Vietnam sharply increases to export coal to Laos market
Information from the General Department of Customs shows that in the first 8
months of 2017, Vietnam exports coal to almost all markets increasingly in
comparison with that in the same time of the last year. It is particularly
noticeable that coal export to Laos market increased for 16 times by amount
(50,455 tons) and 15 times by value (4.32 million US$).
In the first 8 months of 2017 the total amount of export coal of Vietnam was
1.3 million tons with a value of 180.6 million US$ (increased respectively
132% and 215% over the same time of 2016).
In August, 2017 the country exported coal of nearly 131,734 tons with a
value of 15.33 million US$ (decreased respectively for 6% and 13.65 in
comparison with that in July, 2017)
The price of export coal in the first 8 months of 2017 was increased for 14%
in comparison with that in the same time of 2016 (116.4 US$/ton vs. 102
US$/ton)
The markets which import coal from Vietnam include:
i) Japan with 52% by amount (671,647 tons) and 46% by value (83.25 million
US$), ii) ASEAN countries with 24% by amount (308,172 tons) and 29% by value
(51.63 million US$), and iii) Malaysia with 12% by amount (157,889 tons) and
20% by value (more than 36.84 million US$).
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://nangluongvietnam.vn/news/en/coal-mineral/vietnam-sharply-increases-to
-export-coal-to-laos-market.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Philippines - ERC: Meralco PSAs are not yet approved by commission
Philippines - ERC: Meralco PSAs are not yet approved by commission
CONTRARY TO A COLUMN POSTED ON A NEWSPAPER, NONE OF THE SEVEN POWER SUPPLY
AGREEMENTS (PSAS) OF THE MERALCO INVOLVED IN AN ALLEGED MIDNIGHT DEALS HAVE
BEEN APPROVED BY THE ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (ERC).
In a joint hearing in Congress on Tuesday, Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate cited
a column posted saying that the seven PSAs have been approved by the
commission.
"There is no such decision," ERC commissioner Josefina Asirit said, adding
that there were seem to be no basis for the statements made in the column
mentioned by the congressman.
When asked about the status of the seven PSAs, the ERC said that three of
them have not been scheduled for a hearing.
"Actually of the 7 PSAs, three have not even been scheduled for a hearing
yet because of the lack Environmental Compliance Certificate," she said.
According to the ERC, three PSAs are currently on hearing.
Meanwhile, the PSA with the Panay Energy Development Corporation was already
given a provisional authority.
The provisional authority means that the distribution utility the power to
draw power from the existing plant.
"If I'm not mistaken this one was to augment the supply status that the
demand of Meralco needed at the particular period," Asirit added.
The provisional authority, however, is still subject to final determination.
The ERC was accused of being involved with alleged 'midnight' deals to
accommodate Meralco PSAs involving different power plants.
These included Meralco PSAs with Panay Energy Development Corp. (70 MW),
Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. (225 MW), St. Raphael Power Generation Corp.
(400 MW), Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp. (528 MW), Mariveles Power
Generation Corp. (528 MW), Global Luzon Energy Development Corp. (600 MW),
and the Atimonan One Energy Inc. (1,200 MW).
The next hearing on the alleged midnight deals will include the
representatives of the seven generation companies involved in the PSAs with
Meralco and is scheduled on October 11.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://powerphilippines.com/2017/09/27/erc-meralco-psas-not-yet-approved-com
mission/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
CONTRARY TO A COLUMN POSTED ON A NEWSPAPER, NONE OF THE SEVEN POWER SUPPLY
AGREEMENTS (PSAS) OF THE MERALCO INVOLVED IN AN ALLEGED MIDNIGHT DEALS HAVE
BEEN APPROVED BY THE ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (ERC).
In a joint hearing in Congress on Tuesday, Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate cited
a column posted saying that the seven PSAs have been approved by the
commission.
"There is no such decision," ERC commissioner Josefina Asirit said, adding
that there were seem to be no basis for the statements made in the column
mentioned by the congressman.
When asked about the status of the seven PSAs, the ERC said that three of
them have not been scheduled for a hearing.
"Actually of the 7 PSAs, three have not even been scheduled for a hearing
yet because of the lack Environmental Compliance Certificate," she said.
According to the ERC, three PSAs are currently on hearing.
Meanwhile, the PSA with the Panay Energy Development Corporation was already
given a provisional authority.
The provisional authority means that the distribution utility the power to
draw power from the existing plant.
"If I'm not mistaken this one was to augment the supply status that the
demand of Meralco needed at the particular period," Asirit added.
The provisional authority, however, is still subject to final determination.
The ERC was accused of being involved with alleged 'midnight' deals to
accommodate Meralco PSAs involving different power plants.
These included Meralco PSAs with Panay Energy Development Corp. (70 MW),
Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. (225 MW), St. Raphael Power Generation Corp.
(400 MW), Central Luzon Premiere Power Corp. (528 MW), Mariveles Power
Generation Corp. (528 MW), Global Luzon Energy Development Corp. (600 MW),
and the Atimonan One Energy Inc. (1,200 MW).
The next hearing on the alleged midnight deals will include the
representatives of the seven generation companies involved in the PSAs with
Meralco and is scheduled on October 11.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://powerphilippines.com/2017/09/27/erc-meralco-psas-not-yet-approved-com
mission/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
ASEAN to push 'clean' coal technologies
ASEAN to push 'clean' coal technologies
THE 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
are aiming to "enhance the image of coal" by promoting "clean" technologies,
representatives of host country Philippines said on Tuesday.
"Activities laid out include public awareness, recognition of best
practices, trade and investment, collaboration with global networks, policy
research and build capacity through workshops," said Felix William B.
Fuentebella, undersecretary of the Department of Energy (DoE), in a press
conference in Pasay City.
He also said the capacity-building would include yearly submissions to an
ASEAN coal database and information system.
The promotion of clean coal technology is one of seven areas in the regional
bloc's agenda this year. These areas form the gist of the ASEAN Plan of
Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2025. The member states this week
will discuss these action plan during the 35th ASEAN Ministers on Energy
Meeting at Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.
Separately in a statement, DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said that
activities and discussions during the meetings "are geared towards
solidifying the cooperation activities programmed" under the APAEC.
"Ensuring the attainment of these agenda items will also advance the
country's objective in continuously hosting energy events in the region,"
Mr. Cusi said.
Mr. Fuentebella said the discussions would include three other countries:
China, Japan and South Korea. He said the senior officials meeting on energy
plus the three countries would review and deliberate on the progress made in
implementing the work programs under APAEC.
The other day, he said Malaysia, Thailand and Laos are set to sign a deal
that would allow these countries to trade electricity.
He said an ASEAN-wide power grid is one of the seven program areas that
member states will discuss in the coming days. The others are trans-ASEAN
gas pipeline; coal and clean coal technology; energy efficiency and
conservation; renewable energy; regional energy policy and planning; and
civilian nuclear energy.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://bworldonline.com/asean-push-clean-coal-technologies/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
THE 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
are aiming to "enhance the image of coal" by promoting "clean" technologies,
representatives of host country Philippines said on Tuesday.
"Activities laid out include public awareness, recognition of best
practices, trade and investment, collaboration with global networks, policy
research and build capacity through workshops," said Felix William B.
Fuentebella, undersecretary of the Department of Energy (DoE), in a press
conference in Pasay City.
He also said the capacity-building would include yearly submissions to an
ASEAN coal database and information system.
The promotion of clean coal technology is one of seven areas in the regional
bloc's agenda this year. These areas form the gist of the ASEAN Plan of
Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2025. The member states this week
will discuss these action plan during the 35th ASEAN Ministers on Energy
Meeting at Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.
Separately in a statement, DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said that
activities and discussions during the meetings "are geared towards
solidifying the cooperation activities programmed" under the APAEC.
"Ensuring the attainment of these agenda items will also advance the
country's objective in continuously hosting energy events in the region,"
Mr. Cusi said.
Mr. Fuentebella said the discussions would include three other countries:
China, Japan and South Korea. He said the senior officials meeting on energy
plus the three countries would review and deliberate on the progress made in
implementing the work programs under APAEC.
The other day, he said Malaysia, Thailand and Laos are set to sign a deal
that would allow these countries to trade electricity.
He said an ASEAN-wide power grid is one of the seven program areas that
member states will discuss in the coming days. The others are trans-ASEAN
gas pipeline; coal and clean coal technology; energy efficiency and
conservation; renewable energy; regional energy policy and planning; and
civilian nuclear energy.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://bworldonline.com/asean-push-clean-coal-technologies/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Cambodia: 'No Impact' on Fish From Major Hydropower Projects, PM Claims
Cambodia: 'No Impact' on Fish From Major Hydropower Projects, PM Claims
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday claimed that there had been no downstream
impact on fish stocks as a result of the construction of the Don Sahong
hydropower dam in Laos.
The construction of the 260-MW dam began in January 2016, raising concerns
among environmentalists over possible impacts on fish migration.
The NGO International Rivers said the dam would block and threaten "vital
subsistence and commercial fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin."
But during a speech on Monday Hun Sen rejected the concerns. "Even the Laos
Don Sahong dam, it will not kill the fish," he said.
"I visited [the dam]. It does not have any impacts," he said. "But we will
reduce impacts to a minimum if there are any."
Hun Sen also claimed, without providing evidence, that there was no evidence
there would be impacts on fisheries from the Lower Sesan II dam, which is
being readied to go into operation in Cambodia's Stung Treng province.
"Do our country's fish know how to climb trees? Do they know how to climb
mountains?" Hun Sen asked, mocking research that suggests the Lower Sesan II
will affect 70 percent of fish in Cambodia's Mekong Basin.
"Construction of the dam has been justified on the basis of mitigation
measures that developers claim will allow the movement of migratory fish up
and downstream. However, these measures have not been adequately tested and
scientists are highly critical about their ability to enable continued fish
migration on the scale prior to development of the dam," International
Rivers has reported.
Laos is building a series of dams on the Lower Mekong, much to the dismay of
downstream communities and environmental groups.
Daovong Phonekeo, permanent secretary of Laos' Ministry of Energy, told VOA
that the proper environmental impact assessments had been carried out ahead
of the dams' approval.
But Tek Vannara, executive director of the NGO Forum, said the consequences
of Laos and Cambodia's dam-building would be that the "Mekong will not be a
river of well-being and prosperity anymore. It will become the river of dams
and controversies."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/no-impact-on-fish-from-major-hydropower-projec
ts-pm-claims/4045015.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday claimed that there had been no downstream
impact on fish stocks as a result of the construction of the Don Sahong
hydropower dam in Laos.
The construction of the 260-MW dam began in January 2016, raising concerns
among environmentalists over possible impacts on fish migration.
The NGO International Rivers said the dam would block and threaten "vital
subsistence and commercial fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin."
But during a speech on Monday Hun Sen rejected the concerns. "Even the Laos
Don Sahong dam, it will not kill the fish," he said.
"I visited [the dam]. It does not have any impacts," he said. "But we will
reduce impacts to a minimum if there are any."
Hun Sen also claimed, without providing evidence, that there was no evidence
there would be impacts on fisheries from the Lower Sesan II dam, which is
being readied to go into operation in Cambodia's Stung Treng province.
"Do our country's fish know how to climb trees? Do they know how to climb
mountains?" Hun Sen asked, mocking research that suggests the Lower Sesan II
will affect 70 percent of fish in Cambodia's Mekong Basin.
"Construction of the dam has been justified on the basis of mitigation
measures that developers claim will allow the movement of migratory fish up
and downstream. However, these measures have not been adequately tested and
scientists are highly critical about their ability to enable continued fish
migration on the scale prior to development of the dam," International
Rivers has reported.
Laos is building a series of dams on the Lower Mekong, much to the dismay of
downstream communities and environmental groups.
Daovong Phonekeo, permanent secretary of Laos' Ministry of Energy, told VOA
that the proper environmental impact assessments had been carried out ahead
of the dams' approval.
But Tek Vannara, executive director of the NGO Forum, said the consequences
of Laos and Cambodia's dam-building would be that the "Mekong will not be a
river of well-being and prosperity anymore. It will become the river of dams
and controversies."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/no-impact-on-fish-from-major-hydropower-projec
ts-pm-claims/4045015.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Southeast Asia to spend $500b on power projects in the next five years
Southeast Asia to spend $500b on power projects in the next five years
Over 32,700 active projects will be scheduled for construction start-up.
Over the next five years (2018-2022), more than 32,700 active projects are
scheduled for construction start-up, amounting to a potential investment of
more than US$4.1t, according to Industrial Info Resources.
Industrial Info Resources currently is tracking more than 46,900 active
projects worldwide in power generation spending, reflecting an overall
investment value of more than US$6.3t.
Asia leads the rest of the world with more than 14,800 active projects that
amount to US$2.17t in investment value. East and Southeast Asia, with an
investment value of $1.27t, represent more than half of the whole
continent's activity in power generation spending.
In Southeast Asia, Industrial Info is tracking 3,300+ active projects that
are scheduled for construction start-up over the next five years
(2018-2022), reflecting potential spending of more than $505b. Indonesia
leads in project activity with almost 30% of the region's total investment
value.
The Philippines is second, although it has the highest number of projects,
with 18.6%. Vietnam ranked third with 19.5%. Coal is still a major fuel
source at 29.9% in power generation spending in the region; renewable energy
leads with 49.8%.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/solar-wind-advances-offer-mekong-countries-alt
ernatives-to-dams-coal-experts/4045082.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Over 32,700 active projects will be scheduled for construction start-up.
Over the next five years (2018-2022), more than 32,700 active projects are
scheduled for construction start-up, amounting to a potential investment of
more than US$4.1t, according to Industrial Info Resources.
Industrial Info Resources currently is tracking more than 46,900 active
projects worldwide in power generation spending, reflecting an overall
investment value of more than US$6.3t.
Asia leads the rest of the world with more than 14,800 active projects that
amount to US$2.17t in investment value. East and Southeast Asia, with an
investment value of $1.27t, represent more than half of the whole
continent's activity in power generation spending.
In Southeast Asia, Industrial Info is tracking 3,300+ active projects that
are scheduled for construction start-up over the next five years
(2018-2022), reflecting potential spending of more than $505b. Indonesia
leads in project activity with almost 30% of the region's total investment
value.
The Philippines is second, although it has the highest number of projects,
with 18.6%. Vietnam ranked third with 19.5%. Coal is still a major fuel
source at 29.9% in power generation spending in the region; renewable energy
leads with 49.8%.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/solar-wind-advances-offer-mekong-countries-alt
ernatives-to-dams-coal-experts/4045082.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Solar, wind advances offer Mekong countries alternatives to dams, coal: Experts
Solar, wind advances offer Mekong countries alternatives to dams, coal: Experts
Mekong Region countries like Cambodia should reconsider their plans to expand hydropower dams and coal plants, as the costs of alternative energy sources, such as solar power, are rapidly falling, a U.S. think-tank said, while improved regional grid connections can also ease growing energy demand.
Experts of the Washington-based Stimson Center provided these recommendations following the launch of a report in July that analyzed the economic and technological opportunities for improving and diversifying the Mekong Region's energy mix.
Brian Eyler, who co-authored the report, said the region's governments would be wise to review their energy master plans in order to not miss out on opportunities offered by new technologies, which carry less environmental and social impacts than large hydropower dams and coal-fired plants.
"It's a good time to take a pause. Our message is not for countries in the Mekong Subregion to stop power-sector planning, but… to take a look at these emerging trends," he said.
Courtney Weatherby, another author of the report titled "Mekong Power Shift: Emerging Trends in the GMS Power Sector," said changing current energy master plans to include more wind and solar power, and cross-border energy trade, makes economic sense.
"There are a lot of changes that will have to happen in the power-utility sector that may be disruptive in the short term, but in the long term they will lead to much more flexible and resilient system," she said.
Dams vs solar costs
Hundreds of large dams have been built or planned on the Mekong and its tributaries, as well as other rivers, in the Greater Mekong Subregion, which comprises Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and south China's Yunnan and Guangxi provinces.
Hydropower projects - many of which are planned with funding from Chinese, Thai, or other regional and Western investors - are often controversial due to their heavy environmental and social impacts. These disproportionately affect local villagers, while some dams - especially on the mainstream Mekong - can impact fish stocks across the region.
A total of 11 Mekong dams have been planned: nine are located in Laos – two of which are under construction and a third is approved – while two dams are proposed in Cambodia. Environmental group International Rivers has warned for years that the dams threaten the livelihoods of millions of poor fish-dependent villagers.
