News Clipping Archive - Page 1198 of 1324

Electricity/Power Grid

EDC reduces daytime energy supply to offset shortage

19 March 2019

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Cambodia

Electricité du Cambodge yesterday issued a statement saying that due to power shortages, it has reduced the supply of electricity in the Kingdom during the day in order to ensure supply at night.

In the statement, EDC said it had contacted neighbouring countries in order to provide more electricity. It said that Thailand agreed to supply 80 megawatts, Laos 10 megawatts, while Vietnam refused due to its own energy supply issues in its southern provinces.

“We are still lacking 13 percent of energy,” the statement noted. “Because of this, the EDC has reduced the supply of electricity until the rain season comes.”

“We are alternating locations that receive electricity during the day because people need electricity the most at night,” it added. “We are trying our best to deploy our own generators to supply electricity during the day at industrial areas, hospitals, water facilities, embassies and government institutions.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday renewed a call for the public and government institutions to reduce usage, noting that the Kingdom is currently facing a shortage of 400 megawatts of electricity due to a lack of water to power electric dams.

“I am appealing for understanding from our people because this issue is related to climate change,” Mr Hun Sen said. “Climate change has caused some areas to lack water and electricity.”

“Our big problem is that all hydropower dams use turbines to produce electricity,” he added. “Due to water drying out, we lack about 400 megawatts.”

He said that people should have patience when it comes to shortages of electricity.

A lack of water for hydropower dams has led to the shortage. KT/Chor Sokunthea

“I appeal to our people to have patience during this hard time,” Mr Hun Sen said. “However, this issue will not affect industrial areas.”

“Please reduce the use of electricity and water,” he added. “It is not something we can control. We can solve this by using generators as we had in the past.”

According to the Mines and Energy Ministry, Cambodia produced 2,650 megawatts of electricity last year, of which 1,329 megawatts, or 50 percent, came from hydroelectric dams.

EDC on Friday issued a statement notifying the public that because of the extremely hot weather, the demand for electricity has gone up leading to disruptions in power supply.

EDC said it is scheduling power cuts either in the mornings or afternoons for six hours daily throughout the country.

Meanwhile, a 60-megawatt solar power farm in Kampong Speu province is scheduled to start generating power next month, roughly four months ahead of schedule to aid the Kingdom’s power woes.

Yim Viseth, chairman of the Electricity Authority of Cambodia, yesterday said the 20 megawatts are needed ahead of schedule due to the power shortage.

“We are facing a shortage of power and the EDC has made this a priority issue, so the fact that we can get this project online ahead of schedule is pretty good,” Mr Viseth said.

Electricity/Power Grid

Ministry will build over 1,000 megawatts power stations within one and a half year: official

19 March 2019

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Myanmar

Ministry of Electricity and Energy is planning to build over 1,000 megawatts power stations within one and a half year time and will supply electricity using 500 KV power lines across Myanmar without interrupted, said Union Minister Win Khaing of the Electricity and Energy on March 16.

At the present, the power line can carry up to 300 megawatts and the ministry has power stations which only can generate under 300 megawatts.

“The power stations built in the future will be generated over 1,000 megawatts. We are building 500 KV power line to connect Meiktila, Taungoo, Bayargyi and Yangon and it will be the main back-bone of connecting between northern, southern, eastern and western grips. The ministry can supply electricity to anywhere in Myanmar using the national grip within one and a half year or two year time without interrupted,” said the minister.

Myanmar is now generating about 3,800 megawatts of electricity and it can generate 3,000 megawatts more within three year time, added the minister.

The demand of electricity is increased about 19 per cent annually and it needed between 300 and 500 megawatts annually. The government needs to set long term and short term plans to fulfill the electricity in line with the requirement, he continued.

“We are planning to build natural gas fire turbines to supply the electricity to meet the requirement but the availability of the gas is limited and the ministry has planned to use other energy sources to generate electricity,” said the minister.

“Electricity usage is increased from 15 to 19 per cent annually and it is expected to reach to 4,531 megawatts in 2020-21 FY,” he said.

The ministry is planning to fulfill electricity requirement through hydropower plants, gas fire turbines and solar power plants in addition to LNG power plants which will be less usable as the production of natural gas will be declined by 2020.

