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  • Electricity/Power Grid
22 August 2019

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  • Myanmar

The government will generate a profit of around Ks 32 billion in 2019-2020 fiscal year as the electricity bill is increased, according to the Public Account Committee’s report.

The Public Account Committee submitted its findings and remarks on the Union Budget Bill for 2019-2020 FY at the session of the Union Parliament on August 21.

Aung Min, Chair of the Public Account Committee said: “Since July 1, the ministry has increased the electricity bill. The State-owned economic entities under the Ministry of Electricity and Energy have submitted a budgeted profit of Ks 735 billion. Normally, the profit seems to be linked to a hike in electricity bill. So the ministry describe its profits differently. The ministry is the combination of electricity and energy. The electricity sector suffers losses every year until 2018-19 FY. The government has to incur the losses of the electricity sector.”

“As a matter of fact, the energy sector alone generates the profits. Take a look at the profit and loss of the energy sector, the sector is expected to earn Ks 703 billion or around 96 per cent of the total profit, in 2019-2020 FY. After the hike in electricity bill on July 1, the people become aware of the fact that they should conserve energy more. In addition, the budgeted electricity bills for the departments including the central organizations and the Union Ministries were reduced by Ks 30.305 billion for 2019-2020 FY,” he added.

It is found that the government ministries calculated the increased budgets for electricity as the Joint Bill Committee designated the increased electricity bills under the National Planning Bill for 2019-2020 FY. The budgeted electricity bills are very high even though it should be two or threefold-increase. The committee suggested that the same rates should be fixed.

  • Coal
22 August 2019

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  • Philippines

COAL will stay as the leading source of energy in the Philippines amid the government’s continued push for renewable energy (RE), according to a unit of the Fitch Group.

PH to keep relying on coal for energy 1
Filipino worker harvest carabao grass at the open field near the transmission tower in Lumban, Laguna.. File Photo

In its commentary sent to The Manila Times on Wednesday, Fitch Solutions Macro Research said it forecasts coal to make up 59.1 percent of the country’s energy mix by 2028.

On the other hand, power generation from non-hydro renewables will reach 10.2 percent, the think tank said.

Data from the Department of Energy (DoE) showed that in terms of installed capacity, coal was the country’s primary source of energy in 2018 at 8,844 megawatts (MW), a 9.9-percent increase from 8,049 MW in 2017.

RE came in second at 7,227 MW last year, 2.1 percent higher than 7,079MW a year earlier.

Fitch Solutions said coal will continue to fuel developments in the Philippine energy sector despite President Duterte’s recent call to lower the
country’s reliance on coal.

“While the gradually improving environment for renewables present an upside risk to our renewables forecast, coal will still remain dominant in the Philippines’ power sector expansion,” the research firm stated.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address last month, Duterte ordered Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi to harness more RE sources. “In this regard, I trust that Secretary Cusi shall fast-track also the development of renewable energy sources, and reduce dependence on the traditional energy sources such as coal.”

Fitch Solutions said the government will continue to lean on coal to stimulate “affordable electricity generation growth” at a pace and scale necessary to bolster continued economic growth.

The government is anticipated “to turn to coal to meet the country’s power demand surge, driven primarily by strong macroeconomic and demographic fundamentals, and government goals to achieve a 100-percent electrification rate by 2022,” it said.

Coal is still a cheaper and more reliable option as resources from the Malampaya gas field is depleted with limited scope for exploration success in alternative locations in the country, Fitch Solutions said.

Amid declining RE costs, the research company believes the intermittency and low capacity factors of wind and solar power generation means the sector will only supplement baseload resources in scaling up electricity generation.

It also cited setbacks in commissioning the first liquefied natural gas import terminal in the country.

Moreover, Fitch Solutions said several coal-fired power plants were declared as energy projects of national significance this year, including
the 2×668-megawatt supercritical clean coal-fired power plant in Mariveles, Bataan and the 2×600-MW ultra supercritical coal-fired power plant in Atimonan, Quezon.

“The government’s decision to grant 11 mining and energy companies approval to explore and develop coal blocks in February 2013 further illustrates its ambitions for the growth of the coal power segment, and this government stance has remained largely the case since,” it said.

“While growing environmental and social opposition against coal pose an increasing risk to these projects, we still expect a significant amount of coal capacity to be commissioned over the coming decade,” it added.

  • Energy Cooperation
22 August 2019

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  • Vietnam

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on behalf of the German government, is supporting Vietnam to sustainably develop its power sector which both matches the global trends and harnesses Vietnamese potential.

Since 2013, energy has become one of the priorities of the Vietnamese-German cooperation. A product is the MOIT/GIZ Energy Support Program which aims to contribute to Vietnam’s emissions reduction strategy and green growth strategy by improving the existing regulatory framework for Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) and increasing the professional and organizational capacities of key institutions and stakeholders.