Campaigners, local activists, and downstream countries such as Vietnam have tried in vain to stop the dams. Coal-fired plants, meanwhile, are often opposed as they cause serious local air pollution, while they release carbon, which worsens climate change.
The Stimson Center researchers said alternative solar and wind technologies are quickly becoming more affordable and efficient, while these can also offer energy solutions in rural areas without grid connections.
They note, for example, that the U.S. average cost per unit for these respective energy sources dropped 85 percent and 65 percent between 2009 and 2016 — a trend that is likely to continue.
Weatherby said, "If you have solar available in the next few years at 6 cents a kilowatt hour, then some of the most-damaging dams really don't make sense when you look at the economic calculus for building them" as many planned Mekong Region dams would sell power at 8 or 9 cent per unit.
Grid expansion
Experts said that as the Mekong countries expand their electricity sources and national grids through new technology and investment, there are also opportunities to improve efficiency in transmission, increase cross-border energy trade, and expand connections in rural areas.
"Through new power grid transmission, regional power trade and transmission mechanisms, the region can do more with a less-damaging power infrastructure," said Eyler.
Particularly, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, which have yet to develop large national grids, should expand through new grid management technology that can integrate renewable energy sources, while also investing in storage technology that can buffer intermittent supply from wind and solar energy.
Financing for energy supply innovation and grid expansion could come from the Asian Development Bank or China's new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the researchers suggested.
Cambodia looks to dams
Sao Sopheap, spokesperson of Cambodia's Ministry of Environment, said hydropower remained nonetheless attractive, while claiming that the government has the capacity to carry out comprehensive environmental impact assessments for dams and address their negative impacts.
"We still need [energy]. We can generate energy from many sources and hydropower from the dams, we think, is a renewable energy that Cambodia has good potential for," he said.
"The Ministry of Environment will do the environment impacts assessment… We check, evaluate and verify before agreeing that the study and evaluation is acceptable, and we (ensure) the environmental impacts can be reduced at maximum."
According to official figures, about half of the country's energy needs are currently met by hydropower, while almost a fifth is still imported from neighboring countries.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy could not be reached for comment.
On Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the 400-megawatt Lower Sesan II Dam, located on a Mekong tributary in northeastern Cambodia's Stung Treng Province. The country's largest dam was developed by Cambodian conglomerate Royal Group and a subsidiary of the state-owned China Huaneng Group Corporation.
At the event, Hun Sen played down concerns over the $800-million dam's impact on fisheries, adding that the effects of the nearby, 260-megawatt Don Sahong Dam - being built by Laos on a channel of the Mekong in an area where the rivers splits – had been negligible.
NGOs and local villagers have resisted the Lower Sesan 2 for years, but ultimately some 5,000 families were evicted from the area, while some 100 families held out for better compensation. Almost 40,000 upstream villagers are likely to see fish stocks collapse as fish migration routes become blocked, researchers have warned, while stocks could also suffer downstream.
Transparency and risk
The Stimson Center researchers said decisions on energy projects are not motivated by economic reasoning alone and they urged greater transparency in decision-making about, and allocation of, project tenders.
"Key changes would be to have competitive bidding for projects, which opens up opportunity for more outside analysis of what happens with individual projects," said Weatherby.
The Mekong Region countries are plagued by high-level corruption and allegations of kickbacks for government officials awarding project contracts are not uncommon.
Richard Cronin, a Stimson Center fellow who was not involved in the report, said investment in large projects such as mega-dams also carry political and economic risks as projects can run aground. The China-backed Myitsone Dam in Myanmar, for example, was suspended by the government in 2011 following a public backlash against Chinese investment, which is deeply unpopular in the country.
"The Chinese still have like $1.2 billion in investment tied up in that project. It's not going anywhere right now," he said.
A recent push by the new National League for Democracy government to build more coal-fired plants and lower the energy share of hydropower dams is meanwhile running into local opposition at project sites in southern Myanmar.
Cambodia's first solar farm
Despite the Cambodian government's focus on hydropower dams, alternative energy project are advancing with donor support. On September 6, the country's first solar farm, with a capacity of 10 Megawatt, came online in the eastern Svay Rieng Province. The $9.2 million project was developed by the Singapore-based Sunseap Group and funded through an Asian Development Bank loan.
During the opening ceremony, Keo Rottanak, director-general of state-run Electricite du Cambodge, lauded the clean energy it would provide and said a similar project could be developed near the capital Phnom Penh.
Independent experts and activists said developing such projects and creating a sizable wind and solar energy sectors in Cambodia would offer social and environmental benefits. But they warned that increasing supply and making the sectors price competitive with hydropower requires much more research, planning and investment.
"The challenge for this energy is the price… (currently) it requires users to buy energy at higher price. So production is the challenge," said Tek Vannara, executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia.
Seak Sophat, the head of the Department of Natural Resource Management and Development at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said for now hydropower has the upper hand and remains a good option "if we can construct it at a place where it has no impacts on natural resources and environment."
Household solar panels
Meanwhile, rural Cambodian households are also becoming aware of the increasingly affordable solar-power technology. Household solar panels have become increasingly popular in recent years, with thousands of rural families installing the panels so that they can charge a battery to power simple home appliances.
Sun Sothea, 35, one of many market traders in Thnanh Village, Svay Rieng Province, said he bought a solar panel last year for about $400, which he said brings enough power to his home to use the lights and fans to cool off in the tropical heat.
"I cannot use it with big things, like running machinery or water pumps," he said. "We still need (more) electricity soon."
Another villager, In Boy, 65, said, "Since I have been waiting for electricity for so long, I decided to buy solar power to use. It's so boring when there's no electricity… Other residents in other areas have it too."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article: https://www.voacambodia.com/a/solar-wind-advances-offer-mekong-countries-alternatives-to-dams-coal-experts/4045082.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Mekong Region countries like Cambodia should reconsider their plans to expand hydropower dams and coal plants, as the costs of alternative energy sources, such as solar power, are rapidly falling, a U.S. think-tank said, while improved regional grid connections can also ease growing energy demand.
Experts of the Washington-based Stimson Center provided these recommendations following the launch of a report in July that analyzed the economic and technological opportunities for improving and diversifying the Mekong Region's energy mix.
Brian Eyler, who co-authored the report, said the region's governments would be wise to review their energy master plans in order to not miss out on opportunities offered by new technologies, which carry less environmental and social impacts than large hydropower dams and coal-fired plants.
"It's a good time to take a pause. Our message is not for countries in the Mekong Subregion to stop power-sector planning, but… to take a look at these emerging trends," he said.
Courtney Weatherby, another author of the report titled "Mekong Power Shift: Emerging Trends in the GMS Power Sector," said changing current energy master plans to include more wind and solar power, and cross-border energy trade, makes economic sense.
"There are a lot of changes that will have to happen in the power-utility sector that may be disruptive in the short term, but in the long term they will lead to much more flexible and resilient system," she said.
Dams vs solar costs
Hundreds of large dams have been built or planned on the Mekong and its tributaries, as well as other rivers, in the Greater Mekong Subregion, which comprises Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and south China's Yunnan and Guangxi provinces.
Hydropower projects - many of which are planned with funding from Chinese, Thai, or other regional and Western investors - are often controversial due to their heavy environmental and social impacts. These disproportionately affect local villagers, while some dams - especially on the mainstream Mekong - can impact fish stocks across the region.
A total of 11 Mekong dams have been planned: nine are located in Laos – two of which are under construction and a third is approved – while two dams are proposed in Cambodia. Environmental group International Rivers has warned for years that the dams threaten the livelihoods of millions of poor fish-dependent villagers.
Campaigners, local activists, and downstream countries such as Vietnam have tried in vain to stop the dams. Coal-fired plants, meanwhile, are often opposed as they cause serious local air pollution, while they release carbon, which worsens climate change.
The Stimson Center researchers said alternative solar and wind technologies are quickly becoming more affordable and efficient, while these can also offer energy solutions in rural areas without grid connections.
They note, for example, that the U.S. average cost per unit for these respective energy sources dropped 85 percent and 65 percent between 2009 and 2016 — a trend that is likely to continue.
Weatherby said, "If you have solar available in the next few years at 6 cents a kilowatt hour, then some of the most-damaging dams really don't make sense when you look at the economic calculus for building them" as many planned Mekong Region dams would sell power at 8 or 9 cent per unit.
Grid expansion
Experts said that as the Mekong countries expand their electricity sources and national grids through new technology and investment, there are also opportunities to improve efficiency in transmission, increase cross-border energy trade, and expand connections in rural areas.
"Through new power grid transmission, regional power trade and transmission mechanisms, the region can do more with a less-damaging power infrastructure," said Eyler.
Particularly, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, which have yet to develop large national grids, should expand through new grid management technology that can integrate renewable energy sources, while also investing in storage technology that can buffer intermittent supply from wind and solar energy.
Financing for energy supply innovation and grid expansion could come from the Asian Development Bank or China's new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the researchers suggested.
Cambodia looks to dams
Sao Sopheap, spokesperson of Cambodia's Ministry of Environment, said hydropower remained nonetheless attractive, while claiming that the government has the capacity to carry out comprehensive environmental impact assessments for dams and address their negative impacts.
"We still need [energy]. We can generate energy from many sources and hydropower from the dams, we think, is a renewable energy that Cambodia has good potential for," he said.
"The Ministry of Environment will do the environment impacts assessment… We check, evaluate and verify before agreeing that the study and evaluation is acceptable, and we (ensure) the environmental impacts can be reduced at maximum."
According to official figures, about half of the country's energy needs are currently met by hydropower, while almost a fifth is still imported from neighboring countries.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy could not be reached for comment.
On Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the 400-megawatt Lower Sesan II Dam, located on a Mekong tributary in northeastern Cambodia's Stung Treng Province. The country's largest dam was developed by Cambodian conglomerate Royal Group and a subsidiary of the state-owned China Huaneng Group Corporation.
At the event, Hun Sen played down concerns over the $800-million dam's impact on fisheries, adding that the effects of the nearby, 260-megawatt Don Sahong Dam - being built by Laos on a channel of the Mekong in an area where the rivers splits – had been negligible.
NGOs and local villagers have resisted the Lower Sesan 2 for years, but ultimately some 5,000 families were evicted from the area, while some 100 families held out for better compensation. Almost 40,000 upstream villagers are likely to see fish stocks collapse as fish migration routes become blocked, researchers have warned, while stocks could also suffer downstream.
Transparency and risk
The Stimson Center researchers said decisions on energy projects are not motivated by economic reasoning alone and they urged greater transparency in decision-making about, and allocation of, project tenders.
"Key changes would be to have competitive bidding for projects, which opens up opportunity for more outside analysis of what happens with individual projects," said Weatherby.
The Mekong Region countries are plagued by high-level corruption and allegations of kickbacks for government officials awarding project contracts are not uncommon.
Richard Cronin, a Stimson Center fellow who was not involved in the report, said investment in large projects such as mega-dams also carry political and economic risks as projects can run aground. The China-backed Myitsone Dam in Myanmar, for example, was suspended by the government in 2011 following a public backlash against Chinese investment, which is deeply unpopular in the country.
"The Chinese still have like $1.2 billion in investment tied up in that project. It's not going anywhere right now," he said.
A recent push by the new National League for Democracy government to build more coal-fired plants and lower the energy share of hydropower dams is meanwhile running into local opposition at project sites in southern Myanmar.
Cambodia's first solar farm
Despite the Cambodian government's focus on hydropower dams, alternative energy project are advancing with donor support. On September 6, the country's first solar farm, with a capacity of 10 Megawatt, came online in the eastern Svay Rieng Province. The $9.2 million project was developed by the Singapore-based Sunseap Group and funded through an Asian Development Bank loan.
During the opening ceremony, Keo Rottanak, director-general of state-run Electricite du Cambodge, lauded the clean energy it would provide and said a similar project could be developed near the capital Phnom Penh.
Independent experts and activists said developing such projects and creating a sizable wind and solar energy sectors in Cambodia would offer social and environmental benefits. But they warned that increasing supply and making the sectors price competitive with hydropower requires much more research, planning and investment.
"The challenge for this energy is the price… (currently) it requires users to buy energy at higher price. So production is the challenge," said Tek Vannara, executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia.
Seak Sophat, the head of the Department of Natural Resource Management and Development at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said for now hydropower has the upper hand and remains a good option "if we can construct it at a place where it has no impacts on natural resources and environment."
Household solar panels
Meanwhile, rural Cambodian households are also becoming aware of the increasingly affordable solar-power technology. Household solar panels have become increasingly popular in recent years, with thousands of rural families installing the panels so that they can charge a battery to power simple home appliances.
Sun Sothea, 35, one of many market traders in Thnanh Village, Svay Rieng Province, said he bought a solar panel last year for about $400, which he said brings enough power to his home to use the lights and fans to cool off in the tropical heat.
"I cannot use it with big things, like running machinery or water pumps," he said. "We still need (more) electricity soon."
Another villager, In Boy, 65, said, "Since I have been waiting for electricity for so long, I decided to buy solar power to use. It's so boring when there's no electricity… Other residents in other areas have it too."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article: https://www.voacambodia.com/a/solar-wind-advances-offer-mekong-countries-alternatives-to-dams-coal-experts/4045082.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Malaysia, Thailand, Laos to sign energy-trading deal
Malaysia, Thailand, Laos to sign energy-trading deal
MALAYSIA, Thailand and Laos are set to sign a deal that will allow
electricity trading among the three countries in a move that takes the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a step forward in its plan
for greater power connectivity, the Philippines' energy department said.
"They are going to sign an agreement . I think it's more on the [power] grid
- they will interconnect, on Thursday," said Department of Energy (DoE)
Undersecretary Felix William B.
Fuentebella in a press conference on Monday to set the guidelines for media
covering the 35th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting in Pasay City.
The meeting, which is set from Sept. 25-29 at Conrad Hotel, will gather the
region's energy ministers except for three nations that will send heads of
delegation because of pressing issues in their territories. It formally
opens on Wednesday, although technical representatives of the 10 ASEAN
member states have made advanced meetings.
Mr. Fuentebella did not disclose details of the Malaysia-Thailand-Laos
electricity deal except to point that is is part of the ASEAN Plan of Action
for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) for 2016-2025, a sort of blueprint for
regional energy cooperation.
He said an ASEAN-wide power grid is one of seven program areas that member
states will discuss in the coming days. The others are a trans-ASEAN gas
pipeline; coal and clean coal technology; energy efficiency and
conservation; renewable energy; regional energy policy and planning; and
civilian nuclear energy.
"ASEAN recognizes the critical role of an efficient, reliable and resilient
electricity infrastructure in stimulating regional economic growth and
development. To meet the growing electricity demand, huge investments in
power generation capacity will be required," the ASEAN action plan states.
It said the construction of the regional power grid is first done on
cross-border bilateral terms, then expanded to a sub-regional basis and
finally to a total integrated regional system.
"It is expected to enhance electricity trade across borders which would
provide benefits to meet the rising electricity demand and improve access to
energy services in the region," it added.
For the Philippines, Mr. Fuentebella said grid interconnection with the rest
of the region is a distant goal, although an energy technical arm is
studying the plan. He said countries within a contiguous area would be
closer to fulfilling that plan.
He said during the five-day event, the country is set to hold bilateral
meetings with several countries in ASEAN, the regional bloc that groups
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
He also said the Philippines and China will meet to give updates on their
energy cooperation agreement signed last year.
"They (China) are trying to understand our system for engaging in the energy
business," he said, adding that for Chinese businesses a private
sector-driven energy sector is a different concept.
"They are trying to understand how they will engage. They are trying to
understand the wholesale electricity spot market, how to contract in a power
supply agreement, whom to talk to," he said.
He said the engagement with China is with the view to a possible investment
in the local energy sector.
"They are exploring because we tell them that the generation and the supply
side is competitive but as far as the distribution and transmission, [they
are] highly regulated," he said.
"If you want to practice, if you want to invest here in the Philippines,
even if we have a small demand, our system is very competitive," he said
about how the department is packaging the country as a good investment area
for China.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://bworldonline.com/malaysia-thailand-laos-sign-energy-trading-deal/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
MALAYSIA, Thailand and Laos are set to sign a deal that will allow
electricity trading among the three countries in a move that takes the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a step forward in its plan
for greater power connectivity, the Philippines' energy department said.
"They are going to sign an agreement . I think it's more on the [power] grid
- they will interconnect, on Thursday," said Department of Energy (DoE)
Undersecretary Felix William B.
Fuentebella in a press conference on Monday to set the guidelines for media
covering the 35th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting in Pasay City.
