News Clipping Archive - Page 1124 of 1294

Electricity/Power Grid

16 May 2019

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Lao PDR

Electricity generation looks set to take a leading role in supplying Laos with foreign exchange in the coming years, according to data from the Bank of the Lao PDR.

The central bank released its latest annual economic report recently, providing readers with data that reflects changes in the contributors of foreign exchange.

According to data cited in the bank’s 2018 report, electricity generation will likely become the main provider of foreign exchange in the foreseeable future, thanks to the industry’s rising export value.

In 2014 the sale of electricity to other countries amounted to only $570 million. This figure surged to about $1 billion in 2016, rising further to $1.2 billion in 2017. Last year, the central bank initially projected the export value of electricity would reach $1.3 billion.

A number of electricity generation projects have begun commercial operation over the past year. More hydropower projects are currently under construction and are expected to export electricity in the near future.

The export of mineral products, gold and copper continues to maintain the top position among foreign exchange earners. However, the income earned from the export of these commodities has remained stable in recent years.

In 2014, mineral exports were valued at $1.2 billion, rising to about 1.4 billion in 2017 and last year. Copper exports were worth about $1 billion in 2014, rising to $1.1 billion in 2017.

The government is aware that the export value of mining products plays a significant role in contributing foreign currency to the economy. But it is recognised that these commodities will in time be depleted when the country’s mineral deposits are exhausted.

The central bank’s 2018 report also indicates that foreign exchange generated by the garment industry and tourism has declined.

The export value of garment products was $391 million in 2014. This figure dropped to $351 million in 2015, to $249 million in 2016, and sank further to $178 million in 2017.

The Bank of the Lao PDR forecasted that last year the export value of Lao garment products would improve slightly to $189 million, but this figure is only a projection.

Over the past decade, the garment industry was considered to be one of the top foreign exchange earners.

With regard to tourism, the central bank data shows that this industry was also a top foreign exchange earner but over the past few years income from this source has also declined.

According to data from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism cited by the bank in its 2018 annual report, the amount of revenue generated by tourism began to decline after 2015.

That year, the tourism industry generated about $724 million, dropping to $716 million in 2016 and to $648 million in 2017. The bank made an initial projection that last year tourism would generate $780 million. VIENTIANE TIMES/ANN

Oil & Gas

Over 23 million cubic feet of gas distributed daily for CNG buses

15 May 2019

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Myanmar

The onshore oil fields distribute over 23 million cubic feet of gas daily for use in CNG passenger buses, said Tin Maung Oo, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

The information was disclosed during a press conference on the clarification of the ministry’s activities in the third year of the government’s term held in Nay Pyi Taw on May 9.

He said 28,299 motor vehicles across Myanmar had been converted into CNG ones.

The ministry sells gas around the clock by opening 46 CNG stations—41 in Yangon Region, two in Mandalay Region, two in Yaynangyaung Township and one in Chauk Township.

Now, new Kwang Shin-brand machinery from Korea has been installed at the CNG station in Paleik town of Mandalay Region.

Within the third year of the government’s term, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise produced 3.32 million barrels crude oil and over 623,000 million cubic feet of natural gas from 86 onshore and offshore oil and gas fields, according to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

During the same period, 40 new onshore fields were dug—23 by Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise and 17 by companies—producing 2.31 million barrels of crude oil and 19,019 million cubic feet of gas.

Moreover, international companies dug 46 new offshore fields producing 1.2 million barrels of condensate and 604,818 million cubic feet of gas.

Others

Hydrogen next big thing for low-carbon future, ADB climate expert says

15 May 2019

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Philippines

Developing countries like the Philippines could emerge as the “big winners” if they move toward a hydrogen economy, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

In an Asian Development Blog, ADB Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department Chief of Energy Sector Group Yongping Zhai said hydrogen energy is “the next big thing” in the bid to reach a low carbon future.

