News Clipping Archive - Page 1158 of 1294

Electricity/Power Grid

Hanoi ensures sufficient power supply in 2019

2 April 2019

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Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Electricity’s Hanoi Power Corporation (EVNHN) pledges to ensure sufficient power supply to people in the capital city of Hanoi in 2019, said its Deputy General Director Nguyen Anh Tuan during a meeting of the municipal Party Committee on April 2.

Tuan said due to the prolonged hot weather, the power grid may face overloading during summertime, with the capacity of power use rising from 10 percent to 15 percent, or over 4,600 MW to more than 4,800 MW.

According to him, EVNHN worked with the municipal Department of Industry and Trade to build a scenario in response to any large-scale contingency, which was approved by the municipal People’s Committee.

During summertime, EVNHN asked units to upgrade power grids and ensure personnel-on-duty to prevent power line and transformer overloads.

In the first quarter of this year, the corporation ensured sufficient power supply for local businesses and people, especially for major socio-political events such as the second DPRK-USA summit which took place in Hanoi. –VNA

Energy Efficiency

Shell Malaysia begins upgrading its fuel stations to become greener with new energy savings measures

2 April 2019

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Malaysia

Shell Malaysia today announced that it had begun its journey to make its fuel stations more environmentally friendly with the introduction of its first two green retail fuel stations in the country. Shell Damansara Jaya and Shell Taman Connaught have been rated to Green Building Index (GBI) standards.

The GBI is the country’s industry-recognised green rating tool for buildings to promote sustainability in the built environment by saving energy and resources, and the two Shell stations mark the first entries in the new retail fuel category introduced for the certification standard. The company is also the first in the Asia Pacific region to go the green route for retail fuel stations.

The move by Shell is in line with the its vision of lowering carbon emissions of its retail stations by 50% by 2025. In the initial stage, the aim is to reduce a station’s energy consumption and improve its emission footprint and its impact on the environment.

Implemented green building index elements include a solar photovoltaic system installed on the canopy of the station, which allows the generation of electricity during the day to supplement the station’s energy requirements and bringing operating costs down.

For example, the 50 kW system at the Damansara Jaya station helps reduce expenditure on electricity from the grid by around 20% – we were told that the average monthly electricity bill for the station is around RM11,000, so that’s quite a bit in savings.

The green station also features physical enhancements to help reduce energy consumption. Surfaces of roofs and walls are painted white to reflect solar radiation, thus helping to reduce overall temperature of the indoor environment and the workload of the air-conditioning system. The improvements translate to around RM22,750 of savings per year from a station.

Lighting elements have also been revised, with the switch to LED lighting promoting not just improved durability but lower energy consumption to the tune of up to 285 kWh per year.

Additionally, water consumption has also been reduced with the introduction of waterless urinals and the use of water-saving taps. This reduces the usage of water by around 60% compared to traditional fittings, and translates to water savings of up to 310 cubic metres a year.

The eco-friendly stations are equipped with an energy monitoring system, which allows the tracking and monitoring of electricity and water consumption, and this data is shown via an electronice display board positioned at the shop’s entrance, offering detailed information on the station’s energy/water consumption in real time as well as its carbon intensity reduction.

Aside from the savings and reduction in carbon emissions, consumers are also set to benefit from stations going green, stepping in to a cooler, better-lit environment, acccording to Shell Malaysia Trading MD Shairan Huzani Husain, who was proud of the fact that the GBI certification for the two pilot project stations was achieved within six months.

Shairan said that the cost of retrofitting the pilot stations was borne by Shell, but did not reveal the cost involved. He added that more Shell stations are expected to be transformed in this manner, the company currently surveying all of its 950 stations nationwide for viability. “Not all stations will be updated as such, because some of the stations are small and old,” he said.

Energy Efficiency

Indonesian steel manufacturer, Nestlé push on cooling efficiency

2 April 2019

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Indonesia

Indonesian steel manufacturer Ispat Indo and Nestlé Indonesia have pledged to do everything in their power to cut global warming through improving the efficiency of their cooling equipment, following recognition at the Sustainable Business Awards Indonesia.

