fastest pace in five years, as overall power demand declined for the first time since August and renewable energy generation rose to a record high, a Reuters analysis of government data showed. Increased generation from less polluting power sources including hydro and nuclear also led to a decline in natural gas-fired power output, which fell at the steepest rate in nearly three years, a review of data from the federal power grid regulator Grid India showed. The decline in demand for fossil fuels for electricity generation in India - the second largest importer of coal and the fourth biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) - comes at a time when benchmark prices of the fuels are under pressure. "Demand from the power sector - typically strong during peak season - remained limited. Additionally, economic headwinds have weighed on non-power industries," Indian coal trader I-Energy said in a note this week. Asian spot LNG prices have declined more than 15% this year, while benchmark prices of thermal coal have plunged to more than 4-year lows due to weak demand from China and India - the top coal importing countries. India's coal-fired power generation fell 9.5% in May on an annual basis to 113.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), a review of data from the federal power grid regulator Grid India showed, marking the sharpest year-on-year decline since June 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to a nationwide lockdown. A sustained slowdown in demand for fossil fuels for power generation could help the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases slash emissions after it previously boosted its reliance on coal to power a post-pandemic economic recovery. India has repeatedly cited lower per capita emissions compared with richer nations to defend its high coal use. Utilities in China and India have cut dependence on coal and LNG imports this year also due to record coal stocks and slower growth in power demand. India had forced gas-based power plants to operate last year to meet high power demand as temperatures soared. As power demand is lower and prices are high for gas-fired power to be competitive with other sources such as solar this year, utilities will buy fewer volumes, said Prashant Vashisth, vice president at Moody's affiliate ICRA. Total electricity generation in May fell 5.3% year-on-year to 160.4 billion kWh, the data showed, with the highest peak demand about 8% lower on-year at 231 GW, mainly due to milder temperatures, government officials said. Peak demand - a measure of the maximum electricity requirement over any given time - reached 250 GW during a heatwave in May 2024. Meanwhile, renewable energy output surged to a record high of 24.7 billion kWh in May, up 17.2% from a year earlier, with its share in the overall power mix rising to 15.4% - the highest since records began in 2018. The share of coal in India's power mix dropped to 70.7% in May, down from 74.0% a year earlier and the lowest level since June 2022, according to the Grid India data. Hydropower generation jumped 8.3% to 14.5 billion kWh, accounting for 9.0% of total generation compared to 7.9% in May 2024, the data showed. Natural gas-fired power generation fell 46.5% annually to 2.78 billion kWh in May, the steepest decline since October 2022. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Barnama
6 days ago
- General
- Barnama
11 Killed, Dozens Injured As India Cricket Victory Celebration Turns Deadly
People walk past scattered shoes left behind following a stampede outside a cricket stadium in Bengaluru, India, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Sethuraman N R By Shakir Husain NEW DELHI, June 4 (Bernama) -- Eleven people were killed and many injured in a stampede in Indian city Bengaluru on Wednesday outside a stadium where cricket fans had gathered to celebrate the local team's victory. The southern state of Karnataka erupted in joy after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament final on Tuesday night. bootstrap slideshow The victory celebration was organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) inside the stadium in Bengaluru after the winning RCB squad returned from Gujarat state's Ahmedabad city where the final match was held. Fireworks lit the skies of Bengaluru on Tuesday night as RCB scored their maiden title win in the 18-year-old IPL, a contest that keeps hundreds of millions of Indians fixated to T20 cricket. Eleven people were killed and dozens injured as the crowds swelled outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The celebration event was called off after the stampede. The stadium's capacity is 35,000, but about 300,000 people gathered for the victory celebration, local media reported, citing Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. "Deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede during the RCB victory celebrations near Chinnaswamy Stadium. A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow," Siddaramaiah said in a post on the social media platform X.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
India's NTPC seeks global partners to build 15 GW nuclear reactors
By Sethuraman N R (Reuters) - NTPC, India's top power producer, is seeking global partners to build large nuclear reactors with about 15 gigawatts (GW) combined capacity, according to a tender, the first major one since the country moved to open up its much-guarded sector. The state-run company, which mainly runs coal-fired plants, is looking for partners to help set up pressurized water reactor technology-based nuclear power plants and also commit to a lifetime supply of nuclear fuel, the tender said. The partner should have clearance from concerned authorities in their country of origin as well as comply with Indian policies, including having or getting a license for the offered technology, NTPC said in the tender published last week. India's Atomic Energy Act of 1962 currently bars private investments in nuclear power plants, while stringent liabilities under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010 deter foreign firms such as GE and Westinghouse. However, in early February, India said it would amend its nuclear liability law to boost foreign and private investments. Currently, state-run Nuclear Power Corp of India is the sole operator of the country's nearly 8 GW capacity, with the aim to increase to 20 GW by 2032. India is aiming to hit at least 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. NTPC is looking to build 30 GW of capacity over the next two decades at a cost of $62 billion, Reuters reported in February. Sign in to access your portfolio