Zhai said the combustion of hydrogen with oxygen is a cleaner form of energy since the only by-product is water. This is better than fossil fuels, which produce carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

“Developing countries would be the big winners from the move toward a hydrogen economy. First, on the supply side, developing countries could tap their renewable-energy resources to produce hydrogen and export it to other countries, as is already done with liquefied natural gas,” Zhai said.

“Second, on the demand side, developing countries could start using hydrogen technologies in specific areas. For example, fuel-cell vehicles can be charged fully with hydrogen within five minutes for a driving range of 500 kilometers and more, with zero carbon-dioxide, sulfur-dioxide or nitrogen-oxide emissions,” he added.

Hydrogen, Zhai said, can be used directly as fuel in power generation and other heat applications. It can also be blended with natural gas in pipeline networks.

He also said hydrogen used with fuel cells—a device that converts chemical potential energy into electrical energy—is promising for trucks, rail and ships, as well as industrial applications which require both electricity and heat.

In order to develop a hydrogen economy, Zhai said pioneers are needed. In Japan, the government aims to be a hydrogen economy by 2050. This was the aim of the world’s first hydrogen strategy, which Japan formulated in December 2017.

“The hydrogen economy is premised on the use of hydrogen as a fuel, particularly for electricity production and hydrogen vehicles; and using hydrogen for long-term energy storage and for the long-distance transportation of low-carbon energy,” Zhai said.

“The key to achieving such a hydrogen economy is to bring the cost of hydrogen down from more than $10 per kiligram to about $2 per kilogram, which would then be competitive with natural gas,” he added.

In order to help countries move toward a hydrogen economy, Zhai said multilateral institutions such as the ADB can do more in terms of financing hydrogen energy projects, including production, transportation and distribution infrastructure, as well as market applications.

Zhai added that ADB can also share information about the latest trends and technologies and help governments develop strategies and road maps for hydrogen energy development.

He added that ADB can also help enhance the carbon trading platforms and pilot hydrogen technologies and business models for scaling up.

Electricity/Power Grid

DOE eyes 70% cap on power plants’ contracting capacity by Q3

15 May 2019

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Philippines

MANILA — Power producers in the Philippines will be required to have a 70-percent cap on their contracting capacities, likely by the third quarter of 2019, to ensure availability of buffer supply during times of need.

Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella, in a briefing Wednesday, said they are now in talks with all stakeholders for this policy.

“Soon…(We can release the Circular) in three months,” he said.

The contracting capacity of a certain power plant is described as the portion of its expected total electricity output that can be sold in advance. By limiting the amount of power that can be pre-sold to only 70 percent, the DOE is assured that there will be 30 percent electricity remaining to tap for emergencies.

Fuentebella explained that this measure is aimed at ensuring that reserve electricity is available to fill a sudden power gap, such as when a power plant shuts down temporarily.

“There’ll be no generator that will be a replacement every time. We will distribute the replacement,” he said pointing out that the reserves can be sold through replacement power contracts or the spot market when reserves are low.

The DOE executive said this policy will cover new contracts, as well as those for renewal.

Currently, the Luzon grid is experiencing yellow and sometimes red alerts due to low power reserves.

Fuentebella said the Energy Department is working to prevent this kind of situation in the future “that’s why we’re coming up with better policies.”

“Our experiences should push us to come up with better policies and we’re pushing the 70 percent cap so that our power plants won’t be strained so much and we would be able to address breakdowns,” he added. (PNA)

Others

The future of sustainable energy in Singapore

15 May 2019

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Singapore

The future of sustainable energy in Singapore is bright, according to experts who spoke at a recent forum on clean energy. As part of Singapore’s Smart Nation journey, the city-state has started to implement clean energy initiatives such as the SolarNova programme and is embarking on intensive research and development to increase the contribution of renewable energy to its energy mix.