Ispat Indo won in the Best Cooling Efficiency section of the awards, organized by Global Initiatives. The new category recognized how action on cooling can make a massive contribution to the fight against climate change. The company was recognized for setting clear targets to monitor consumption, which drives efficiency, and for continuously upgrading and replacing its cooling systems to create greater efficiency. Now the company plans to do even more to increase its cooling efficiency.

“A good cooling system process is the key to success of the production process that we run. The efficiency of the cooling system process will have a positive impact on our company,” said Agus Barliandi, Deputy General Manager, PT. Ispat Indo. “We plan to select more energy saving equipment and look for environmentally friendly substitutes for cooling gases. With the success of the two plans, we will have a positive impact on environmental conservation and help prevent global warming.”

Global Initiatives, in partnership with the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), developed the new award to recognize the leadership and innovation of companies developing and adopting the most efficient cooling technologies.

Nestlé Indonesia and United Tractors also received special recognition in the category. Nestlé has an energy efficiency policy that focuses on industrial refrigeration and has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce energy consumption from cooling systems. United Tractors calculates its cooling loads and implements initiatives to reduce energy consumption, such as installing a variable refrigerant flow system and changing the indoor temperature based on building occupancy.

“We aim to develop our business while improving our environmental performance, including on our cooling efficiency system, which has allowed us to improve energy efficiency and mitigate climate change,” said Mahendra Kusuma, Corporate SHE Manager, Nestlé Indonesia.

The importance of action on cooling

Cooling, in its current form, is energy intensive, expensive and polluting. With growing economic status and rapid urbanization, the demand for cooling systems, such as air conditioners and refrigerators is rising substantially.

In air conditioning alone, the number of units in use is projected to rise from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion by 2050, driven by rising incomes and a shift to the Global South. Business as usual will see the sector grow 90 per cent by 2050 over 2017 levels.

This demand could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from not only the higher electricity consumption, but the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that are used as cooling agents. If these gases are not managed, they could account for close to 20 per cent of climate pollution by 2050.

“Ispat Indo and Nestlé’s willingness to push on cooling efficiency could pave the way for other businesses to do the same. Growing electricity demand for cooling is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate. Making cooling more efficient could yield multiple benefits, making it more affordable, more secure and more sustainable,” said Mark Radka, Chief, Energy and Climate Branch at UN Environment.

Looking at Indonesia alone, it is estimated that there will be an increase of 15 per cent per year in commercial and private sector usage of cooling systems like air-conditioners and refrigerators. A recent study by Eco-business on “Freezing in the Tropics” found that Indonesian consumers could save nearly US$690 million per year by 2030 by keeping pace on cooling efficiency with ASEAN neighbours.

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which on 1 January 2019 started phasing down hydrofluorocarbons, provides a huge opportunity to tackle the issue. If fully ratified by member states, this amendment can deliver almost 0.4°C of avoided warming from addressing these gases alone.

The required refit and redesign of cooling equipment opens up a window to do more. At the 30th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in late 2018, the Montreal Protocol’s science panels found that combining the phase down hydrofluorocarbons with energy efficiency gains could double the climate benefits. The Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program focuses on the energy efficiency of cooling to increase and accelerate the climate and development benefits of the Kigali Amendment.

UN Environment hosts the Secretariat for the Montreal Protocol, and is deeply engaged in creating more sustainable cooling solutions, through assisting Parties to implement the Kigali Amendment and by maximizing the potential of district energy, which can bring cooling to homes and businesses by using seawater and other sources.

To make the transition to sustainable cooling, it will be critical to build awareness, recognize industry leadership, and encourage more companies to invest in and scale up usage of cooling efficiency technologies.

Electricity/Power Grid

DOE closely coordinating with power suppliers as demand goes up

1 April 2019

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Philippines

MANILA — The Department of Energy (DOE) assured the public of continued coordination with power industry players in view of the heightened demand for electricity during the sweltering summer season.

The DOE issued the statement after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed the Luzon grid on yellow alert from 11 a.m. to 12 noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.

It explained that the alert notice was issued due to the “unplanned outage” of several generators “that resulted to the thinning of reserves.”