GIZ works on several levels with the MOIT’s Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) and other institutions to implement aspects of Vietnam’s Smart Grid Road Map or Smart Grid for RE & EE for the 2017-2021 period, according to Mr. Ingmar Stelter, director of the MOIT/GIZ Energy Support Program.

Hanoitimes had an interview with Mr. Ingmar Stelter to see how GIZ has helped Vietnam gradually unlock the country’s electricity potential and operate the national grid in the most effective and smartest way.

Mr. Ingmar Stelter, Director of the MOIT/GIZ Energy Support Program. Photo: GIZ

Mr. Ingmar Stelter, Director of the MOIT/GIZ Energy Support Program. Photo: GIZ

Why does the German government support Vietnam in developing renewable energy?

Mr. Ingmar Stelter: Germany has been at the forefront of renewable energy development since a long time; starting with wind energy, later on going into solar power development. Similarly, it has implemented energy efficiency programs on various levels for many years. Through this development, Germany has gained a lot of experience it can share.

At the same time, Vietnam has very large potential for both renewable energy development and energy efficiency promotion. The German government would like to support Vietnam in making the best use of this potential.

How does GIZ do to help Vietnam obtain the goal of implementing energy efficiency?

Mr. Ingmar Stelter: We jointly work with ERAV on issues of regulation and standards for powers system operation; on capacity building and training; and on the transfer of suitable technologies and knowledge from Germany to Vietnam.

The objective of this cooperation is to support Vietnam in the continuously secure, stable, reliable and efficient operation of the power grid.

Phu Lac wind farm in Vietnam's central province of Binh Thuan receives GIZ's support. Photo: GIZ

Phu Lac wind farm in Vietnam’s central province of Binh Thuan receives Germany’s support. Photo: GIZ

Smart grid greatly contributes to the energy efficiency. How does GIZ realize the need of smart grid application in Vietnam?

Mr. Ingmar Stelter: In the past, the power sector in Vietnam was structured in a relatively simple way: Power was produced by a rather limited number of large-scale power plants, such as hydro and coal power. This power was then transmitted and distributed to the consumers; i.e. businesses and households. This was more or less a “one-way street.”

Now, Vietnam is taking advantage of international trends in the power sector, where renewable energy sources – such as wind and solar energy – have become increasingly cost-competitive. In many countries they are already cheaper than fossil fuel resources; and they are, of course, cleaner.

However, this development also comes with two key changes:

i) There is rapidly increasing number of power producers in Vietnam which provide solar and wind power into the system. So, instead of dealing with a relatively small number of power plants, the power system operators (i.e. EVN) need to manage a power system with many more actors than in the past. This requires additional ICT interfaces for proper flow of information and communication between this increasing number of actors. Smart Grid Technologies provide solutions for the efficient flow of information and communication.

ii) With the introduction of in particular solar rooftop systems in Vietnam (but maybe in the future also electric vehicles), there is no more “one-way street” between power producers and consumers. When installing a rooftop system on their roof, households or businesses will become so-called “prosumers”: Certain times of the day, they might buy power from the grid (when the solar system on their roof does not supply sufficient power for their needs); and other times of the day they might sell power to the grid (when their solar system produces more power than they need for self-consumption). At this stage, the “one-way street” has become a “two-way street”, i.e. power needs to be able to flow into both directions.

Again, smart grid technology applications provide solutions to manage this new relationship between the power grid operator and the “prosumer”.

What are challenges in the development of smart grid?

Mr. Ingmar Stelter: Firstly, there are a lot of opportunities with smart grid technologies as they can help in making the power system more secure, efficient and reliable.

While experience from other countries can help in making decisions on the application of smart grid technologies in Vietnam, there is not “one-size-fits-all” approach. The Vietnamese power system has certain specific characteristics which other countries do not have.

Therefore, one of the main challenges is to prioritize the application of the most suitable smart grid technologies in Vietnam. Financial resources are always limited; we need to identify which potential problems/trends in grid operation need to be tackled first.

Secondly, once this prioritization has taken place, a more in-depth cost-benefit analysis has to be undertaken for each problem/trend.

Thank you very much!

  • Others
21 August 2019

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  • ASEAN

MANILA, Philippines — In the face of existential threats from climate change and environmental degradation, the majority of banks in Southeast Asia continue to finance new coal-fired power plants.

This was the finding of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which 2019 Sustainable Banking Assessment (SUSBA) showed 91 percent of the banks in the region were still “fueling the fire” when it should already be heavily supporting programs for resilient and sustainable economies.

The WWF study assessed 35 banks in six countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on indicators across six broad pillars of sustainable finance. 