The meeting, which is set from Sept. 25-29 at Conrad Hotel, will gather the
region's energy ministers except for three nations that will send heads of
delegation because of pressing issues in their territories. It formally
opens on Wednesday, although technical representatives of the 10 ASEAN
member states have made advanced meetings.
Mr. Fuentebella did not disclose details of the Malaysia-Thailand-Laos
electricity deal except to point that is is part of the ASEAN Plan of Action
for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) for 2016-2025, a sort of blueprint for
regional energy cooperation.
He said an ASEAN-wide power grid is one of seven program areas that member
states will discuss in the coming days. The others are a trans-ASEAN gas
pipeline; coal and clean coal technology; energy efficiency and
conservation; renewable energy; regional energy policy and planning; and
civilian nuclear energy.
"ASEAN recognizes the critical role of an efficient, reliable and resilient
electricity infrastructure in stimulating regional economic growth and
development. To meet the growing electricity demand, huge investments in
power generation capacity will be required," the ASEAN action plan states.
It said the construction of the regional power grid is first done on
cross-border bilateral terms, then expanded to a sub-regional basis and
finally to a total integrated regional system.
"It is expected to enhance electricity trade across borders which would
provide benefits to meet the rising electricity demand and improve access to
energy services in the region," it added.
For the Philippines, Mr. Fuentebella said grid interconnection with the rest
of the region is a distant goal, although an energy technical arm is
studying the plan. He said countries within a contiguous area would be
closer to fulfilling that plan.
He said during the five-day event, the country is set to hold bilateral
meetings with several countries in ASEAN, the regional bloc that groups
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
He also said the Philippines and China will meet to give updates on their
energy cooperation agreement signed last year.
"They (China) are trying to understand our system for engaging in the energy
business," he said, adding that for Chinese businesses a private
sector-driven energy sector is a different concept.
"They are trying to understand how they will engage. They are trying to
understand the wholesale electricity spot market, how to contract in a power
supply agreement, whom to talk to," he said.
He said the engagement with China is with the view to a possible investment
in the local energy sector.
"They are exploring because we tell them that the generation and the supply
side is competitive but as far as the distribution and transmission, [they
are] highly regulated," he said.
"If you want to practice, if you want to invest here in the Philippines,
even if we have a small demand, our system is very competitive," he said
about how the department is packaging the country as a good investment area
for China.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://bworldonline.com/malaysia-thailand-laos-sign-energy-trading-deal/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Philippines: Negros sugar refinery to have biomass plant
Philippines: Negros sugar refinery to have biomass plant
The country's largest sugar refinery is expected to finish the construction
of its 64-megawatt biomass plant this year.
The Biomass Cogeneration Project of the Victorias Milling Company (VMC) in
Victorias City, Negros Occidental will be finished this year. It is designed
to produce power for the refinery and also export to the power grid, VMC
Chief Operating Officer Minnie Chua said Saturday.
The plant will be built in the 200-hectare VMC headquarters and will run
mainly on bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane after being processed to extract
sugar.
In an interview, Chua said the renewable energy plant is expected to run by
October or November.
Chua said around 25 MW of its generated power will be exported to the power
grid, but since the grid is congested, it will have to be upgraded first by
the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
With the new source of power for the company, Chua said sugar could be
milled year round.
"Whole year operations are possible with this cogeneration project but we
also need to do repairs on our milling equipment to ensure that no
breakdowns will happen," she said.
VMC also opened milling operations last September 20 together with the other
two sugar centrals in the province.
Chua assured that their mills are running at maximum capacity, which is
15,000 to 16,000 tons of sugar a day.
"We are doing everything and our best to support our sugar planters who are
also our partners despite the current situation," Chua said.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/25/negros-sugar-refinery-to-have-biomass-plant
/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
The country's largest sugar refinery is expected to finish the construction
of its 64-megawatt biomass plant this year.
The Biomass Cogeneration Project of the Victorias Milling Company (VMC) in
Victorias City, Negros Occidental will be finished this year. It is designed
to produce power for the refinery and also export to the power grid, VMC
Chief Operating Officer Minnie Chua said Saturday.
The plant will be built in the 200-hectare VMC headquarters and will run
mainly on bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane after being processed to extract
sugar.
In an interview, Chua said the renewable energy plant is expected to run by
October or November.
Chua said around 25 MW of its generated power will be exported to the power
grid, but since the grid is congested, it will have to be upgraded first by
the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.
With the new source of power for the company, Chua said sugar could be
milled year round.
"Whole year operations are possible with this cogeneration project but we
also need to do repairs on our milling equipment to ensure that no
breakdowns will happen," she said.
VMC also opened milling operations last September 20 together with the other
two sugar centrals in the province.
Chua assured that their mills are running at maximum capacity, which is
15,000 to 16,000 tons of sugar a day.
"We are doing everything and our best to support our sugar planters who are
also our partners despite the current situation," Chua said.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/25/negros-sugar-refinery-to-have-biomass-plant
/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Singapore: GoodFuels Marine, BHP, and MPA collaborate on biofuels during closed-door roundtable
Singapore: GoodFuels Marine, BHP, and MPA collaborate on biofuels during
closed-door roundtable
In Singapore, a closed-door biofuel roundtable organized by the Maritime and
Port Authority of Singapore, BHP and GoodFuels Marine, brought some
excitement to the maritime biofuels world - almost as much excitement as
when we first saw Monty Python's the Knights of the Roundtable song and
dance.
While we didn't hear about any dancing or singing at the roundtable, it was
thrilling nonetheless with a meeting in one of the world's largest shipping
hubs that brought together shipowners and others in maritime to network,
share insights into the use of biofuels to meet increasingly stringent
environmental regulations, and explore areas of collaboration.
And collaborate they did! One of the roundtable results was a signed Letter
of Intent by MPA, BHP and GoodFuels to collaborate on a biofuels pilot
project in Singapore, which is expected to be carried out early next year.
The roundtable's goal was to drive discussions on the use of biofuels as a
sustainable alternative fuel for the future of shipping, and like the
Knights of the Roundtable, they certainly had all the right players at the
table.
The Nanyang Technological University soon to be established center of
excellence focusing on maritime environment and energy, with support from
MPA and the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI), was also present to seek
collaborative partnerships with shipowners to deepen Singapore's
capabilities on the maritime environment and bio-energy front.
Several other shipowner companies were at the roundtable as well, including
Berge Bulk, Boskalis, Oldendorff, Mitsui OSK Lines and NYK Bulkship.
The pilot project
While other shipowners may get involved, BHP, an Australian-based extractor
and processor of minerals, oil and gas which has marketing and sales based
in Singapore, will be the first to get their vessel refueled or bunkered in
Singapore as part of the pilot project.
GoodFuels CEO, Dirk Kronemeijer, told the Digest over the weekend, "We
believe that biofuels will play a crucial role to help tackle the most
crucial challenge and emission parameter of the next decade in shipping:
CO2. We are therefore on a mission to roll out our service points across the
globe as fast as we can together with our partners and clients. Singapore as
largest bunkering hub in the world is therefore a logical first step in Asia
for us - based on a great first client helping to pave the low Carbon way
for us: BHP."
The pilot project will be implemented in early 2018 so that biofuels would
be available in the port of Singapore. The feedstock for the pilot project
will be used cooking oil (UCO) and project completion is not confirmed yet
as it will depend on the delivery frequency and volumes, according to a
Digest interview with Isabel Welten, GoodFuels' Business Development Manager
Marine.
Welten also confirmed with the Digest that the long-term plan is to get the
project to commercialization and is the reason why MPA is involved. "The
pilot will serve as a means for the shipowner(s) to get acquainted with
biofuels," Welten told the Digest. "Based on the market demand, we aim to
get some local incentives in place."
What the good knights say
One of the reasons we are so enthusiastic about this roundtable is because
all the players around the table are pretty darn excited too, and for good
reason since Singapore is one of the largest shipping hubs in the world.
Tan Suan Jow, Director (Sustainability Office) of MPA, said in their press
release, "As the largest bunkering hub in the world, Singapore is working
towards providing cleaner alternative sources of fuel to cater to the future
energy needs of the global shipping industry. Among the topics discussed at
the roundtable included barriers to the use to biofuels and how these could
be addressed." He also said they had ongoing efforts towards a clean, green
and community-oriented port as MPA prepares for Singapore's future port.
Who is MPA anyway? The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has a
mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international
maritime center, and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime
interests. MPA takes on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port
Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative.
Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA said, "The roundtable comes at an
opportune time in light of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO)
0.5% global sulphur cap on marine fuels which will come into effect from
2020, as well as IMO's longer term plan to lower carbon emissions for
shipping. MPA welcomes dialogues across stakeholders and will continue to
work with relevant parties as we prepare the bunkering industry for the
future."
Abdes Karimi, Manager Ocean Freight Operations and Sustainability of BHP,
said, "In a world fighting to combat climate change, it is important that
marine biofuels get in the 'evoked set' of options for shippers to choose
from. Today, BHP is proud to have taken the leading role in this
initiative."
And of course, Kronemeijer at GoodFuels said, "We are very proud that our
'biofuel-footprint' of supply locations and sustainable customers is
spreading from Europe to the largest bunkering port in the world and our
first Asian partner as well. From now on, sustainable marine biofuels are
available in Singapore for those ship and freight owners that want to
eliminate their carbon and sulphur emissions."
The excitement builds upon other actions by head knight, GoodFuels
We see GoodFuels as one of the leaders in this roundtable because of other
recent actions they have taken to push biofuels further in the marine
industry.
This June, as reported in Biofuels Digest, HEINEKEN Netherlands, Nedcargo
and GoodFuels launched a pilot to demonstrate a sustainable drop-in marine
fuel on-board of the 'For Ever' - an inland barge dedicated to transport
Heineken export beer, from the HEINEKEN brewery in Zoeterwoude to the
deep-sea terminals in Rotterdam. The advanced marine fuel supplied by
GoodFuels contains 30% biofuel and thereby reduces CO2-emissions by more
than 25%, whilst also sharply reducing local emissions as nitrogen and
particulate matter. The project will showcase the possibility of reducing
emissions of inland waterway transport without any vessel modification.
That's pretty impressive in our book.
GoodFuels has also taken the lead by developing the GoodShipping Program to
help cargo owners boost biofuel uptake, as reported in the Digest in May.
The groundbreaking initiative enables ocean cargo owners with a quick,
transparent and convenient way to reduce their carbon footprint - from the
industry itself, and not from alternative mitigation schemes - by driving
'purchasing' biofuel in an initiative that is designed to accelerate
low-carbon fuels in the marine fuel mix.
The 'GoodShipping Program' comes at a pivotal moment for an industry that
has always been regarded environmentally friendly (on a ton-mile basis).
Following the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, in which shipping emissions
were omitted, alongside aviation, the industry has been exposed and does not
have a clear target or approach for its GHG, or carbon, reduction. It is
expected that emissions from shipping will increase with 50% to 250% by
2050, which would mean the sector becomes responsible for more than 15% of
the total global CO2-emissions.
The excitement continues as we reported in March that GoodFuels won Port of
Amsterdam's tender for its fleet of five patrol vessels. The vessels will
now run on fuel containing 30% biodiesel, reducing CO2 emissions by 25%
compared to fossil diesel. Kronemeijer said, "Port of Amsterdam and Port of
Rotterdam have actively supported the development of marine biofuels from
the beginning. This is why we are especially pleased that, after a
successful pilot, Port of Amsterdam will be able to reduce the CO2 emissions
of its own patrol vessels by 25%. We are in turn committed to further invest
in the Port in the field of the storage, production and distribution of
sustainable marine biofuels in order to accelerate the development towards
clean and low-carbon shipping."
As reported in the Digest in September, 2016, Boskalis and GoodFuels Marine
successfully tested sustainable wood-based drop-in biofuel called UPM
BioVerno in a dredger. The fuel supplied by Finnish UPM Biofuels was the
first ever biofuel derived from wood residue used in a marine fleet.
Boskalis vessel "EDAX", a 1696 deadweight tonne (DWT) cutter suction
dredger, successfully used the fuel in bio/fossil blends going up to 50% as
it worked on phase one of the Marker Wadden project in the first half of
2016. This resulted in a CO2 saving of 600Mt over the operating period.
Check out the Digest's 2016 8-Slide Guide to GoodFuels Marine.
The bottom line
Working on a pilot project in one of the world's largest shipping hubs is a
big deal and something worth singing and dancing about. With the MPA, BHP
and GoodFuels working together to get biofuels more of a reality on shipping
and maritime vessels, we foresee more exciting things happening to bring
more sustainable biofuels to an industry that really needs it. Given
GoodFuels recent history on other projects, they seem to really be moving
the needle forward and it's just a matter of time before we see biofuels
more intricately connected with the maritime industry like it has been with
the aviation industry.
We see this as that middle step for the maritime industry - it's beyond
talks and now moving into action with pilot projects and real deals. Based
on our communications with GoodFuels, stay tuned as we see a lot more
movement coming with maritime biofuels and we expect more news coming from
them in the next few months.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2017/09/24/singing-a-song-in-singapore
-goodfuels-marine-bhp-and-mpa-collaborate-on-biofuels-during-closed-door-rou
ndtable/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
closed-door roundtable
In Singapore, a closed-door biofuel roundtable organized by the Maritime and
Port Authority of Singapore, BHP and GoodFuels Marine, brought some
excitement to the maritime biofuels world - almost as much excitement as
when we first saw Monty Python's the Knights of the Roundtable song and
dance.
While we didn't hear about any dancing or singing at the roundtable, it was
thrilling nonetheless with a meeting in one of the world's largest shipping
hubs that brought together shipowners and others in maritime to network,
share insights into the use of biofuels to meet increasingly stringent
environmental regulations, and explore areas of collaboration.
And collaborate they did! One of the roundtable results was a signed Letter
of Intent by MPA, BHP and GoodFuels to collaborate on a biofuels pilot
project in Singapore, which is expected to be carried out early next year.
The roundtable's goal was to drive discussions on the use of biofuels as a
sustainable alternative fuel for the future of shipping, and like the
Knights of the Roundtable, they certainly had all the right players at the
table.
The Nanyang Technological University soon to be established center of
excellence focusing on maritime environment and energy, with support from
MPA and the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI), was also present to seek
collaborative partnerships with shipowners to deepen Singapore's
capabilities on the maritime environment and bio-energy front.
Several other shipowner companies were at the roundtable as well, including
Berge Bulk, Boskalis, Oldendorff, Mitsui OSK Lines and NYK Bulkship.
The pilot project
While other shipowners may get involved, BHP, an Australian-based extractor
and processor of minerals, oil and gas which has marketing and sales based
in Singapore, will be the first to get their vessel refueled or bunkered in
Singapore as part of the pilot project.
GoodFuels CEO, Dirk Kronemeijer, told the Digest over the weekend, "We
believe that biofuels will play a crucial role to help tackle the most
crucial challenge and emission parameter of the next decade in shipping:
CO2. We are therefore on a mission to roll out our service points across the
globe as fast as we can together with our partners and clients. Singapore as
largest bunkering hub in the world is therefore a logical first step in Asia
for us - based on a great first client helping to pave the low Carbon way
for us: BHP."
The pilot project will be implemented in early 2018 so that biofuels would
be available in the port of Singapore. The feedstock for the pilot project
will be used cooking oil (UCO) and project completion is not confirmed yet
as it will depend on the delivery frequency and volumes, according to a
Digest interview with Isabel Welten, GoodFuels' Business Development Manager
Marine.
Welten also confirmed with the Digest that the long-term plan is to get the
project to commercialization and is the reason why MPA is involved. "The
pilot will serve as a means for the shipowner(s) to get acquainted with
biofuels," Welten told the Digest. "Based on the market demand, we aim to
get some local incentives in place."
What the good knights say
One of the reasons we are so enthusiastic about this roundtable is because
all the players around the table are pretty darn excited too, and for good
reason since Singapore is one of the largest shipping hubs in the world.
Tan Suan Jow, Director (Sustainability Office) of MPA, said in their press
release, "As the largest bunkering hub in the world, Singapore is working
towards providing cleaner alternative sources of fuel to cater to the future
energy needs of the global shipping industry. Among the topics discussed at
the roundtable included barriers to the use to biofuels and how these could
be addressed." He also said they had ongoing efforts towards a clean, green
and community-oriented port as MPA prepares for Singapore's future port.
Who is MPA anyway? The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has a
mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international
maritime center, and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime
interests. MPA takes on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port
Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative.
Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA said, "The roundtable comes at an
opportune time in light of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO)
0.5% global sulphur cap on marine fuels which will come into effect from
2020, as well as IMO's longer term plan to lower carbon emissions for
shipping. MPA welcomes dialogues across stakeholders and will continue to
work with relevant parties as we prepare the bunkering industry for the
future."
Abdes Karimi, Manager Ocean Freight Operations and Sustainability of BHP,
said, "In a world fighting to combat climate change, it is important that
marine biofuels get in the 'evoked set' of options for shippers to choose
from. Today, BHP is proud to have taken the leading role in this
initiative."
And of course, Kronemeijer at GoodFuels said, "We are very proud that our
'biofuel-footprint' of supply locations and sustainable customers is
spreading from Europe to the largest bunkering port in the world and our
first Asian partner as well. From now on, sustainable marine biofuels are
available in Singapore for those ship and freight owners that want to
eliminate their carbon and sulphur emissions."
The excitement builds upon other actions by head knight, GoodFuels
We see GoodFuels as one of the leaders in this roundtable because of other
recent actions they have taken to push biofuels further in the marine
industry.
This June, as reported in Biofuels Digest, HEINEKEN Netherlands, Nedcargo
and GoodFuels launched a pilot to demonstrate a sustainable drop-in marine
fuel on-board of the 'For Ever' - an inland barge dedicated to transport
Heineken export beer, from the HEINEKEN brewery in Zoeterwoude to the
deep-sea terminals in Rotterdam. The advanced marine fuel supplied by
GoodFuels contains 30% biofuel and thereby reduces CO2-emissions by more
than 25%, whilst also sharply reducing local emissions as nitrogen and
particulate matter. The project will showcase the possibility of reducing
emissions of inland waterway transport without any vessel modification.
That's pretty impressive in our book.
GoodFuels has also taken the lead by developing the GoodShipping Program to
help cargo owners boost biofuel uptake, as reported in the Digest in May.
The groundbreaking initiative enables ocean cargo owners with a quick,
transparent and convenient way to reduce their carbon footprint - from the
industry itself, and not from alternative mitigation schemes - by driving
'purchasing' biofuel in an initiative that is designed to accelerate
low-carbon fuels in the marine fuel mix.
The 'GoodShipping Program' comes at a pivotal moment for an industry that
has always been regarded environmentally friendly (on a ton-mile basis).
Following the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, in which shipping emissions
were omitted, alongside aviation, the industry has been exposed and does not
have a clear target or approach for its GHG, or carbon, reduction. It is
expected that emissions from shipping will increase with 50% to 250% by
2050, which would mean the sector becomes responsible for more than 15% of
the total global CO2-emissions.
The excitement continues as we reported in March that GoodFuels won Port of
Amsterdam's tender for its fleet of five patrol vessels. The vessels will
now run on fuel containing 30% biodiesel, reducing CO2 emissions by 25%
compared to fossil diesel. Kronemeijer said, "Port of Amsterdam and Port of
Rotterdam have actively supported the development of marine biofuels from
the beginning. This is why we are especially pleased that, after a
successful pilot, Port of Amsterdam will be able to reduce the CO2 emissions
of its own patrol vessels by 25%. We are in turn committed to further invest
in the Port in the field of the storage, production and distribution of
sustainable marine biofuels in order to accelerate the development towards
clean and low-carbon shipping."
As reported in the Digest in September, 2016, Boskalis and GoodFuels Marine
successfully tested sustainable wood-based drop-in biofuel called UPM
BioVerno in a dredger. The fuel supplied by Finnish UPM Biofuels was the
first ever biofuel derived from wood residue used in a marine fleet.
Boskalis vessel "EDAX", a 1696 deadweight tonne (DWT) cutter suction
dredger, successfully used the fuel in bio/fossil blends going up to 50% as
it worked on phase one of the Marker Wadden project in the first half of
2016. This resulted in a CO2 saving of 600Mt over the operating period.
Check out the Digest's 2016 8-Slide Guide to GoodFuels Marine.
The bottom line
Working on a pilot project in one of the world's largest shipping hubs is a
big deal and something worth singing and dancing about. With the MPA, BHP
and GoodFuels working together to get biofuels more of a reality on shipping
and maritime vessels, we foresee more exciting things happening to bring
more sustainable biofuels to an industry that really needs it. Given
GoodFuels recent history on other projects, they seem to really be moving
the needle forward and it's just a matter of time before we see biofuels
more intricately connected with the maritime industry like it has been with
the aviation industry.
We see this as that middle step for the maritime industry - it's beyond
talks and now moving into action with pilot projects and real deals. Based
on our communications with GoodFuels, stay tuned as we see a lot more
movement coming with maritime biofuels and we expect more news coming from
them in the next few months.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2017/09/24/singing-a-song-in-singapore
-goodfuels-marine-bhp-and-mpa-collaborate-on-biofuels-during-closed-door-rou
ndtable/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Indonesia: Pertamina Disburses $1.547 Bln for Jambaran Tiung Biru Gas Project
Indonesia: Pertamina Disburses $1.547 Bln for Jambaran Tiung Biru Gas
Project
PT Pertamina (Persero) through its subsidiary, PT Pertamina EP Cepu (PEPC),
is going to invest $1.547 billion for the Jambaran Tiung Biru (JTB) Gas
Field Unitization Project.
Pertamina is determined to realize JTB which is part of the national
strategic projects, to be able to provide multiplier effect for the national
economy.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan in Bojonegoro,
Monday (9/25/2017), inaugurated the groundbreaking of the Jambaran Tiung
Biru Gas Field Unitization Project.
Also present at the inauguration were Head of Oil and Gas Executive Task
Force (SKK Migas) Amien Sunaryadi, Head of Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory
Body (BPH Migas) Fanshurullah Asa, President Commissioner of PT Pertamina
(Persero) Tanri Abeng, President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Elia
Massa Manik, President Director of PT PLN (Persero) Sofyan Basir, and Regent
of Bojonegoro Suyoto.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/11925/pertamina.disburses..1
547.bln.for.jambaran.tiung.biru.gas.project
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Project
PT Pertamina (Persero) through its subsidiary, PT Pertamina EP Cepu (PEPC),
is going to invest $1.547 billion for the Jambaran Tiung Biru (JTB) Gas
Field Unitization Project.
Pertamina is determined to realize JTB which is part of the national
strategic projects, to be able to provide multiplier effect for the national
economy.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan in Bojonegoro,
Monday (9/25/2017), inaugurated the groundbreaking of the Jambaran Tiung
Biru Gas Field Unitization Project.
Also present at the inauguration were Head of Oil and Gas Executive Task
Force (SKK Migas) Amien Sunaryadi, Head of Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory
Body (BPH Migas) Fanshurullah Asa, President Commissioner of PT Pertamina
(Persero) Tanri Abeng, President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Elia
Massa Manik, President Director of PT PLN (Persero) Sofyan Basir, and Regent
of Bojonegoro Suyoto.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/11925/pertamina.disburses..1
547.bln.for.jambaran.tiung.biru.gas.project
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Thailand: Shell scopes out LNG trade
Thailand: Shell scopes out LNG trade
Thailand remains an important investment spot for Royal Dutch Shell Plc,
which plans to seek more opportunities to expand its liquefied natural gas
business here after the LNG trade was deregulated.
The company is focused on expanding its retail and non-oil business in
Thailand to help diversify risks as revenue from its oil business has
dropped in line with global oil prices, said downstream director John
Abbott.
For the LNG business, he said the company has concluded a deal to supply 1
million tonnes of LNG to PTT Plc, the national oil and gas conglomerate, for
15 years.
"We are the world's biggest LNG trader so we are interested in business in
Thailand, where demand is rising," Mr Abbott said. "We are also interested
in the overlapping maritime resource claims of Thailand and Cambodia."
Shell is waiting for the governments of the two countries to tackle that
dispute before it starts investing, he said.
With its strong expertise in LNG, Shell is also a major supplier to China,
particularly for big trucks.
But the company has not yet decided whether to compete in the LNG retail
business in Thailand, although the government has freed up the LNG trade to
allow new players after the sector was solely dominated by PTT Plc for six
years.
Asada Harinsuit, chairman of Shell Company of Thailand Ltd, said the company
will continue focusing on its non-oil and retail businesses to help
diversify risks, particularly at a time when global oil prices remain at
relatively low levels.
He said the company aims to increase the proportion of its non-oil business
to 50% by 2025, up from 20%.
As a result, Shell plans to increase the number of its petrol stations in
Thailand, currently numbering 521, by 30 a year.
The company also plans to renovate its petrol stations to be more
attractive, including modern convenience stores to boost sales.
Mr Asada said the company is also keen to participate in Thailand's
development of the Eastern Economic Corridor. He said the company will also
continue to invest in R&D to create new products with higher value.
Shell has allocated up to US$40 billion (1.32 billion baht) for R&D
globally.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1331515/shell-scopes-out-lng-trade
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Thailand remains an important investment spot for Royal Dutch Shell Plc,
which plans to seek more opportunities to expand its liquefied natural gas
business here after the LNG trade was deregulated.
The company is focused on expanding its retail and non-oil business in
Thailand to help diversify risks as revenue from its oil business has
dropped in line with global oil prices, said downstream director John
Abbott.
For the LNG business, he said the company has concluded a deal to supply 1
million tonnes of LNG to PTT Plc, the national oil and gas conglomerate, for
15 years.
"We are the world's biggest LNG trader so we are interested in business in
Thailand, where demand is rising," Mr Abbott said. "We are also interested
in the overlapping maritime resource claims of Thailand and Cambodia."
Shell is waiting for the governments of the two countries to tackle that
dispute before it starts investing, he said.
With its strong expertise in LNG, Shell is also a major supplier to China,
particularly for big trucks.
But the company has not yet decided whether to compete in the LNG retail
business in Thailand, although the government has freed up the LNG trade to
allow new players after the sector was solely dominated by PTT Plc for six
years.
Asada Harinsuit, chairman of Shell Company of Thailand Ltd, said the company
will continue focusing on its non-oil and retail businesses to help
diversify risks, particularly at a time when global oil prices remain at
relatively low levels.
He said the company aims to increase the proportion of its non-oil business
to 50% by 2025, up from 20%.
As a result, Shell plans to increase the number of its petrol stations in
Thailand, currently numbering 521, by 30 a year.
The company also plans to renovate its petrol stations to be more
attractive, including modern convenience stores to boost sales.
Mr Asada said the company is also keen to participate in Thailand's
development of the Eastern Economic Corridor. He said the company will also
continue to invest in R&D to create new products with higher value.
Shell has allocated up to US$40 billion (1.32 billion baht) for R&D
globally.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1331515/shell-scopes-out-lng-trade
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Laos: Egco buys stake in plant
Laos: Egco buys stake in plant
SET-listed Electricity Generating Plc (Egco) has signed an agreement to hold
a 25% stake in Nam Theun 1 hydropower plant in Laos, which has already
sealed a long-term contract to sell power to Thai and Laotian state
utilities.
Chanin Chaonirattisai, director and acting president of Egco Group, said the
company has reached a shareholders' agreement to buy a 25% stake in Nam
Theun 1 hydropower project, while Phonesack Group Co Ltd and EDL-Generation
Public Company (EDL-Gen) retain 60% and 15%, respectively.
The venture is named Nam Theun 1 Power Co Ltd (NT1PC) and plans to construct
and operate the 650-megawatt hydropower project located on the Nam Kading
River, in Bolikhamsai province in Laos.
The NT1PC has signed power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and Electricite du Laos (EDL).
The venture will supply 514.3MW to Egat and 130MW to EDL for 27 years,
starting from commercial operation commencing in 2022.
"Such investment follows our strategic direction to expand our overseas
portfolio in countries where the company has a strong presence and meets our
target to grow the renewable portfolio to 30% by year 2026," said Mr Chanin.
With this project, Egco Group's renewable portfolio rises to 1,040MW,
accounting for 23% of the company's total equity contracted capacity. The
project also enhances Thailand's power stability and responds to rising
power demand in Laos, he said.
In related news, Egco's board of directors announced the appointment of
Jakgrich Pibulpairoj as the company's new president. The board approved the
appointment on Sept 22.
Mr Jakgrich will assume the post on Oct 1, 2017, replacing Mr Chanin. Mr
Jakgrich currently serves as deputy governor of business development for
Egat. He has extensive experience in managing and developing power plant
efficiency.
Egco posted a net profit of 6.5 billion baht in the first half this year, up
from 4.6 billion year-on-year.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1331407/egco-buys-stake-in-plant
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
SET-listed Electricity Generating Plc (Egco) has signed an agreement to hold
a 25% stake in Nam Theun 1 hydropower plant in Laos, which has already
sealed a long-term contract to sell power to Thai and Laotian state
utilities.
Chanin Chaonirattisai, director and acting president of Egco Group, said the
company has reached a shareholders' agreement to buy a 25% stake in Nam
Theun 1 hydropower project, while Phonesack Group Co Ltd and EDL-Generation
Public Company (EDL-Gen) retain 60% and 15%, respectively.
The venture is named Nam Theun 1 Power Co Ltd (NT1PC) and plans to construct
and operate the 650-megawatt hydropower project located on the Nam Kading
River, in Bolikhamsai province in Laos.
The NT1PC has signed power purchasing agreements (PPAs) with Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and Electricite du Laos (EDL).
The venture will supply 514.3MW to Egat and 130MW to EDL for 27 years,
starting from commercial operation commencing in 2022.
"Such investment follows our strategic direction to expand our overseas
portfolio in countries where the company has a strong presence and meets our
target to grow the renewable portfolio to 30% by year 2026," said Mr Chanin.
With this project, Egco Group's renewable portfolio rises to 1,040MW,
accounting for 23% of the company's total equity contracted capacity. The
project also enhances Thailand's power stability and responds to rising
power demand in Laos, he said.
In related news, Egco's board of directors announced the appointment of
Jakgrich Pibulpairoj as the company's new president. The board approved the
appointment on Sept 22.
Mr Jakgrich will assume the post on Oct 1, 2017, replacing Mr Chanin. Mr
Jakgrich currently serves as deputy governor of business development for
Egat. He has extensive experience in managing and developing power plant
efficiency.
Egco posted a net profit of 6.5 billion baht in the first half this year, up
from 4.6 billion year-on-year.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1331407/egco-buys-stake-in-plant
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Vietnam To Launch Solar Power Auctions
Vietnam To Launch Solar Power Auctions
The World Bank and the Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) have
joined hands to implement a pilot auction program for solar projects.
According to a local media report, the program is aimed at accelerating the
development of registered projects, while simultaneously attracting new
capital investment in the emerging solar sector of Vietnam.
This plan was announced by Tran Hong Ky, energy expert of the World Bank, at
the inception workshop themed "National Assessment of the Development
Potential of Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic Projects in Vietnam until
2020 with a Vision to 2030," organized recently in Hanoi.
The workshop was jointly implemented by the Power and Renewable Energy
Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), and Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) on behalf of the
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
According to the plan, the Vietnamese government will issue set capacities
and interested developers can bid with complete project plans along with
feed-in tariff. The winner offering the lowest price will be awarded the
project. It is presently unclear how much solar capacity will be made
available for the investors under this program.
Vietnam has attracted the interest of foreign companies to invest in the
solar sector after the launch of the country's feed-in-tariff program in
June of this year, which offers a new 20-year FIT rate of VND2,086 per kWh
(not including value added tax), equivalent to 9.35¢/kWh to support the
development of utility-scale PV projects.
Companies in Vietnam are slowly warming up to renewable energy technologies.
Last year, a company proposed to set up 100 megawatts of solar PV in the
Quang Tri province. Canada's CMX Renewable Energy announced plans to invest
$150 million to set up a solar power project in the province of Ninh Thuan.
Renewable energy majors, including JA Solar and GE, had also announced plans
to set up base in the south-east Asian country.
JA Solar Holdings announced plans to set up its largest overseas solar
modules manufacturing factory in Vietnam. The factory will be spread across
88 hectares at Quang Chau industrial zone. The company is expected to invest
$1 billion to set up the factory. GE signed an agreement with the government
of Vietnam for the development of 1 gigawatt of wind energy capacity.
This solar power auction program will likely play a huge role in Vietnam's
attempt to achieve its renewable energy targets.
According to the current national plan, the government plans to increase
hydropower capacity from 17,000 MW at present to 21,600 MW by 2020 and
27,800 MW by 2030. Wind energy capacity is envisaged to be increased from
current 140 MW to 800 MW by 2020 and 6,000 MW by 2030. The government has
set a target to increase installed solar power capacity from current 850 MW
to 4,000 MW by the end of this decade and 12,000 MW by the end of next.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/09/25/vietnam-launch-solar-power-auctions/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
The World Bank and the Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) have
joined hands to implement a pilot auction program for solar projects.