Geneco, one of Singapore’s leading electricity retailers and an advocate of sustainability, partnered with the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), a non-profit business association that represents the interests of companies in the sustainable energy sector, to host a sustainability forum on April 26, 2019.

The forum was targeted at carbon space experts, business owners and energy managers. The three-hour event saw external speakers sharing about how global climate action translates to direct cost impacts on businesses in Singapore, how companies can transit to a low-carbon business model, among other related topics.

One of the speakers, Mr Marc Allen, the technical director of management consultancy Engeco, touched on ways by which local businesses could weather the impact of climate change on their operations.

Mr Allen shared some case studies of how some companies had dealt with the uncertainties caused by climate changeand the necessary technology to manage decentralisation of the grid.

Another speaker, Mr Vinod Kesava, the co-founder and chief executive officer of the Climate Resources Exchange (CRX), tapped on his 20-years experience in the global carbon market to discuss the untapped potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. He also shared CRX’s successes in the integration of renewable energy with environmental attributes from carbon credits and renewable energy certificates.

At one of the talks during the forum, “What companies should know about carbon credits and offsets”, Ms Pooja Bansal, a YTL-SV Carbon senior consultant specialising in energy and environment management, delved deeper into the carbon credits verification process and provided practical tips to identify credible carbon credits available in the market that can be used as carbon offsets.

The power expert

Geneco’s solid track record has made it a reliable name in the energy sector.

Its parent company YTL PowerSeraya has 48 years of experience in power generation and 18 consecutive years in the electricity retail business since 2001. Today, it is one of Singapore’s largest power generators, with a licensed generating capacity of 3,100MW.

Besides its experience and expertise, Geneco has a clear focus on innovation and cost-effectiveness. For example, its fully-digital customer journey strips away unnecessary costs, allowing it to offer some of the cheapest electricity plans in the highly competitive open electricity market.

Dedicated to making sustainable energy more accessible, Geneco offers businesses the option to purchase solar energy generated from solar photovoltaic systems which the company will build, own and operate.

It can additionally help businesses achieve their environmental sustainability goals by facilitating the purchase and retirement of market-based instruments, such as carbon credits and renewable energy certificates.

Beyond generating and selling electricity, Geneco’s status as an integrated energy expert allows it to share its knowledge to help businesses transit to a low-carbon business model.

Alongside its commitment to make sustainable energy more accessible to people and communities, Geneco’s active involvement in pushing forward related initiatives and discussions has continued to grow the company’s position in the sustainable energy sector, with good success.

Others

One in five Indonesians don’t believe human activity causes climate change

15 May 2019

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Indonesia

A survey has revealed that 18 percent of Indonesians do not believe human activity causes climate change, while another 6 percent believe that the climate is not changing at all.

Indonesia has the highest percentage of climate change deniers among 23 countries surveyed in a study conducted from Feb. 28 to March 26 by global public opinion and data company YouGov.

A quarter of Indonesians said humans were mainly responsible for climate change, while 29 percent believed other factors also played a role. Another 21 percent of respondents answered by saying they did not know.

Eight percent of Indonesians said human-driven global warming was a hoax and part of a conspiracy theory.

Saudi Arabia is second after Indonesia with 16 percent of people who do not believe that humans contribute to climate change, followed by the United States (13 percent), South Africa (11 percent), Mexico (10 percent) and Egypt (10 percent).

However, Indonesians consider it important to buy locally made products instead of imported goods (87 percent), as well as ethical or eco-friendly products (92 percent).

In comparison, Italy, which had 48 percent of respondents say that humans were mainly responsible for climate change, had fewer people say it was important to buy local products (80 percent) and ethical or eco-friendly products (79 percent).

The Guardian, which exclusively published the YouGov data, noted that “a clear majority of people around the world think climate change is happening and that it is all or partly down to human actions”. (swd)

Electricity/Power Grid

Industrial estate eyes on-site power

14 May 2019

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Thailand

Workers install solar panels. Egat is keen on developing on-site power generation via solar rooftop at industrial estates to promote the smart grid. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)

Two state-run agencies — the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) — are teaming up with Pinthong Industrial Park to develop on-site power generation at industrial estates in Chon Buri province.