“Unfortunately, the ASEAN economy remains highly dependent on fossil fuels, which contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emission,” WWF said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Coal is not the only problem. Rampant deforestation exacerbates climate change and causes biodiversity loss, which threatens food security by disrupting essential ecosystem services such as soil fertility maintenance and pollination,” it added.

The conservation group noted that ASEAN “are also leaving money on the table” by not “actively supporting” initiatives “urgently needed to transition to low carbon and sustainable economy.”

Citing a study by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEPFI) and DBS Bank, WWF said the estimated demand for green investment is pegged at $3 trillion from 2016 to 2030 in sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, energy efficiency, food, agriculture, and land use. 

But while 51 percent of banks that offer green financial products have mostly focused on renewable energy, the study said there “remains a huge financing gap in the other sectors.”

WWF lamented that banks across Southeast Asia “are not responding fast enough” to help address threats of climate change and environmental degradation that may lead to financial instability and social unrest in the region.

“The prosperity of ASEAN’s economies is underpinned by the bedrock of natural capital which provides climate and air quality regulation as well as food and fresh water production,” said Jeanne Stampe, WWF’s Head of Asia Sustainable Finance.

“These are the basic necessities for our societies to thrive. ASEAN’s economies are very much interdependent, which magnifies the effects of climate change and environmental destruction. To ensure that the people of ASEAN have a secure future, ASEAN banks must be the lifeblood of sustainable development,” she also pointed out.

The same WWF study found that only nine percent of the banks it assessed have “no-deforestation” policies. This even if floods have destroyed crops and manufacturing facilities in Thailand, water resources in Malaysia have been projected to reduce by 20 to 25 percent from 2025 to 2030, and major coastal cities like Jakarta in Indonesia were becoming susceptible to sea-level rise, WWF stressed.

WWF said Southeast Asia is “suffering from manifestations of climate change in the form of water-related disasters.”

“ASEAN banks remain highly exposed, with just 17 [percent] of banks recognizing water risks, while none require clients to conduct water risk assessments,” it said.

Bank regulators, however, understand climate change’s threat to financial stability and are responding, according to WWF, that: “By the end of the year, seven banking associations or regulators in ASEAN will have issued sustainable banking guidelines.”

WWF said central banks of Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand have joined the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), which was established to enhance the ability of the financial system to manage climate risks and mobilize capital for sustainable development.

NGFS has recommended to central banks and supervisors to better integrate climate-related risks into their financial stability monitoring. 

“Banks will increasingly be expected to test the resilience of their loan books to climate risks and report the results to their regulators,” WWF said.

WWF also said 374 financial institutions have already endorsed the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which has specific recommendations for financial institutions on their climate disclosures.

Not much progress

Still, WWF said, banks across Southeast Asia “have not made much progress to meet these expectations.”

According to WWF, only three banks are developing a strategy to manage climate-related risks or conducting a climate-risk assessment.

Further, the WWF found that only four banks of the 35 banks it assessed fulfilled at least half of the indicators on sustainable finance while 51 percent of the banks fulfilled less than a quarter of the indicators. 

“However, there is still progress with 74 [percent] of the banks making some improvement compared to last year. In particular, the three Singapore banks have demonstrated leadership by prohibiting the financing of new coal-fired power plants and implementing no-deforestation commitments,” WWF said.

But the organization said the lack of even and timely progress between banks across Southeast Asia may undermine the region’s sustainable development.

“The uneven playing field undermines the region’s response to these impending threats as unsustainable activities continue to be financed,” the organization said.

WWF said banks must work together on a pre-competitive basis to enable the creation of a “resilient financial sector” which can support the region’s “sustainable development needs and boost livelihoods.”

“The number of heatwaves hitting Europe and Asia-Pacific in recent months is a testament that climate change is already disrupting our daily lives and business operations,” WWF said. /kga

  • Electricity/Power Grid
21 August 2019

 – 

  • Philippines

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has recently cleared 46 power projects, mostly battery-energy storage (BES), which could generate over 2,500 megawatts (MW) for the conduct of a grid impact study (GIS).

A clearance for the conduct of a grid impact study is necessary for a power firm before it can proceed with the construction of its power project.

Based on the list released by the DOE for June and July this year, 42 of the 46 power projects are BES, which can store energy via use of a battery technology for use at a later time.

Of the 41 BES, 21 are from Limay Power Generation Corp., formerly SMC Global Power Corp. Each of its BES has a capacity of 20 MW.

Global Business Power Corp., meanwhile, proposed 14 BES projects that vary from 7.5 MW to 20 MW each.

Six BES projects are proposed by Horus Solar Energy Corp. and the remaining one BES is from Juxtapose Ergo Consultus Inc.

The approved grid impact studies also include the 600-MW Cabatang Tiaong solar power project of Solar Philippines Commercial Rooftop Projects Inc., the 620-MW Bataan combined-cycle plant of Panasia Energy Inc., the 81-MW San Isidro wind-power project of 6 Barracuda Energy Corp. and the 36-MW Mahanagdong geothermal binary power plant project of Energy Development Corp.