According to a local media report, the program is aimed at accelerating the
development of registered projects, while simultaneously attracting new
capital investment in the emerging solar sector of Vietnam.
This plan was announced by Tran Hong Ky, energy expert of the World Bank, at
the inception workshop themed "National Assessment of the Development
Potential of Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic Projects in Vietnam until
2020 with a Vision to 2030," organized recently in Hanoi.
The workshop was jointly implemented by the Power and Renewable Energy
Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), and Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) on behalf of the
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
According to the plan, the Vietnamese government will issue set capacities
and interested developers can bid with complete project plans along with
feed-in tariff. The winner offering the lowest price will be awarded the
project. It is presently unclear how much solar capacity will be made
available for the investors under this program.
Vietnam has attracted the interest of foreign companies to invest in the
solar sector after the launch of the country's feed-in-tariff program in
June of this year, which offers a new 20-year FIT rate of VND2,086 per kWh
(not including value added tax), equivalent to 9.35¢/kWh to support the
development of utility-scale PV projects.
Companies in Vietnam are slowly warming up to renewable energy technologies.
Last year, a company proposed to set up 100 megawatts of solar PV in the
Quang Tri province. Canada's CMX Renewable Energy announced plans to invest
$150 million to set up a solar power project in the province of Ninh Thuan.
Renewable energy majors, including JA Solar and GE, had also announced plans
to set up base in the south-east Asian country.
JA Solar Holdings announced plans to set up its largest overseas solar
modules manufacturing factory in Vietnam. The factory will be spread across
88 hectares at Quang Chau industrial zone. The company is expected to invest
$1 billion to set up the factory. GE signed an agreement with the government
of Vietnam for the development of 1 gigawatt of wind energy capacity.
This solar power auction program will likely play a huge role in Vietnam's
attempt to achieve its renewable energy targets.
According to the current national plan, the government plans to increase
hydropower capacity from 17,000 MW at present to 21,600 MW by 2020 and
27,800 MW by 2030. Wind energy capacity is envisaged to be increased from
current 140 MW to 800 MW by 2020 and 6,000 MW by 2030. The government has
set a target to increase installed solar power capacity from current 850 MW
to 4,000 MW by the end of this decade and 12,000 MW by the end of next.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://cleantechnica.com/2017/09/25/vietnam-launch-solar-power-auctions/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Philippines: More LGUs opt for waste-to-energy projects
Philippines: More LGUs opt for waste-to-energy projects
More local governments are turning to waste-to-energy projects in disposing
their garbage in a trend environmentalists warned put to naught the efforts
at increasing the more sustainable solid-waste management efforts at waste
segregation.
"There could be hundreds of them now, proposing or accepting tenders from
foreign governments to adapt the waste-to-energy projects," said Aileen G.
Lucero, national coordinator of the Eco Waste Coalition.
Among the localities nearing completion of their projects were Cebu and
Manila, which Lucero said were in their advanced stages of preparation.
"They are in the stage of conducting the study or about to wrap them up, and
they are going into the budgeting process."
In Davao City, allied organizations have banded with the Eco Waste Coalition
to conduct forum with important community and institutional leaders in
schools, organizations and offices and to lobby with councilors "to
reconsider the negative impact of the project", said Bem Cabiza of the
Sustainable Davao Movement.
The coalition was granted a 10-minute privilege speech on Tuesday at the
Sangguniang Panlungsod here to present its views and facts about the
project.
Just like in the case of Tagum City two years ago, which opted for the
project and where the Eco Waste Coalition also admonished against the
project over its use of incineration, already banned under the Clean Air
Act, and the sustainability of the project on meeting the minimum volume
requirement to generate the expected energy output.
Davao City Information Chief Jefry Tupas said, "The city government is open
to all suggestions and positions, and we value all of them, taking into
consideration. The policies of the local government go through the usual
process, including consultations with the public."
"This is an LGU that listens to all but, at the same time, very decisive,"
he added.
Lucero said the increasing number of localities opting to adapt the
waste-to-energy project came after President Duterte mentioned the project
as a likely mode of disposing garbage during his first State of the Nation
Address.
But, she emphasized it was the marketing push of advanced economies to sell
their own less-used incinerators as the source of the sudden spike in the
number of local governments opting to adapt it.
"Many countries in Europe and many cities in the US are facing the problem
of disposing also their incinerators, as they are now less used because of
the fewer churn-out of garbage in their countries or cities," Lucero said.
"They are converging in the developing world, particularly in Southeast
Asia, to sell their incinerators," she added.
In the Philippines, it is Japan and China that are selling the projects. "We
do not even know if the machines are new or already used in their areas."
Unfortunately for these local governments in the Philippines, adapting the
project would also find themselves violating the Clean Air Act,
"specifically on Section 20 on the ban on the use of incinerators".
The waste-to-energy project uses incineration to generate energy from the
burnt waste, she said.
"Right now, we are seeing some lawmakers already proposing the amendment to
the Clean Air Act, especially on removing Section 20," Lucero added.
Cabiza said the minimum requirement for the project was 600 metric tons of
waste. Davao City generates only 500 metric tons daily.
"Worse, this would erase the developing discipline in waste segregation in
the level of the household. Although, there is still much to do after a good
first start back then in the first days of the solid-waste management
program in the city," said Ellen Trazo, president of the Ananda Seva, a
meditation group also engaged in neohumanism and environment concern.
Because of the huge volume requirement of the project, "people would likely
go back to the days when throwing garbage any time was the practice, without
thinking of segregating or sifting through useful items first".
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/more-lgus-opt-for-waste-to-energy-projects/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
More local governments are turning to waste-to-energy projects in disposing
their garbage in a trend environmentalists warned put to naught the efforts
at increasing the more sustainable solid-waste management efforts at waste
segregation.
"There could be hundreds of them now, proposing or accepting tenders from
foreign governments to adapt the waste-to-energy projects," said Aileen G.
Lucero, national coordinator of the Eco Waste Coalition.
Among the localities nearing completion of their projects were Cebu and
Manila, which Lucero said were in their advanced stages of preparation.
"They are in the stage of conducting the study or about to wrap them up, and
they are going into the budgeting process."
In Davao City, allied organizations have banded with the Eco Waste Coalition
to conduct forum with important community and institutional leaders in
schools, organizations and offices and to lobby with councilors "to
reconsider the negative impact of the project", said Bem Cabiza of the
Sustainable Davao Movement.
The coalition was granted a 10-minute privilege speech on Tuesday at the
Sangguniang Panlungsod here to present its views and facts about the
project.
Just like in the case of Tagum City two years ago, which opted for the
project and where the Eco Waste Coalition also admonished against the
project over its use of incineration, already banned under the Clean Air
Act, and the sustainability of the project on meeting the minimum volume
requirement to generate the expected energy output.
Davao City Information Chief Jefry Tupas said, "The city government is open
to all suggestions and positions, and we value all of them, taking into
consideration. The policies of the local government go through the usual
process, including consultations with the public."
"This is an LGU that listens to all but, at the same time, very decisive,"
he added.
Lucero said the increasing number of localities opting to adapt the
waste-to-energy project came after President Duterte mentioned the project
as a likely mode of disposing garbage during his first State of the Nation
Address.
But, she emphasized it was the marketing push of advanced economies to sell
their own less-used incinerators as the source of the sudden spike in the
number of local governments opting to adapt it.
"Many countries in Europe and many cities in the US are facing the problem
of disposing also their incinerators, as they are now less used because of
the fewer churn-out of garbage in their countries or cities," Lucero said.
"They are converging in the developing world, particularly in Southeast
Asia, to sell their incinerators," she added.
In the Philippines, it is Japan and China that are selling the projects. "We
do not even know if the machines are new or already used in their areas."
Unfortunately for these local governments in the Philippines, adapting the
project would also find themselves violating the Clean Air Act,
"specifically on Section 20 on the ban on the use of incinerators".
The waste-to-energy project uses incineration to generate energy from the
burnt waste, she said.
"Right now, we are seeing some lawmakers already proposing the amendment to
the Clean Air Act, especially on removing Section 20," Lucero added.
Cabiza said the minimum requirement for the project was 600 metric tons of
waste. Davao City generates only 500 metric tons daily.
"Worse, this would erase the developing discipline in waste segregation in
the level of the household. Although, there is still much to do after a good
first start back then in the first days of the solid-waste management
program in the city," said Ellen Trazo, president of the Ananda Seva, a
meditation group also engaged in neohumanism and environment concern.
Because of the huge volume requirement of the project, "people would likely
go back to the days when throwing garbage any time was the practice, without
thinking of segregating or sifting through useful items first".
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/more-lgus-opt-for-waste-to-energy-projects/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Cambodia: Sesan dam goes online, while PM dismisses environmental concerns
Cambodia: Sesan dam goes online, while PM dismisses environmental concerns
The floodgates of the largest and most controversial dam project in the country's history officially closed yesterday at an inauguration ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who took aim at environmentalists, ambassadors and NGOs in a wide-ranging speech.
During his one-hour address, the prime minister said the Lower Sesan II Dam, near the border with Laos in Stung Treng province, would lower electricity costs and put the Kingdom on its way to hooking up every village in the country to the electricity grid by 2022.
"There is no development that doesn't have an effect on the environment," Hun Sen said. "It's just a matter of more or less. But it requires consideration of whether we should or should not do it."
The dam's first turbine is expected to begin generating electricity by the end of November, with the rest expected to be fully operational by 2018.
A joint project between China-based Hydrolancang International Energy, Vietnam-based EVN International and Cambodia's Royal Group – chaired by Oknha Kith Meng – the dam will be privately operated before being handed over to the government after 40 years.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy said yesterday that the company will sell the electricity at a fixed rate of $0.07 per kilowatt hour, significantly less than national rates currently as high as $0.20.
However, the $800 million, 400-megawatt dam was controversial from the start, drawing protests from displaced locals and raising alarm among environmental experts.
Hun Sen dismissed those environmental concerns yesterday, criticising "radical environmentalists" and pointing out the explosive demand for energy in Cambodia, which has the most expensive electricity in the region.
"[Mother Nature] keeps causing problems on every issue," he said, referring to the recently dissolved environmental NGO. "If you do like this, how can we develop? We cannot do this or that. Coal and kerosene production, they said that it creates smoke. Producing electricity, it affects the environment."
In response, Mother Nature co-founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson called the prime minister's comments "disconnected from reality".
In his speech, the premier also took a shot at an unnamed diplomat who he said tried to persuade him to nix the Sesan dam project years ago due to its impact on fisheries.
"I was surprised because apparently Cambodian fish can climb trees and mountains," the prime minister joked. "My country's fish live in the Tonle Sap and Mekong River. They do not live in the Sesan River.
"After construction, just release more fish [into the river]," Hun Sen added.
Despite the premier's assessment, fish experts have long warned about damage to migration routes. Ian Baird, a geographer at the University of Wisconsin who studies Mekong River fisheries, said fish rely on the ability to move between the Sesan and Srepok rivers and the Tonle Sap to breed.
According to Baird, the negative impacts of the Sesan dam will be felt in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, all of which depend on the Mekong River system's annual flood cycle to deposit nutrient-rich soil on its banks. The dam will also prevent fish from migrating upstream to Cambodia's northern neighbours.
"It is a very sad day for Cambodia today," Baird said.
The dam has already displaced around 1,500 households and flooded tens of thousands of hectares of forest in Stung Treng's Sesan district.
Roughly 100 families in Sre Kor and Kbal Romeas villages who have refused to relocate remained defiant yesterday.
"Our stand remains the same," said Srang Lanh, 49, an ethnic Phnong woman from Kbal Romeas. "We do not want electricity. What we want to do is to agree to live at the old location . . . The dam separates us and causes difficulties for us every day."
Other villagers who agreed to move to the resettlement site along National Road 78 said they are enjoying access to better roads and electricity – provided by nearby Laos, not from the Sesan dam – but are adjusting to the need to purchase fish and water that was once supplied by the river.
"I agreed to leave because the country is developing," said 68-year-old Sa Phorn, who said he was one of the first villagers to leave Kbal Romeas. "We need electricity."
But ecologists and water management experts remained concerned that the negative impacts of the Sesan dam will outweigh the benefits. Hydroelectric projects, largely funded by the Chinese, are springing up along the Mekong River and its tributaries across the region.
If approved, two other projects in discussion – a 900-megawatt Stung Treng dam and the 2,600-megawatt Sambor Dam in Kratie province – would dwarf the Lower Sesan II Dam. Both projects are also backed by Meng's Royal Group.
"The direct impact of one dam is small, but collectively they will change the way water and sediment flow in the Mekong River," said Jamie Pittock, a freshwater ecologist at Australian National University who researches the impact of Mekong dams on fisheries.
The Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental body that monitors the river's development, is expected to finish a study on the dams by the end of the year. Portions of the study released last year estimate that the economic damage to Cambodia from 11 dams proposed on the Lower Mekong could amount to $450 million per year and cut the fisheries yield in southern Cambodia in half.
However, Fisheries Action Coalition Team Director Om Savath said government authorities have largely ignored pleas from researchers and environmental activists.
"We don't believe the economic growth related to the hydropower dam will make things better for the fishermen living along the river or the Cambodian people," Savath said. "Investors will get the benefit."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/sesan-dam-goes-online-while-pm-dismisses-environmental-concerns
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
The floodgates of the largest and most controversial dam project in the country's history officially closed yesterday at an inauguration ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who took aim at environmentalists, ambassadors and NGOs in a wide-ranging speech.
During his one-hour address, the prime minister said the Lower Sesan II Dam, near the border with Laos in Stung Treng province, would lower electricity costs and put the Kingdom on its way to hooking up every village in the country to the electricity grid by 2022.
"There is no development that doesn't have an effect on the environment," Hun Sen said. "It's just a matter of more or less. But it requires consideration of whether we should or should not do it."
The dam's first turbine is expected to begin generating electricity by the end of November, with the rest expected to be fully operational by 2018.
A joint project between China-based Hydrolancang International Energy, Vietnam-based EVN International and Cambodia's Royal Group – chaired by Oknha Kith Meng – the dam will be privately operated before being handed over to the government after 40 years.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy said yesterday that the company will sell the electricity at a fixed rate of $0.07 per kilowatt hour, significantly less than national rates currently as high as $0.20.
However, the $800 million, 400-megawatt dam was controversial from the start, drawing protests from displaced locals and raising alarm among environmental experts.
Hun Sen dismissed those environmental concerns yesterday, criticising "radical environmentalists" and pointing out the explosive demand for energy in Cambodia, which has the most expensive electricity in the region.
"[Mother Nature] keeps causing problems on every issue," he said, referring to the recently dissolved environmental NGO. "If you do like this, how can we develop? We cannot do this or that. Coal and kerosene production, they said that it creates smoke. Producing electricity, it affects the environment."
In response, Mother Nature co-founder Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson called the prime minister's comments "disconnected from reality".
In his speech, the premier also took a shot at an unnamed diplomat who he said tried to persuade him to nix the Sesan dam project years ago due to its impact on fisheries.
"I was surprised because apparently Cambodian fish can climb trees and mountains," the prime minister joked. "My country's fish live in the Tonle Sap and Mekong River. They do not live in the Sesan River.
"After construction, just release more fish [into the river]," Hun Sen added.
Despite the premier's assessment, fish experts have long warned about damage to migration routes. Ian Baird, a geographer at the University of Wisconsin who studies Mekong River fisheries, said fish rely on the ability to move between the Sesan and Srepok rivers and the Tonle Sap to breed.
According to Baird, the negative impacts of the Sesan dam will be felt in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, all of which depend on the Mekong River system's annual flood cycle to deposit nutrient-rich soil on its banks. The dam will also prevent fish from migrating upstream to Cambodia's northern neighbours.
"It is a very sad day for Cambodia today," Baird said.
The dam has already displaced around 1,500 households and flooded tens of thousands of hectares of forest in Stung Treng's Sesan district.
Roughly 100 families in Sre Kor and Kbal Romeas villages who have refused to relocate remained defiant yesterday.
"Our stand remains the same," said Srang Lanh, 49, an ethnic Phnong woman from Kbal Romeas. "We do not want electricity. What we want to do is to agree to live at the old location . . . The dam separates us and causes difficulties for us every day."