These generators are namely the Masinloc 2 in Zambales, which has a capacity of 344 megawatt (MW), Pagbilao1 in Quezon province (382MW); South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation (SLTEC1) in Batangas (150MW), and Malaya2 (350MW) in Pililia, Rizal.

These facilities have total capacity of 1,226MW.

There were also de-rated plants during the day, these being the Calaca2 in Batangas, which only produced 200MW instead of 300MW; South Luzon Power Generation Corporation (SLPGC2) at 100MW instead of 150MW; and Pagbilao3 at 315MW instead of 420MW.

Even with this situation, the Energy Department said it is “closely coordinating with the power industry players to ensure the delivery of electricity services to consumers.”

“It includes the facilitation of incoming plants that are undergoing commissioning and testing, such as Masinloc3 for Luzon and TVI2 for Visayas,” the DOE statement added. (PNA)

Renewables

Constant Energy eyes storage in 50MW Thailand C&I solar deal

1 April 2019

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Thailand

Thailand-based clean energy developer and investor Constant Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with one of Thailand’s largest companies, Siam Cement Group (SCG Cement), to deploy 50MW of C&I solar PV plants, with the company chief planning for an energy storage component on many of the projects.

Franck Constant, CEO of Constant Energy, told Energy-Storage.news that the PV projects at various affiliates of the packaging, cement and petrochemical giant, are likely to range from 1-5MW in size, that several of the projects are likely to include an energy storage, and that Constant Energy will be the 100% investor in the projects.

Power off-take from the projects will be handled under corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) for numerous factories of SCG Cement in Thailand as well as several other companies chosen by SCG, which is 30% owned by the Crown Property. Power will be supplied directly from the Constant Energy plants to the factories.

Franck Constant said it was too early to say where the floating PV systems would be located, but the target is for all 50MW of solar to be deployed over the coming three years in multiple provinces across Thailand including Saraburi, Lopburi, Samut Prakan, Rayong, Songkhla, Buriram.

Siam Cement Group is a leading business conglomerate in ASEAN region, having been established in 1913 following a royal decree of His Majesty King Rama VI to produce cement.

“I had the chance 20 years ago to negotiate and conclude a joint investment for a 120MW cogeneration power plant with Siam Cement Group (Nong Khae Cogeneration) which is still operating successfully today and servicing industrial customers with high-quality low-cost steam and power. Siam Cement and its team have been great partners to work with. I am excited to execute this MoU today with Siam Cement to provide even lower cost power, this time through our zero-carbon emission PV power plant for at least the next 20 year,” said Franck Constant in a release.

The company has already started engineering of its first solar PV plant under the deal and the pre-construction permitting and licensing process will be handled in Q2 this year, followed by construction.

Constant has long said that corporate PPAs are likely to dominate the clean energy space in Southeast Asia over the next few years. He also said that energy storage could be a key factor in alleviating the transmission capacity constraints currently impacting the highly promising Vietnam solar PV market, where many projects are crammed into one or two states with the highest irradiation.

Land constraints in Southeast Asia also make it a suitable region for alternative technologies like floating solar – a large FPV project was recently installed in Cambodia – while Thailand is also beginning to take energy storage seriously with battery storage pilots and major FPV plans.

Oil & Gas

Vietnam’s petrol, LPG import down in Q1

1 April 2019

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Vietnam

HANOI, April 1 (Xinhua) — Vietnam imported 2 million tons of various kinds of oil and petroleum products totaling nearly 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of this year, posting respective year-on-year drops of 42.6 percent and 47.6 percent, its Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the country imported 349,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) worth 187 million U.S. dollars, down 7.9 percent in volume and down 12.2 percent in value.

Vietnam also spent 222 million U.S. dollars importing other products made from oil, down 8.7 percent.

In 2018, Vietnam spent over 7.6 billion U.S. dollars importing nearly 11.4 million tons of various kinds of oil and petroleum products, down 12.1 percent in volume but up 7.8 percent in value against 2017, according to its General Statistics Office.

The country also spent 841 million U.S. dollars importing more than 1.4 million tons of LPG, posting respective year-on-year rises of 18.3 percent and 4.9 percent.