Their applications for the conduct of GIS were approved by the DOE in June and July this year.

  • Renewables
21 August 2019

 – 

  • Philippines

THE Department of Energy (DoE) is targeting to auction off 2,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy (RE) by year-end to entice more investors to develop RE facilities in the Philippines.

In a chance interview on Tuesday, National Renewable Energy (NREB) Chairman Monalisa Dimalanta said their aim is to roll out the policy on bidding out 2,000 MW of renewables “within the year.”

The NREB, the bureau guiding the department on the implementation of RE initiatives in the country, will hold a board meeting this week to formalize and present their recommendation regarding this concept to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Dimalanta told reporters.

Last month, Cusi said the Energy department would bid off 2,000 MW of RE as part of capacity-building efforts.

“We want to build 2,000 MW of RE in 10 years [through] RE auction and green energy rate to motivate investors in the RE program,” he had said.

It would be taken from the agency’s additional capacity target of 10,000 MW by 2040, which the Energy chief had said might be adjusted, depending on the country’s power requirements.

“Based on the instructions of the secretary, the main objective is promote more investments in the RE sector considering that it won’t have feed-in tariffs (FiT) and another round of feed-in tariffs anymore so it’s really to attract more investments and the idea is to create a market for them to facilitate their access to market for the renewable energy,” Dimalanta explained.

According to the NREB head, it will be up to the bureau whether the allotted capacity will be filled up by various RE sources, including wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river hydropower and biomass.

“There will be an auction. RE developers can participate if their projects can supply baseload, if they participate in the auction of baseload or mid-merit,” she said.

A price cap will also be in place and the capacity obtained from the bidding will be allocated to other distribution utilities (DUs), which are required to source or produce at least 1 percent of their energy requirement from eligible RE sources under the DoE’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).

At present, the DoE is holding workshops with DUs to identify their requirements under the RPS.

The NREB will release a draft circular of the RE auction for public consultation before institutionalizing the program, which Cusi previously said would be different from the FiT scheme wherein subsidies were provided to RE developers.

The FiT program was outlined in Republic Act 9513, also known as the “Renewable Energy Act of 2008,” which aims to accelerate the development of RE sources in the country.

Cusi has expressed confidence that the country can encourage more entities to go into renewables through this scheme. “We are of course very confident because this is to encourage developers.”

  • Energy-Climate & Environment
21 August 2019

 – 

  • Vietnam

NDO – The Vietnam Coalition for Climate Action (VCCA) made its debut at a ceremony held in Hue city on August 21 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Vietnam and the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID).

The ceremony was attended by around 100 delegates representing departments, sectors, businesses, universities, and research institutes in central and Central Highlands regions.

According to GreenID Director Nguy Thi Khanh, the VCCA aims to act towards a low carbon economy for the safety, sustainable development and prosperity of Vietnam.

As a member of the Alliances for Climate Action (ACA), the VCCA has attracted the participation of 12 businesses, non-governmental and non-profit organisations, financial providers, consumer communities, research institutions, and associations operating in the fields of sustainable energy, green development and climate change adaption in Vietnam.

It is committed to taking concrete actions to work with the government, networks and make alliances in a joint effort in tackling climate change and energy transition in Vietnam and the world at large.

The coalition is now implementing five major action programmes entitled ‘One Million Green Houses’, ‘Green Cities’, ‘Fostering integration of agricultural development and renewable energy’, ‘Greening production’, and ‘Promoting co-benefits of clean energy and energy transfer to ensure equity, create job opportunities for Vietnamese people’.

  • Renewables
21 August 2019

 – 

  • Vietnam
HÀ NỘI — A solar power plant funded by Japan’s Fujiwara company was inaugurated in the city of Quy Nhơn in the south-central province of Bình Đinh on August 19, with Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình in attendance.

The VNĐ1.3 trillion (US$55.9 million) project is located at Nhơn Hội economic zone, covering 60 hectares. It is designed to have a capacity of 50 MWp.

After two years of construction, the plant was run on a trial basis starting in June 2019 and has now been put into official operation and joined the national grid.

Bình expressed his appreciation for the project, the first of its kind by Fujiwara in Việt Nam, which marks a new milestone in diplomatic and investment relations between Việt Nam and Japan.

“The project also contributes to the Government’s target of increasing the production of renewable and clean energy,” he said.

The Deputy PM asked Fujiwara Bình Định Co.Ltd. to operate the plant effectively and use more local workers to contribute to the local budget and economic development.

Director of Bình Định power company Huỳnh Ngọc Việt said the solar plant was connected to the 110kV Nhơn Hội power station, providing about 3,000 kWh with revenues of some VNĐ550 million. — VNS

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