Other villagers who agreed to move to the resettlement site along National Road 78 said they are enjoying access to better roads and electricity – provided by nearby Laos, not from the Sesan dam – but are adjusting to the need to purchase fish and water that was once supplied by the river.
"I agreed to leave because the country is developing," said 68-year-old Sa Phorn, who said he was one of the first villagers to leave Kbal Romeas. "We need electricity."
But ecologists and water management experts remained concerned that the negative impacts of the Sesan dam will outweigh the benefits. Hydroelectric projects, largely funded by the Chinese, are springing up along the Mekong River and its tributaries across the region.
If approved, two other projects in discussion – a 900-megawatt Stung Treng dam and the 2,600-megawatt Sambor Dam in Kratie province – would dwarf the Lower Sesan II Dam. Both projects are also backed by Meng's Royal Group.
"The direct impact of one dam is small, but collectively they will change the way water and sediment flow in the Mekong River," said Jamie Pittock, a freshwater ecologist at Australian National University who researches the impact of Mekong dams on fisheries.
The Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental body that monitors the river's development, is expected to finish a study on the dams by the end of the year. Portions of the study released last year estimate that the economic damage to Cambodia from 11 dams proposed on the Lower Mekong could amount to $450 million per year and cut the fisheries yield in southern Cambodia in half.
However, Fisheries Action Coalition Team Director Om Savath said government authorities have largely ignored pleas from researchers and environmental activists.
"We don't believe the economic growth related to the hydropower dam will make things better for the fishermen living along the river or the Cambodian people," Savath said. "Investors will get the benefit."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/sesan-dam-goes-online-while-pm-dismisses-environmental-concerns
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Philippines: EDC returning 15% of tendered shares to equity holders
Philippines: EDC returning 15% of tendered shares to equity holders
Energy Development Corp. (EDC) on Monday said it will return to shareholders
15 percent of the shares tendered in an acquisition deal, after buyer
Philippines Renewable Energy Holdings Corp. (PREHC) subscriber to only 85
percent of the shareholdings in the deal.
Erudito Recio, EDC assistant vice president and head of investor relations
told the Philippine Stock Exchange over the weekend, that PREHC is buying
only 8,900,000,000 common shares out of the total tender offer of
10,472,366,566 common shares.
"A total of 1,572,366,753 common shares, representing approximately 15
percent of the total number of tendered common shares, will be returned to
the relevant shareholders," Recio noted.
"[A]ll common shares tendered (including all common shares tendered by First
Gen Corporation and Northern Terracotta Power Corp.) will be scaled back on
a pro-rate basis (and rounded down to the nearest share) in accordance to
the tender offer conditions," he added.
According to the company, it priced the tender offer at P7.25 per common
share for a gross gain of P64.525 billion from the offer-rather than
P75,924,657,603.50 if PREHC had subscribed to total number of shares
tendered.
Share prices of EDC closed at P6.00 per share on Monday, down P1.07 or 15.13
percent from P7.07 on Friday.
EDC was the biggest loser among the companies on the bellwether Philippine
Stock Exchange index (PSEi).
RCBC Securities Inc. equity research analyst Jeffrey Lucero noted the return
of the shares tendered that prompted a sell-off in EDC shares.
"EDC is declining due to its disclosure that 1,572,366,753 shares,
representing 15 percent of total number of tendered shares, will be returned
to shareholders," he said.
EDC earlier said the proceeds from the transaction will be used to settle
debt and support future growth, setting the stage for a possible delisting
from the PSE.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/627131/edc-returning-15-of-te
ndered-shares-to-equity-holders/story/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Energy Development Corp. (EDC) on Monday said it will return to shareholders
15 percent of the shares tendered in an acquisition deal, after buyer
Philippines Renewable Energy Holdings Corp. (PREHC) subscriber to only 85
percent of the shareholdings in the deal.
Erudito Recio, EDC assistant vice president and head of investor relations
told the Philippine Stock Exchange over the weekend, that PREHC is buying
only 8,900,000,000 common shares out of the total tender offer of
10,472,366,566 common shares.
"A total of 1,572,366,753 common shares, representing approximately 15
percent of the total number of tendered common shares, will be returned to
the relevant shareholders," Recio noted.
"[A]ll common shares tendered (including all common shares tendered by First
Gen Corporation and Northern Terracotta Power Corp.) will be scaled back on
a pro-rate basis (and rounded down to the nearest share) in accordance to
the tender offer conditions," he added.
According to the company, it priced the tender offer at P7.25 per common
share for a gross gain of P64.525 billion from the offer-rather than
P75,924,657,603.50 if PREHC had subscribed to total number of shares
tendered.
Share prices of EDC closed at P6.00 per share on Monday, down P1.07 or 15.13
percent from P7.07 on Friday.
EDC was the biggest loser among the companies on the bellwether Philippine
Stock Exchange index (PSEi).
RCBC Securities Inc. equity research analyst Jeffrey Lucero noted the return
of the shares tendered that prompted a sell-off in EDC shares.
"EDC is declining due to its disclosure that 1,572,366,753 shares,
representing 15 percent of total number of tendered shares, will be returned
to shareholders," he said.
EDC earlier said the proceeds from the transaction will be used to settle
debt and support future growth, setting the stage for a possible delisting
from the PSE.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/627131/edc-returning-15-of-te
ndered-shares-to-equity-holders/story/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Malaysia: 'Petronas exploring new energy avenues'
Malaysia: 'Petronas exploring new energy avenues'
PETROLIAM Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is considering venturing into renewable
energy (RE) to stay relevant in the global energy industry, said president
and chief executive officer Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin.
Petronas could venture into solar, wind or other new energy sources, Wan
Zulkiflee said, adding that the matter was in the evaluation stage.
"We are evaluating on what type of new energies are suitable for us and
where we can make money. It is not a matter of just being involved in RE, or
for the sake of following others who are already involved.
"We want to know where we can position Petronas for the long term because in
all of our analyses, oil and gas will still be our core business for at
least in the next 20 to 30 years.
"We are currently exploring all new energy avenues such as solar, wind or
other energies, but more work needs to be done before we decide on what type
of RE that we are keen on," he told NST Business in an interview recently.
RE is expected to grow rapidly with the weight of growth shifting towards
Asia, according to a 2017 energy outlook report published by BP recently.
Renewables in power are projected to be the fastest-growing fuel source at
7.6 per cent per year, more than quadrupling until year 2035.
Renewables account for 40 per cent of the growth in power generation,
causing their share of global power to rise from seven per cent in 2015 to
nearly 20 per cent by 2035.
"In Petronas, we do a 20-year scenario. From our analyses, until 2037, oil
and gas will still be our core business, but we see investment in new energy
as a potential business opportunity for the longer term.
"On a global energy mix, based on our analyses as well, which ever way you
slice and dice, oil and gas will still be about 55 per cent of the energy
mix globally.
"For the renewable, it is about 18 per cent (of the global energy mix). So,
we are definitely evaluating the options we want to delve into. There are
many parts of the value chain we need to determine first before making a
firm decision on it," Wan Zulkiflee explained.
"There are a lot of work to be done in-house, and until we have completed
it, then only can we say for certain this is what we are going to do, why we
are going to do it, and how we are going to do it. That will be the time we
will announce it," he added.
The European Union (EU) is expected to lead the way in terms of the
penetration of renewables, with the share of renewables within the EU power
sector doubling to reach almost 40 per cent by 2035.
However, China will be the largest source of growth over the next 20 years,
adding more renewable power than the EU and the United States combined.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article: Malaysia: 'Petronas exploring new energy
avenues'
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
PETROLIAM Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is considering venturing into renewable
energy (RE) to stay relevant in the global energy industry, said president
and chief executive officer Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin.
Petronas could venture into solar, wind or other new energy sources, Wan
Zulkiflee said, adding that the matter was in the evaluation stage.
"We are evaluating on what type of new energies are suitable for us and
where we can make money. It is not a matter of just being involved in RE, or
for the sake of following others who are already involved.
"We want to know where we can position Petronas for the long term because in
all of our analyses, oil and gas will still be our core business for at
least in the next 20 to 30 years.
"We are currently exploring all new energy avenues such as solar, wind or
other energies, but more work needs to be done before we decide on what type
of RE that we are keen on," he told NST Business in an interview recently.
RE is expected to grow rapidly with the weight of growth shifting towards
Asia, according to a 2017 energy outlook report published by BP recently.
Renewables in power are projected to be the fastest-growing fuel source at
7.6 per cent per year, more than quadrupling until year 2035.
Renewables account for 40 per cent of the growth in power generation,
causing their share of global power to rise from seven per cent in 2015 to
nearly 20 per cent by 2035.
"In Petronas, we do a 20-year scenario. From our analyses, until 2037, oil
and gas will still be our core business, but we see investment in new energy
as a potential business opportunity for the longer term.
"On a global energy mix, based on our analyses as well, which ever way you
slice and dice, oil and gas will still be about 55 per cent of the energy
mix globally.
"For the renewable, it is about 18 per cent (of the global energy mix). So,
we are definitely evaluating the options we want to delve into. There are
many parts of the value chain we need to determine first before making a
firm decision on it," Wan Zulkiflee explained.
"There are a lot of work to be done in-house, and until we have completed
it, then only can we say for certain this is what we are going to do, why we
are going to do it, and how we are going to do it. That will be the time we
will announce it," he added.
The European Union (EU) is expected to lead the way in terms of the
penetration of renewables, with the share of renewables within the EU power
sector doubling to reach almost 40 per cent by 2035.
However, China will be the largest source of growth over the next 20 years,
adding more renewable power than the EU and the United States combined.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article: Malaysia: 'Petronas exploring new energy
avenues'
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Myanmar: Construction of fuel storage tanks in Amarapura resumes
Myanmar: Construction of fuel storage tanks in Amarapura resumes
The regional government has given permission to carry on with the
construction of fuel tanks in Amarapura township, Mandalay Region, as the
project had been postponed since August 2016, according to Myanmar Energy
Sector Development Public Company Limited.
The initial plan was to build 32 fuel storage tanks, but only one received a
green light in August 2016 and has been built.
All the equipment is being installed and gasoline will shortly be stored,
announced company project director U Than Htun to The Myanmar Times on
September 24.
"The regional government authorised operation for one tank. It will be
operational within the next two months. The fuel needs to be distributed
from the tanks systematically. So far, fuel transportation is not
systematic. Since we will be using pipes to fuel the tank, there is no need
to worry about spillage anymore," he said.
Further fuel storage projects will be carried out on 38 acres of land close
to Odotetan street and Thapyaytan Fort, where the Ayeyarwady and Dokhtawaddy
rivers meet.
A fuel-storage tank is 35 ft high and nearly 105 ft wide. Altogether, they
will have a storage capacity of 3 million gallons of fuel. The project began
in March 2015 but was postponed in August 2016 due to environmental impact
concerns, irregularities in engineering, and the land being too sandy.
"After the current government reviewed the project, it was delayed for a
while. But now, it is all OK and we are carrying out the project with great
concern for the environment. Suggestions from the regulation committee will
be implemented if possible," he said.
The regulation committee is comprised of impartial experts and government
officials from the Petroleum Storage Department, Department for Water
Resources and River Development, Myanmar Engineering Society and the
Regional Minister of Electricity, Energy and Construction U Zarni Aung, who
currently presides over the committee.
Nonetheless, opposition remains because the storage complex is located near
the ancient cultural zone of Innwa.
U Maung Maung Oo of Evergreen, a non-governmental environmental organisation
in Mandalay, said they are raising the issue with the Union government:
"Although we accept the need for regional development, it is near a huge
cultural heritage site and we are planning to object to it."
"The villagers are a little bit afraid, wondering if it could be dangerous.
I have also asked the parliament to change the project's location. Minister
U Zarni Aung answered that there were no such plans, but that since it is
close to Thapyaytan Fort, Innwa Bridge and a seismic zone, it would be good
to think about another place. There is still free land lower down the
river," said U Myint Swe, Regional Parliament MP for No.2 Amarapura Voting
Precinct.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/construction-fuel-storage-tanks-amarapura-resum
es.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
The regional government has given permission to carry on with the
construction of fuel tanks in Amarapura township, Mandalay Region, as the
project had been postponed since August 2016, according to Myanmar Energy
Sector Development Public Company Limited.
The initial plan was to build 32 fuel storage tanks, but only one received a
green light in August 2016 and has been built.
All the equipment is being installed and gasoline will shortly be stored,
announced company project director U Than Htun to The Myanmar Times on
September 24.
"The regional government authorised operation for one tank. It will be
operational within the next two months. The fuel needs to be distributed
from the tanks systematically. So far, fuel transportation is not
systematic. Since we will be using pipes to fuel the tank, there is no need
to worry about spillage anymore," he said.
Further fuel storage projects will be carried out on 38 acres of land close
to Odotetan street and Thapyaytan Fort, where the Ayeyarwady and Dokhtawaddy
rivers meet.
A fuel-storage tank is 35 ft high and nearly 105 ft wide. Altogether, they
will have a storage capacity of 3 million gallons of fuel. The project began
in March 2015 but was postponed in August 2016 due to environmental impact
concerns, irregularities in engineering, and the land being too sandy.
"After the current government reviewed the project, it was delayed for a
while. But now, it is all OK and we are carrying out the project with great
concern for the environment. Suggestions from the regulation committee will
be implemented if possible," he said.
The regulation committee is comprised of impartial experts and government
officials from the Petroleum Storage Department, Department for Water
Resources and River Development, Myanmar Engineering Society and the
Regional Minister of Electricity, Energy and Construction U Zarni Aung, who
currently presides over the committee.
Nonetheless, opposition remains because the storage complex is located near
the ancient cultural zone of Innwa.
U Maung Maung Oo of Evergreen, a non-governmental environmental organisation
in Mandalay, said they are raising the issue with the Union government:
"Although we accept the need for regional development, it is near a huge
cultural heritage site and we are planning to object to it."
"The villagers are a little bit afraid, wondering if it could be dangerous.
I have also asked the parliament to change the project's location. Minister
U Zarni Aung answered that there were no such plans, but that since it is
close to Thapyaytan Fort, Innwa Bridge and a seismic zone, it would be good
to think about another place. There is still free land lower down the
river," said U Myint Swe, Regional Parliament MP for No.2 Amarapura Voting
Precinct.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/construction-fuel-storage-tanks-amarapura-resum
es.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Philippines: San Miguel power biz to bid for Masinloc plant ownership
Philippines: San Miguel power biz to bid for Masinloc plant ownership
THE power business of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) may bid for the controlling
stake of AES Corp. in the 600-megawatt (MW) coal-power plant in Masinloc,
Zambales.
"Yes, we are interested," said SMC President Ramon S. Ang when asked if he
was interested in the power asset.
Ang also said the conglomerate prefers not to partner with other firms:
"Just us."
The US electricity giant is selling its entire 51-percent interest in the
power facility it bought from the Philippine government for $930 million in
2008. The sale of the two 300 MW units is expected to happen before the year
ends.
Aside from SMC, there are two more power firms that have expressed keen
interest. These are Aboitiz Power Corp. and Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).
According to AboitizPower President Antonio Moraza, there are 15 to 20
foreign and local firms interested to bid for the power asset of AES Corp.
in the Philippines. His company, Aboitiz said, is one of them.
"There are about 20, I think. We are interested. As long as.[if there are]
power projects in the Philippines that [are] for sale, we will look [into
these]," Moraza said. "The interest is very wide; foreign, local-wide. I
understand there is more than 15."
Meralco President Oscar Reyes had said that: "We'll be interested to look at
it."
The utility firm is also engaged in power generation via its unit, Meralco
PowerGen Corp.
In 2014 AES Corp. sold its 41-percent stake in the Masinloc project to
Thailand's Electricity Generating Pcl. for $453 million. The World Bank's
International Finance Corp. owns the remaining 8 percent.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/san-miguel-power-biz-to-bid-for-masinloc-plant
-ownership/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
THE power business of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) may bid for the controlling
stake of AES Corp. in the 600-megawatt (MW) coal-power plant in Masinloc,
Zambales.
"Yes, we are interested," said SMC President Ramon S. Ang when asked if he
was interested in the power asset.
Ang also said the conglomerate prefers not to partner with other firms:
"Just us."
The US electricity giant is selling its entire 51-percent interest in the
power facility it bought from the Philippine government for $930 million in
2008. The sale of the two 300 MW units is expected to happen before the year
ends.
Aside from SMC, there are two more power firms that have expressed keen
interest. These are Aboitiz Power Corp. and Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).
According to AboitizPower President Antonio Moraza, there are 15 to 20
foreign and local firms interested to bid for the power asset of AES Corp.
in the Philippines. His company, Aboitiz said, is one of them.