Oil & Gas

Vietnam’s gas station leader hedges bets with EV chargers

1 April 2019

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Vietnam

HANOI — Vietnam’s state-controlled Petrolimex, the top distributor of gasoline to the country’s more than 40 million motorbikes, aims to diversify operations ahead of a projected long-term slowdown in demand for the fuel.

Formally called Vietnam National Petroleum Group, the company operates about 5,000 gas stations nationwide and has added locations at a pace of 70 per year, supported by Vietnam’s high economic growth of nearly 7%.

But the fuel importer is taking steps to branch out, such as building a liquefied natural gas terminal and adding electric vehicle chargers and convenience stores, Petrolimex Chairman Pham Van Thanh told Nikkei in a recent interview.

Edited excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: Tell us about Petrolimex’s decision to retreat from a plan to break into the oil industry’s midstream by building what would have been Vietnam’s third refinery.

A: State-owned PetroVietnam group operates one refinery in Vietnam, and another run partly by Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan began operating in 2018. Their refineries can meet about 90% of domestic demand for gasoline.

It has become difficult to receive tax and other incentives equivalent to those for the two refineries from the Vietnamese government.

We have yet to abandon the plan but are considering building an LNG import terminal as an alternative. We have signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam Electricity, which is building a [gas-fired] power plant. As our terminal to import petroleum products can be used, we consider the accord compatible with the LNG business.

Q: With demand for gasoline forecast to slow, how is Petrolimex preparing itself?

A: Demand for gasoline is expected to increase 5% or so annually, though slower than Vietnam’s economic growth [of 6% to 7%]. We don’t expect major changes in the business environment in the coming five years. On a longer-term basis, however, we will need to prepare for widespread use of electric vehicles and motorcycles.

We have joined hands with [Vietnamese conglomerate] Vingroup, planning to release EVs starting in 2019. We have already begun installing chargers at our gas stations, hoping to have them at all our stations.

Q: How does Petrolimex plan to make its gas stations more competitive?

A: We want to make use of management know-how of JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy [a Japanese company holding an 8% stake in Petrolimex]. We will increase combination gas stations and convenience stores. We plan to open them on a trial basis in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2019.

As gas stations combined with convenience and other retail stores require land lots bigger than before, we will promote the scrap-and-build of gas stations. We will pursue how to make our gas stations friendlier to users by developing good relations with convenience store operators.

Q: Self-service stations are increasing.

A: We have some 30 self-service stations and will expand the network in earnest. But Vietnam is a cash-based society, and the credit card use has yet to become common.

We cannot simply introduce other countries’ practices as-is, and so will operate them in a manner matching the Vietnamese market while analyzing customers’ reaction.

Q: Would you comment on a proposal under which the JXTG group will spin off its Marifu Refinery in Japan and sell a stake in it to Petrolimex?

A: I cannot say anything specific now, but we are holding talks with the JXTG group on a 50-50 joint venture.

We have already told the Vietnamese government of our intention. As the Vietnamese government has the final say, I don’t know if we can establish a joint venture in April [as planned].

Energy Efficiency

VN saves nearly 500,000 kWh during Earth Hour

1 April 2019

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Vietnam

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam saved 492,000kWh of electricity, equivalent to VNĐ917 million (US$39,700), for one hour on Saturday night, according to the National Power Dispatch Centre.

During Earth Hour, people across the country switched off unnecessary electrical devices from 8.30-9.30pm.

This year’s figure represented a slight rise against the 485,000kWh of electricity saved during Earth Hour 2018.

Speaking at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in response to Earth Hour in Hà Nội the same day, Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh said the event showed the determination and efforts of Vietnamese people to protect the environment and respond to climate change.

Earth Hour is the largest social event in the world, which has been observed in 7,000 cities in 172 countries and territories.

Việt Nam first joined the Earth Hour campaign, which is an initiative of World Wide Fund for Nature, in 2009 to cut greenhouse emissions by 8 per cent.

Together with the symbolic action of turning off unnecessary electrical devices for an hour on Saturday, many other power-saving activities were launched by businesses, households and schools during March to raise public awareness about saving electricity and protecting the environment. — VNS

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