The system includes power generation from solar rooftops and energy storage, as well as a blockchain system to promote a smart grid.

Patrapong Thepa, Egat’s senior assistant governor, said the three agencies already signed agreements for this project. Their technical officers are compiling all the information and physical details needed for the next process of design.

The final details will be concluded in mid-2019, with the project scheduled to begin by December.

Mr Patrapong said IEAT selected Pinthong to run the first smart grid because its industrial location in Chon Buri has the most potential for development.

A budget has not been determined because a design process has to be chosen before a financial decision can be agreed upon.

Earlier, two SET-listed firms, BCPG and Banpu, expressed keen interest in developing smart grids before Egat.

In related news, Egat plans to team up with the State Railway of Thailand, PTT Plc and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) to develop on-site power generation at the new Bang Sue Grand Station. The new station will replace Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong) from 2021.

The four agencies have yet to sign an agreement on this plan.

On Monday, Egat, MEA and the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) launched an energy-saving campaign.

Jirasak Mantharngkul, Egat’s director of demand-side management, said the three authorities set a goal to reduce the country’s energy consumption by another 20 million kilowatt-hours (units) in 2019 across all power users and sectors by offering special discount incentives.

MEA will offer a discount fee for cleaning 30,000 air conditioners in the household sector in its service area — Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan.

Egat and PEA will offer a discount price for campaign participants to buy new home electric appliances that are certified as power-saving, also known as Label No.5.

Egat and PEA will also act as energy consultants for the business sector to reduce their power bills under this campaign.

Renewables

SCG innovates as roof market caves in

14 May 2019

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Thailand

Mr Thongchai projects the overall roof market remaining bearish, but SCG is keen on launching a solar rooftop solution.

SCG Cement-Building Materials projects Thailand’s roof market in 2019 to shrink by 2-3% from 20 billion baht in 2018, attributing the shift to consumers in metropolitan areas preferring single detached houses and townhouses over high-rise condominiums.

The roof market is controlled by single detached houses and townhouses, making up more than 80%, while the remainder goes to condo projects.

Thongchai Sopon, managing director for SCG’s roof business, said the unit is trying to drive its sales in 2019 amid the bearish market.

“We expect sales growth of at least 2-3% from 7 billion baht in 2018,” he said.

“SCG will lead with its innovation and technology for residential roofs such as launching solar rooftop solutions.”

Mr Thongchai said demand for solar rooftops is rising as many property owners want to generate their own power.

SCG forecasts the total solar panel market will reach 40-50 billion baht in 2019.

“There are many distribution channels for solar panels, making them more accessible and affordable,” he said.

Moreover, the power regulator is encouraging households to install solar rooftops as part of a new scheme for 100 megawatts of power generation in 2019.

The scheme aims for new power generation from solar rooftops to reach 10,000MW by 2037.

“SCG’s roof unit aims to secure sales of solar rooftops worth 4 billion baht in 2019,” said Mr Thongchai. He also said SCG is the first company to provide a solar rooftop solution focusing on retail consumers and households.

Mr Thongchai said SCG is in talks with two property developers — Land and House Plc and SC Asset Corporation Plc — to expand its solar rooftops as wholesalers.

In a related development, Siam Cement Group (SCG) announced last Friday it invested 21.2 billion baht (US$655 million) in PT Fajar Surya Wisesa Tbk (Fajar), one of the largest packaging paper providers in Indonesia.

Roongrote Rangsiyopash, SCG’s president and chief executive, said the company’s packaging business bought a 55% stake in Fajar and expects to complete the transaction in the third quarter.

“SCG is exploring the feasibility of raising equity at its packaging level, and this is expected to be completed by the end of 2019,” said Mr Roongrote.

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