http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Energy-sector-in-emission-cut-mode/627976/

New Delhi: If the energy sector is the biggest contributor of greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions in the country, it is also showcasing some of the best examples of reducing emissions, according to FE-EVI Green Business Survey 2009-10.

The survey findings will be released together with the presentation of the FE-EVI Green Business Leadership Awards 2009-10 on World Environment Day, June 5, in the capital. The event is being organised jointly by The Financial Express and Emergent Ventures India, a climate change & sustainable development advisory firm, along with knowledge partner Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
Energy consumption contributes 43% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country. While the power sector contributes 37.8% of the emissions, other forms of energy consumption in petroleum refining, manufacturing of solid fuel, fugitive emissions from mining, transport, and storage of coal, oil and natural gas contribute 5.3%.
Informed about the situation, leading power and oil & natural gas companies in the country are deploying efficient power generation technologies, following international disclosure guidelines, and publishing environment sustainability reports, says FE-EVI Green Business Survey 2009-10.
Some companies stand out for having undertaken transformational climate change mitigation initiatives. For example, NHPC is trying to make the best use of clean development mechanism (CDM) for its hydro power projects. For the first time in the history of power sector PSUs, NHPC has registered two medium sized hydroelectric projects with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or UNFCCC.
Similarly, Reliance Innoventures has initiated a small scale grid connected wind electricity generation project. Suzlon, which generates more than 2,500 mw using wind renewable energy, is continuously aiming to lower energy consumption and also planting more than 3,00,000 trees per year.
Similarly, in the oil industry, Indian Oil refineries have adopted various measures to cut down on GHG emissions. These include use of low-sulphur fuel oil, desulphurisation of fuel gas, advanced process control systems, and energy conservation measures to reduce fuel consumption.
A few oil companies have also entered the biodiesel value chain in a big way. Bharat Petroleum has set up a joint venture, Bharat Renewable Energy, with Nandan Biomatrix Limited and Shapoorji Pallonji to produce one million tonne of biodiesel by 2015 with an investment of Rs 2,200 crore.
This is only the beginning. Pointing to the way forward, FE-EVI Green Business Survey 2009-10 says that both power and oil & gas companies should make concerted efforts to reduce the carbon footprint...