"There are about 20, I think. We are interested. As long as.[if there are]
power projects in the Philippines that [are] for sale, we will look [into
these]," Moraza said. "The interest is very wide; foreign, local-wide. I
understand there is more than 15."
Meralco President Oscar Reyes had said that: "We'll be interested to look at
it."
The utility firm is also engaged in power generation via its unit, Meralco
PowerGen Corp.
In 2014 AES Corp. sold its 41-percent stake in the Masinloc project to
Thailand's Electricity Generating Pcl. for $453 million. The World Bank's
International Finance Corp. owns the remaining 8 percent.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://businessmirror.com.ph/san-miguel-power-biz-to-bid-for-masinloc-plant
-ownership/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Vietnam: New solar power plan to make investment easier
Vietnam: New solar power plan to make investment easier
The national and provincial solar power plans will be released next year,
cutting some red tape for the wave of investors registering solar power
projects in Vietnam following the introduction of a new feed-in-tariff which
sits at 9.35 US cents per kWh.
Tang The Hung, a senior official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's
Energy Department, said the long-awaited national solar power plan will
address zoning, land, technical potential, the grid, and transmission, in
line with the national power plan 2011-2020 with a vision toward 2030-the
revised Power Development Plan VII (PDP VII).
"We will release a plan in 2018 as there are now hundreds of solar energy
investment proposals following the policy changes," Hung said.
Approved projects will have a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) by
2019. Proposed projects, if approved, would have a capacity of 15,000MW by
2030, exceeding the target of 12,000MW by 2030 outlined in the PDP VII.
Nguyen Thanh Hung, who is in charge of investment in the Mekong Delta city
of Can Tho-based Power Generation Corporation 2 - said that the firm plans
to invest in solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, but has yet to make a final
decision.
"The reason is not enough information out there on the provinces and zones
with the most solar potential," Hung said on the sidelines of a recent
workshop on solar PV power organized by GIZ in Hanoi.
Shenbagam Manthiram, chief representative officer of India's Tata Power in
Vietnam, said that a dearth of solar plans is one of the key issues for
solar investors in Vietnam. The investors themselves must conduct research
to find the most promising location, and must then wait for approval from
the local government in said location.
Sonia Lioret, head of GIZ's 4E project at the GIZ workshop, said the
national assessment of development potential for solar energy in Vietnam is
crucial, as it will not only enable the public to have a better
understanding of the solar potential, but also help people to know where
solar project developers are working.
At the same time, it will facilitate the work for investors and provide
input for the government to develop the National Solar Planning.
An Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) official said that many investors in the
central province of Binh Thuan are calling for the establishment of a
220-kilovolt (kV) grid station in Ninh Phuoc district. It is meant to absorb
the power generated from nearby solar PV projects so they can earn benefits
from the government's much-awaited Decision No. 11/2017 on feed-in-tariffs
(FiT) for solar power.
He confirmed that EVN has yet to make sure that such a grid station would
operate well, due to the lack of certified data on solar energy potential.
For investors, benefits and investment returns always come first.
According to Graetan Masson, director of Belgium-based Becquerel Institute,
the grid plays an important role in the development of solar PV power and
other electricity sources. If the grid is too weak, a large part of
electricity from PV generation is lost.
The grid must therefore be well-developed. According to him, transformer
stations should be placed in areas with the most solar potential, such as
the highlands and southern provinces. The northern region could be more
difficult for investors.
The Institute of Energy's (IoE) recent basic study, based on two solar maps
and a few other data sources, shows that Vietnam's technical solar
generation potential is roughly 22.55 million gigawatt-hours per year,
equivalent to 4.19% of the resource's potential. But the figure would need
to change to meet the real potential in the future, IoE experts said.
Under the revised PDP VII, Vietnam is looking to increase its total solar
power output from just a dozen or so MW currently to 850MW in 2020 and
12,000MW by 2030. The total solar power output is expected to account for
0.5% of overall national electricity generation in 2020 and 3.3% in 2030.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/187089/new-solar-power-plan-to-mak
e-investment-easier.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
The national and provincial solar power plans will be released next year,
cutting some red tape for the wave of investors registering solar power
projects in Vietnam following the introduction of a new feed-in-tariff which
sits at 9.35 US cents per kWh.
Tang The Hung, a senior official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's
Energy Department, said the long-awaited national solar power plan will
address zoning, land, technical potential, the grid, and transmission, in
line with the national power plan 2011-2020 with a vision toward 2030-the
revised Power Development Plan VII (PDP VII).
"We will release a plan in 2018 as there are now hundreds of solar energy
investment proposals following the policy changes," Hung said.
Approved projects will have a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) by
2019. Proposed projects, if approved, would have a capacity of 15,000MW by
2030, exceeding the target of 12,000MW by 2030 outlined in the PDP VII.
Nguyen Thanh Hung, who is in charge of investment in the Mekong Delta city
of Can Tho-based Power Generation Corporation 2 - said that the firm plans
to invest in solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, but has yet to make a final
decision.
"The reason is not enough information out there on the provinces and zones
with the most solar potential," Hung said on the sidelines of a recent
workshop on solar PV power organized by GIZ in Hanoi.
Shenbagam Manthiram, chief representative officer of India's Tata Power in
Vietnam, said that a dearth of solar plans is one of the key issues for
solar investors in Vietnam. The investors themselves must conduct research
to find the most promising location, and must then wait for approval from
the local government in said location.
Sonia Lioret, head of GIZ's 4E project at the GIZ workshop, said the
national assessment of development potential for solar energy in Vietnam is
crucial, as it will not only enable the public to have a better
understanding of the solar potential, but also help people to know where
solar project developers are working.
At the same time, it will facilitate the work for investors and provide
input for the government to develop the National Solar Planning.
An Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) official said that many investors in the
central province of Binh Thuan are calling for the establishment of a
220-kilovolt (kV) grid station in Ninh Phuoc district. It is meant to absorb
the power generated from nearby solar PV projects so they can earn benefits
from the government's much-awaited Decision No. 11/2017 on feed-in-tariffs
(FiT) for solar power.
He confirmed that EVN has yet to make sure that such a grid station would
operate well, due to the lack of certified data on solar energy potential.
For investors, benefits and investment returns always come first.
According to Graetan Masson, director of Belgium-based Becquerel Institute,
the grid plays an important role in the development of solar PV power and
other electricity sources. If the grid is too weak, a large part of
electricity from PV generation is lost.
The grid must therefore be well-developed. According to him, transformer
stations should be placed in areas with the most solar potential, such as
the highlands and southern provinces. The northern region could be more
difficult for investors.
The Institute of Energy's (IoE) recent basic study, based on two solar maps
and a few other data sources, shows that Vietnam's technical solar
generation potential is roughly 22.55 million gigawatt-hours per year,
equivalent to 4.19% of the resource's potential. But the figure would need
to change to meet the real potential in the future, IoE experts said.
Under the revised PDP VII, Vietnam is looking to increase its total solar
power output from just a dozen or so MW currently to 850MW in 2020 and
12,000MW by 2030. The total solar power output is expected to account for
0.5% of overall national electricity generation in 2020 and 3.3% in 2030.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/187089/new-solar-power-plan-to-mak
e-investment-easier.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Vietnam: Dung Quat oil refinery upgrade lacks capital
Vietnam: Dung Quat oil refinery upgrade lacks capital
The multi-billion-dollar Dung Quat oil refinery upgrade and expansion
project is being implemented very slowly and its operator has repeatedly
asked the Vietnamese Government for support and incentives.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), the expansion
project, which will cover 108 hectares of land in the Dung Quat Economic
Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai, has been stalled due to problems
in land clearance and capital access.
The MOIT has acknowledged that the site clearance of 108 hectares of land
was expected to be completed by March 2016. However, the handover of the
land was delayed by a year and the compensation procedure has not been
completed.
State-owned Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (BSR), the
operator of Dung Quat Refinery, previously said the expansion would cost
some US$1.8 billion, of which equity capital and loans would account for at
least 30 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.
BSR plans to borrow $1.26 billion, it said, but added that given the large
estimated loan amount it has asked that the Government guarantees the loan
with the lowest possible cost and longest possible term.
In November 2009, the Government issued a decision allowing the BSR to
annually retain an amount of money equivalent to 3 per cent of import duty
on petrochemical products, 5 per cent from import tax on LPG products and 7
per cent of import duty on petroleum products.
Potential foreign partners, such as JX Nippon from Japan, Gazprom Neft from
Russia and PDVSA from Venezuela, withdrew from the project after the
Government rejected a request to extend tax incentives for Dung Quat oil
refinery.
Needed incentives
In order to improve the economic efficiency of the project, the Viet Nam
National Oil and Gas Group (PVN) has requested that BSR cut costs relating
to investment and operations and optimise the production process.
If the project cannot achieve its targeted economic efficiency, Dung Quat
Refinery's petroleum products will not be qualified for domestic consumption
and will have to seek export markets, forcing the refinery to reduce
capacity or even stop operations.
According to BSR, upgrading and expanding the Dung Quat refinery is
essential to allow factories to process crude oil with higher sulfur
content, reducing dependence on domestic sweet oil (with less than 0.42 per
cent sulfur), which is both expensive and at risk of being exhausted.
At the same time, the upgrade and expansion of the refinery will also help
it realise its goal of increasing the stable supply of petroleum products in
accordance with the Euro 5 standard.
"Expansion work is expected to be completed by 2021, following which Dung
Quat Oil Refinery will have capacity to refine 8.5 tonnes of crude oil
meeting Euro 5 quality standards per year," said BSR Director Tran Ngoc
Nguyen.
According to Nguyen, BSR is seeking loans at the lowest possible cost and
longest term, adding that the group still wished to receive a
Government-guaranteed loan so that it can access an optimal source of funds
for the expansion project.
Tran Viet Ngai, Chairman of the Viet Nam Energy Association, told Nguoi Lao
Dong (the Labourer) newspaper that the Dung Quat Oil Refinery expansion
project plays an important role in the development strategy of Viet Nam's
oil and gas industry.
"It is crucial to solve the urgent problem of capital mobilisation. If the
public debt pressure is too high and the Government cannot guarantee the
loans, the project operator can consider commercial loans because the
project must be carried out no matter what," Ngai said.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/187072/dung-quat-oil-refinery-upgr
ade-lacks-capital.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
The multi-billion-dollar Dung Quat oil refinery upgrade and expansion
project is being implemented very slowly and its operator has repeatedly
asked the Vietnamese Government for support and incentives.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), the expansion
project, which will cover 108 hectares of land in the Dung Quat Economic
Zone in the central province of Quang Ngai, has been stalled due to problems
in land clearance and capital access.
The MOIT has acknowledged that the site clearance of 108 hectares of land
was expected to be completed by March 2016. However, the handover of the
land was delayed by a year and the compensation procedure has not been
completed.
State-owned Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (BSR), the
operator of Dung Quat Refinery, previously said the expansion would cost
some US$1.8 billion, of which equity capital and loans would account for at
least 30 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.
BSR plans to borrow $1.26 billion, it said, but added that given the large
estimated loan amount it has asked that the Government guarantees the loan
with the lowest possible cost and longest possible term.
In November 2009, the Government issued a decision allowing the BSR to
annually retain an amount of money equivalent to 3 per cent of import duty
on petrochemical products, 5 per cent from import tax on LPG products and 7
per cent of import duty on petroleum products.
Potential foreign partners, such as JX Nippon from Japan, Gazprom Neft from
Russia and PDVSA from Venezuela, withdrew from the project after the
Government rejected a request to extend tax incentives for Dung Quat oil
refinery.
Needed incentives
In order to improve the economic efficiency of the project, the Viet Nam
National Oil and Gas Group (PVN) has requested that BSR cut costs relating
to investment and operations and optimise the production process.
If the project cannot achieve its targeted economic efficiency, Dung Quat
Refinery's petroleum products will not be qualified for domestic consumption
and will have to seek export markets, forcing the refinery to reduce
capacity or even stop operations.
According to BSR, upgrading and expanding the Dung Quat refinery is
essential to allow factories to process crude oil with higher sulfur
content, reducing dependence on domestic sweet oil (with less than 0.42 per
cent sulfur), which is both expensive and at risk of being exhausted.
At the same time, the upgrade and expansion of the refinery will also help
it realise its goal of increasing the stable supply of petroleum products in
accordance with the Euro 5 standard.
"Expansion work is expected to be completed by 2021, following which Dung
Quat Oil Refinery will have capacity to refine 8.5 tonnes of crude oil
meeting Euro 5 quality standards per year," said BSR Director Tran Ngoc
Nguyen.
According to Nguyen, BSR is seeking loans at the lowest possible cost and
longest term, adding that the group still wished to receive a
Government-guaranteed loan so that it can access an optimal source of funds
for the expansion project.
Tran Viet Ngai, Chairman of the Viet Nam Energy Association, told Nguoi Lao
Dong (the Labourer) newspaper that the Dung Quat Oil Refinery expansion
project plays an important role in the development strategy of Viet Nam's
oil and gas industry.
"It is crucial to solve the urgent problem of capital mobilisation. If the
public debt pressure is too high and the Government cannot guarantee the
loans, the project operator can consider commercial loans because the
project must be carried out no matter what," Ngai said.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/187072/dung-quat-oil-refinery-upgr
ade-lacks-capital.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
Monday, September 25, 2017
Indonesia: PLN to Electrify 562 Villages in Papua, Maluku
Indonesia: PLN to Electrify 562 Villages in Papua, Maluku
State-owned power company PLN is planning to invest Rp2.54 trillion to
electrify 562 villages in Papua and Maluku this year. Some 365 villages in
Papua and 197 villages in Maluku will be electrified with Rp1.82 trillion
and Rp721 billion investments, respectively.
"By the end of last year, only 24 percent of villages in Papua were
electrified or 1,187 out of 4,912 villages," PLN Planning Director Nieke
Widyawati said yesterday in Jakarta. Meanwhile, some 1,666 out of 2,390
villages in Maluku or 69 percent were electrified in the same period.
Nieke said that PLN needs a lot of funds for the investment. She said that
the funds will be collected from subsidies. "People who are not entitled to
receive subsidies will get them be revoked. Funds collected from reduced
subsidies will be used for the program."
To electrify villages that are already connected to the power grid, Nieke
said, the PLN will extend the power grid. As for isolated villages, the
company will build diesel isolated power plants, micro-hydro power plants,
hybrid solar power plants, off-grid solar power plants and solar power
towers.
Next year, PLN and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry are aiming to
electrify 1,142 villages in Papua and 196 villages in Maluku. In 2019, as
many as 1,707 villages in Papua and 142 villages will be electrified.
Nieke said that power projects in 3,749 villages in Papua and Maluku
throughout 2017-2019 will create 12,000 new jobs. Once the projects are
completed, the installations will be operated by 3,600 workers.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/09/25/056911766/PLN-to-Electrify-562-Vill
ages-in-Papua,-Maluku
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
State-owned power company PLN is planning to invest Rp2.54 trillion to
electrify 562 villages in Papua and Maluku this year. Some 365 villages in
Papua and 197 villages in Maluku will be electrified with Rp1.82 trillion
and Rp721 billion investments, respectively.
"By the end of last year, only 24 percent of villages in Papua were
electrified or 1,187 out of 4,912 villages," PLN Planning Director Nieke
Widyawati said yesterday in Jakarta. Meanwhile, some 1,666 out of 2,390
villages in Maluku or 69 percent were electrified in the same period.
Nieke said that PLN needs a lot of funds for the investment. She said that
the funds will be collected from subsidies. "People who are not entitled to
receive subsidies will get them be revoked. Funds collected from reduced
subsidies will be used for the program."
To electrify villages that are already connected to the power grid, Nieke
said, the PLN will extend the power grid. As for isolated villages, the
company will build diesel isolated power plants, micro-hydro power plants,
hybrid solar power plants, off-grid solar power plants and solar power
towers.
Next year, PLN and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry are aiming to
electrify 1,142 villages in Papua and 196 villages in Maluku. In 2019, as
many as 1,707 villages in Papua and 142 villages will be electrified.
Nieke said that power projects in 3,749 villages in Papua and Maluku
throughout 2017-2019 will create 12,000 new jobs. Once the projects are
completed, the installations will be operated by 3,600 workers.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/09/25/056911766/PLN-to-Electrify-562-Vill
ages-in-Papua,-Maluku
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Vietnam energy prospects 2017 announced
Vietnam energy prospects 2017 announced
A report on Vietnam energy prospects has been announced by the Ministry of
Industry and Trade (MOIT), in collaboration with Danish Ministry of Energy,
Utilities and Climate, providing an overview of Vietnam's opportunities and
challenges faced in developing sustainable energy.
