Philippines: DOE push coal developers to pursue new tech

Philippines: DOE push coal developers to pursue new tech

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) SECRETARY ALFONSO CUSI IS URGING COAL POWER
GENERATORS TO KEEP UP WITH TECH TRENDS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND LESSEN
CARBON EMISSIONS OF EXISTING COAL PLANTS.

Since the previous administration, the Energy sector has been looking into
implementing stricter standards on coal-based power plants as a measure for
climate change mitigation programs and the country's commitment to reduce
carbon emissions.

However, new installations will be difficult to legislate because there's an
overwhelming abundance of these technologies.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian suggests plotting a 'gold standard' for
coal-fired power plants to balance consumption pricing with the
enhancements.

"There are a lot of new technologies coming in and so fast. this is a great
balancing role wherein at the end, consumers should not be overburdened by
heavy pricing. This balancing role can be equipped with a higher standard in
terms of coal technology," he said.

GE President and CEO for the ASEAN region Wouter Van Wersch said there are
three main pillars power generators and one brings in new technologies for
erecting power plants.

Existing energy plants can make use of retrofitting, which is adding new
technology or features to older systems to improve efficiency, increase
output and reduce carbon emissions.

Meanwhile, other power generators, such as newly built ones, will be
introduced to digital monitoring systems to improve its performance.

"This is a whole new avenue and being able to harness data that are coming
from the equipment. This will enable improve[d] performance to reduce
downtime and produce more electricity for less fuel," Wersch said.

President Duterte remains firm on sticking with coal as the main source for
generating power due to its viability and inexpensiveness.

That said, the Energy Department has declared it is "technology agnostic" in
terms of baseload supply requirements.

By 2020, the Philippines will produce approximately 5,000 megawatts (MW) via
new power plants, around which are over 70 percent coal-based.

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Link to Original Article:
http://powerphilippines.com/2017/06/15/doe-push-coal-developers-to-pursue-ne
w-tech/

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com