Along with significant annual economic growth rates, Vietnam's demand for
energy also increases sharply.
The announcement of Vietnam Energy Outlook Report 2017 was hosted in Hanoi,
on September 20, by the two ministries and the Embassy of Denmark in
Vietnam.
The report is part of the outstanding collaborative results between the MOIT
and the Danish ministry, within the framework of the lower carbon transition
in energy efficiency sector in Vietnam, which is sponsored by the Danish
Government. It is expected that the report will be implemented every two
years.
It is based on updated macroeconomic growth forecasts, primary energy demand
growth and electricity demand in Vietnam. The optimal energy planning
programme set in the report is based on the Danish Balmorel model, which
helps to establish scenarios for development of the Vietnamese electricity
system, focusing on the potential for the development of renewable energy
sources. This energy planning model has been used effectively in Denmark, as
well as several countries around the world.
Speaking at the ceremony, MOIT Deputy Minister Hoang Quoc Vuong said that
with an average annual economic growth rate of 7.26% in the 2001-2010 period
and 5.91% during 2011-2015, the demand for energy in Vietnam is increasing
rapidly. In particular, the demand for electricity has continuously grown at
a high rate, averaging between 13% per annum for 2001-2010 and approximately
11% per year between 2011 and 2015.
In order to ensure energy security and preserve national energy resources,
the Government of Vietnam has implemented a range of policies towards the
sustainable development of its energy sector, focusing on the sustainable
development of renewable energy and promoting energy savings and efficient
energy use.
Deputy Minister Vuong also stressed that the report is a product of great
significance in Vietnam's direction for energy development in linking it
with economic growth, environmental protection and energy security.
Thomas Egebo, Secretary of State of the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities
and Climate, pointed out that sustainable growth, not just growth, remains a
challenge to Vietnam. He also stated that Denmark is willing to share its
experience with Vietnam regarding technologies and products to help the
country achieve goals of energy and sustainable growth.
According to Aisma Vitina, technical advisor from the Danish Energy Agency,
Vietnam needs to implement supportive policies in order to achieve the goals
of renewable energy development to increase the use rate of such energy
sources among primary energy consumption to approximately 31% by 2020 and
32.3% by 2030.
She suggested that Vietnam needs to form a renewable energy market, as well
as a reasonable electricity price policy, and preferential policies to
support the development and use of renewable energy, including preferential
import tax, corporate income tax, land incentives and priorities for
research related to the development and use of renewable energy resources.
In addition, it is important to ensure environmental protection,
specifically, the environmental charge for fossil fuels to build a
sustainable energy development fund.
Based on the proposed power system development scenarios, the report gives
policy recommendations for the development of electricity and low-carbon
emission energy by intensifying the use of renewable energies and promoting
energy efficiency.
It also looks into the opportunities and challenges to Vietnam's sustainable
energy development and energy security with reasonable cost and in
accordance with the development conditions of the country.
On the same day, Deputy Minister Hoang Quoc Vuong and Danish Secretary of
State Thomas Egebo signed the minutes on approval of the Vietnam-Denmark
Energy Partnership Programme for 2017-2020.
Earlier, on June 18, 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding between the two
ministries on cooperation on energy saving in renewable industries and
renewable energy was signed. After two years of collaboration, the two
ministries have achieved practical results in supporting the implementation
of energy saving and renewable energy activities in Vietnam.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/186913/vietnam-energy-prospects
-2017-announced.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
A report on Vietnam energy prospects has been announced by the Ministry of
Industry and Trade (MOIT), in collaboration with Danish Ministry of Energy,
Utilities and Climate, providing an overview of Vietnam's opportunities and
challenges faced in developing sustainable energy.
Along with significant annual economic growth rates, Vietnam's demand for
energy also increases sharply.
The announcement of Vietnam Energy Outlook Report 2017 was hosted in Hanoi,
on September 20, by the two ministries and the Embassy of Denmark in
Vietnam.
The report is part of the outstanding collaborative results between the MOIT
and the Danish ministry, within the framework of the lower carbon transition
in energy efficiency sector in Vietnam, which is sponsored by the Danish
Government. It is expected that the report will be implemented every two
years.
It is based on updated macroeconomic growth forecasts, primary energy demand
growth and electricity demand in Vietnam. The optimal energy planning
programme set in the report is based on the Danish Balmorel model, which
helps to establish scenarios for development of the Vietnamese electricity
system, focusing on the potential for the development of renewable energy
sources. This energy planning model has been used effectively in Denmark, as
well as several countries around the world.
Speaking at the ceremony, MOIT Deputy Minister Hoang Quoc Vuong said that
with an average annual economic growth rate of 7.26% in the 2001-2010 period
and 5.91% during 2011-2015, the demand for energy in Vietnam is increasing
rapidly. In particular, the demand for electricity has continuously grown at
a high rate, averaging between 13% per annum for 2001-2010 and approximately
11% per year between 2011 and 2015.
In order to ensure energy security and preserve national energy resources,
the Government of Vietnam has implemented a range of policies towards the
sustainable development of its energy sector, focusing on the sustainable
development of renewable energy and promoting energy savings and efficient
energy use.
Deputy Minister Vuong also stressed that the report is a product of great
significance in Vietnam's direction for energy development in linking it
with economic growth, environmental protection and energy security.
Thomas Egebo, Secretary of State of the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities
and Climate, pointed out that sustainable growth, not just growth, remains a
challenge to Vietnam. He also stated that Denmark is willing to share its
experience with Vietnam regarding technologies and products to help the
country achieve goals of energy and sustainable growth.
According to Aisma Vitina, technical advisor from the Danish Energy Agency,
Vietnam needs to implement supportive policies in order to achieve the goals
of renewable energy development to increase the use rate of such energy
sources among primary energy consumption to approximately 31% by 2020 and
32.3% by 2030.
She suggested that Vietnam needs to form a renewable energy market, as well
as a reasonable electricity price policy, and preferential policies to
support the development and use of renewable energy, including preferential
import tax, corporate income tax, land incentives and priorities for
research related to the development and use of renewable energy resources.
In addition, it is important to ensure environmental protection,
specifically, the environmental charge for fossil fuels to build a
sustainable energy development fund.
Based on the proposed power system development scenarios, the report gives
policy recommendations for the development of electricity and low-carbon
emission energy by intensifying the use of renewable energies and promoting
energy efficiency.
It also looks into the opportunities and challenges to Vietnam's sustainable
energy development and energy security with reasonable cost and in
accordance with the development conditions of the country.
On the same day, Deputy Minister Hoang Quoc Vuong and Danish Secretary of
State Thomas Egebo signed the minutes on approval of the Vietnam-Denmark
Energy Partnership Programme for 2017-2020.
Earlier, on June 18, 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding between the two
ministries on cooperation on energy saving in renewable industries and
renewable energy was signed. After two years of collaboration, the two
ministries have achieved practical results in supporting the implementation
of energy saving and renewable energy activities in Vietnam.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/186913/vietnam-energy-prospects
-2017-announced.html
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
Malaysia: Sarawak CM says Bakun Dam power not for peninsula, but may sell to Indonesia
Malaysia: Sarawak CM says Bakun Dam power not for peninsula, but may sell to
Indonesia
The Sarawak government will not sell electricity generated from Bakun Dam to
peninsular Malaysia due to the prohibitive cost of undersea cables, Chief
Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg said.
Power generated from the Bakun project will be used within the state and may
be sold to Indonesia's Kalimantan, which neighbours Sarawak, The Borneo Post
reported Abang Johari telling reporters in Kuching yesterday.
"The state government will not sell the electricity power to Peninsular
Malaysia because laying undersea cable will be very costly and the other
problem is leakage.
"As far as the energy [from Bakun] is concerned, I have decided that we want
to consume it [the energy] for our own, and perhaps we just want to sell it
to our neighbour, like what we are doing now ― selling it to Pontianak in
West Kalimantan," he was quoted saying.
The 2,400 MW Bakun Dam started operating in 2011 after taking almost 15
years to complete.
The project was built at a cost of more than RM1.7 billion.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sarawak-cm-says-bakun-dam
-power-not-for-peninsula-but-may-sell-to-indonesia
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
Indonesia
The Sarawak government will not sell electricity generated from Bakun Dam to
peninsular Malaysia due to the prohibitive cost of undersea cables, Chief
Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg said.
Power generated from the Bakun project will be used within the state and may
be sold to Indonesia's Kalimantan, which neighbours Sarawak, The Borneo Post
reported Abang Johari telling reporters in Kuching yesterday.
"The state government will not sell the electricity power to Peninsular
Malaysia because laying undersea cable will be very costly and the other
problem is leakage.
"As far as the energy [from Bakun] is concerned, I have decided that we want
to consume it [the energy] for our own, and perhaps we just want to sell it
to our neighbour, like what we are doing now ― selling it to Pontianak in
West Kalimantan," he was quoted saying.
The 2,400 MW Bakun Dam started operating in 2011 after taking almost 15
years to complete.
The project was built at a cost of more than RM1.7 billion.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sarawak-cm-says-bakun-dam
-power-not-for-peninsula-but-may-sell-to-indonesia
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
Indonesia: Minister Jonan to Partner with Commission VII in Pushing for Renewable Energy Mix Target
Indonesia: Minister Jonan to Partner with Commission VII in Pushing for
Renewable Energy Mix Target
Chairman of the National Energy Board (DEN) and Energy and Mineral Resources
(ESDM) Minister Ignatius Jonan has said his side would partner with House's
Commission VII to socialize to their electoral districts in order to push
the renewable energy target.
Jonan said it when discussing the General Plan of National Energy (RUEN)
with DEN in Senayan, Jakarta.
"So we ask the electoral districts of each or the provinces where they are
represented by Commission VII. We, members of DEN, invite the members of
Commission VII to participate together in the RUEN socialization," Jonan
said, Wednesday (9/20/2017), to the reporters.
In its development, the government's RUEN is targeted pushing the renewable
energy as the foremost energy in the future, with expectoration in 2025 the
realization of the mix energy reached 23 percent.
In his note there are 10 provinces began to budget RUEN activity namely
Aceh, Lampung, Bengkulu, Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Central
Kalimantan, Maluku and West Nusa Tenggara.
"There are also 16 other provinces that support to encourage the mix energy
in their area, regularly budgeted but already done, it is in North Sumatra,
West Sumatera, South Sumatera, Riau Islands, Jambi, Bangka Belitung,
Yogyakarta, Bali, East Java, Sulawesi West, South Kalimantan, East Nusa
Tenggara, East and West Kalimantan," he said.
However of the 34 provinces in Indonesia, there are still areas not support
EBT. Eight of them have not preparing the RUEN yet.
"This may be due to the lack of personnel or the limitations of RUEN
understanding. It is in North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi,
Southeast Sulawesi, Gorontalo, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua," he said.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/11583/minister.jonan.to.part
ners.with.commission.vii.pushing.the.mix.renewable.energy.target
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
Renewable Energy Mix Target
Chairman of the National Energy Board (DEN) and Energy and Mineral Resources
(ESDM) Minister Ignatius Jonan has said his side would partner with House's
Commission VII to socialize to their electoral districts in order to push
the renewable energy target.
Jonan said it when discussing the General Plan of National Energy (RUEN)
with DEN in Senayan, Jakarta.
"So we ask the electoral districts of each or the provinces where they are
represented by Commission VII. We, members of DEN, invite the members of
Commission VII to participate together in the RUEN socialization," Jonan
said, Wednesday (9/20/2017), to the reporters.
In its development, the government's RUEN is targeted pushing the renewable
energy as the foremost energy in the future, with expectoration in 2025 the
realization of the mix energy reached 23 percent.
In his note there are 10 provinces began to budget RUEN activity namely
Aceh, Lampung, Bengkulu, Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Central
Kalimantan, Maluku and West Nusa Tenggara.
"There are also 16 other provinces that support to encourage the mix energy
in their area, regularly budgeted but already done, it is in North Sumatra,
West Sumatera, South Sumatera, Riau Islands, Jambi, Bangka Belitung,
Yogyakarta, Bali, East Java, Sulawesi West, South Kalimantan, East Nusa
Tenggara, East and West Kalimantan," he said.
However of the 34 provinces in Indonesia, there are still areas not support
EBT. Eight of them have not preparing the RUEN yet.
"This may be due to the lack of personnel or the limitations of RUEN
understanding. It is in North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi,
Southeast Sulawesi, Gorontalo, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua," he said.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/11583/minister.jonan.to.part
ners.with.commission.vii.pushing.the.mix.renewable.energy.target
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
Philippines - MERALCO: Luzon Grid may need power capacity
Philippines - MERALCO: Luzon Grid may need power capacity
THE LUZON GRID MAY NEED MORE POWER CAPACITY FROM NEW GENERATION POWER PLANTS
FOLLOWING A SUDDEN SPIKE IN DEMAND IN THE MERALCO FRANCHISE AREA FOR THE
THIRD QUARTER.
Meralco expressed concern with the power situation in the grid with three
yellow alerts raised since August 30, company senior VP and utility
economics head Lawrence Fernandez said at the sides of a forum hosted by the
Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.
"Our concern, while the situation hasn't reached red alert yet, is that when
power plants trip, it will trigger an automatic load dropping (ALD) which
means some of the customers lose electric service because of the tripping of
some power plants," Fernandez said.
Two of the yellow alerts, recorded on September 9 and 16, were weekends.
A yellow alert signifies that there were not enough reserves to cover the
largest running generating unit at the time but does not necessarily lead to
power outages.
Fernandez added that the yellow alerts were because of high demand –
especially for a weekend – and power plants that go on forced or unplanned
outage.
On Sept 8, the Sual 1 in Pangansinan, GN Power 1 and 2 in Mariveles, Bataan
and San Gabriel in Batangas.
These yellow alerts that occurred even when Meralco projected flat growth in
power demand for this year mean that new capacities must be embedded into
the Luzon Grid, Fernandez said.
"While more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power plants have commissioned in
the last year, the rise in demand is soaking up new capacity which means we
need more and more capacity to be built in the coming months,"
Earlier this year, Meralco saw a softer growth in sales coming following a
surge in sales volume last year due to the El Niño phenomenon and
election-related activities.
"We were not expecting the growth in demand that we experience this year
coming off from 2016 with the El Nino and election year," he said.
Fernandez said that electricity consumption grew almost four percent-to-date
despite having a robust growth of 8.1 percent in 2016.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://powerphilippines.com/2017/09/21/meralco-records-sudden-demand/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
THE LUZON GRID MAY NEED MORE POWER CAPACITY FROM NEW GENERATION POWER PLANTS
FOLLOWING A SUDDEN SPIKE IN DEMAND IN THE MERALCO FRANCHISE AREA FOR THE
THIRD QUARTER.
Meralco expressed concern with the power situation in the grid with three
yellow alerts raised since August 30, company senior VP and utility
economics head Lawrence Fernandez said at the sides of a forum hosted by the
Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.
"Our concern, while the situation hasn't reached red alert yet, is that when
power plants trip, it will trigger an automatic load dropping (ALD) which
means some of the customers lose electric service because of the tripping of
some power plants," Fernandez said.
Two of the yellow alerts, recorded on September 9 and 16, were weekends.
A yellow alert signifies that there were not enough reserves to cover the
largest running generating unit at the time but does not necessarily lead to
power outages.
Fernandez added that the yellow alerts were because of high demand –
especially for a weekend – and power plants that go on forced or unplanned
outage.
On Sept 8, the Sual 1 in Pangansinan, GN Power 1 and 2 in Mariveles, Bataan
and San Gabriel in Batangas.
These yellow alerts that occurred even when Meralco projected flat growth in
power demand for this year mean that new capacities must be embedded into
the Luzon Grid, Fernandez said.
"While more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power plants have commissioned in
the last year, the rise in demand is soaking up new capacity which means we
need more and more capacity to be built in the coming months,"
Earlier this year, Meralco saw a softer growth in sales coming following a
surge in sales volume last year due to the El Niño phenomenon and
election-related activities.
"We were not expecting the growth in demand that we experience this year
coming off from 2016 with the El Nino and election year," he said.
Fernandez said that electricity consumption grew almost four percent-to-date
despite having a robust growth of 8.1 percent in 2016.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Link to Original Article:
http://powerphilippines.com/2017/09/21/meralco-records-sudden-demand/
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.
www.aptthailand.com
.
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