Oil & Gas

Fuel companies raising pump prices

19 March 2019

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Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Local oil firms are raising pump prices today, with a steep increase for gasoline, amid a tight supply situation in the Asian market.

In separate advisories, oil companies announced that gasoline prices would be increased by P1.45 per liter, diesel by P0.30 per liter and kerosene by P0.40 per liter. This is the sixth consecutive week for gasoline price increases. There were no adjustments in diesel and kerosene prices last week.

Caltex Philippines said it would implement the price hike by 12:01 a.m. while Petro Gazz, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum, PTT Philippines and Seaoil Philippines said they would implement the increases starting this 6 a.m. Other oil companies have yet to announce their respective price adjustments as of this writing.

The monitoring done by the Department of Energy (DOE) showed that the tight supply of oil in the Asian region pushed up local prices.

“Fundamentals in the Asian gasoline market strengthened further at the end of the trading week as greater evidence of supply tightness emerged with news of refinery maintenance in the region,” the DOE said.

Those undergoing maintenance include Japan’s largest refiner JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy until April 14 while Petronas will be starting its scheduled maintenance program on March 20.

Meanwhile, Sinopec announced plans to shutdown its Dongxing refinery at Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong province for a two-month maintenance starting July 3 until around Sept. 3.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/03/19/1902741/fuel-companies-raising-pump-prices#6eFKbCpZazkqjgoQ.99

Renewables

Floating solar testbed to battle Filipino typhoons

19 March 2019

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Philippines

The Philippines’ first and biggest floating solar (FPV) testbed, which is under construction in Southeast Asia’s third-largest lake, aims to demonstrate how the technology combined with a screw piling method can withstand typhoons in a region that has on average 20 storms each year.

Filipino renewable energy developer SunAsia Energy recently completed the first segment of this 20.5kW floating PV testbed that is owned by its subsidiary NorteSol Energy. The system uses modules from Chinese manufacturer Trina Solar, with half the plant using aluminium-framed panels and the other half frameless panels. More modules from other manufacturers will also be tested in a second phase.

The project is located on Laguna Lake, 55 kilometres south of the business district of Makati City, which is part of the huge Manila metropolis, on the northern island of Luzon.

Theresa Capellan, president of SunAsia Energy told PV Tech that the results of the testbed would be shared at a floating solar conference in June – adding: “We will scale up to utility size FPV as soon as the testbed yields a favourable outcome, which we are optimistic about.”

Wind and waves

The Laguna Lake natural water resource covers 95,000 hectares and crosses several cities and towns. Last December, NorteSol Energy signed an agreement with the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to pilot FPV solar in the lake and study its engineering and operational feasibility, particularly during the typhoon season from June to September.

“Laguna Lake is a challenging location for a floating PV solar because of its waters, winds and waves. We know that storms visit the Philippines 20 times a year, on average,” said Karlo Abril, project officer of SunAsia Energy.

Abril explained that in Japan and Taiwan, FPV plants tend to be bolted on the water surface to ensure stability from strong waves and gusty winds during the typhoon season. Whereas, SunAsia Energy has introduced a screw piling method in the Philippines as its anchoring solution in anticipation of strong storms.

French floating solar pioneer Ciel et Terre also offered its expertise in the installation processes for the Laguna Lake-based project.

Various aspects of the plant will be tested including the Trina Solar modules, looking at the effect of aluminium frames, among other materials, on water surfaces. SunAsia will also be using advanced sensors to record weather movements, track wind speed, tag wave fluctuations, and monitor water quality changes.

“Experience in Singapore and Vietnam reveals that the greatest advantage of floating solar is its cooling effects to the waters,” Capellan added in a release. “Solar panels on waters reduce evaporation during summertime, increase oxygen levels, and improve the overall water quality of the lake’s fishing grounds. This implies that FPV solar can help increase fish population as cooler waters increase zooplankton making it easier for fish to find food as well as reproduce.”

SunAsia is already well established in the Filipino renewable energy space having one of the largest utility-scale PV plants in Toledo, Cebu, and what it claims to be a first-of-its-kind microgrid system in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Renewables

Numerous renewables projects thirsty for planning adjustment

19 March 2019

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Vietnam

News outlet baodautu.vn quoted a recent report sent by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to the Prime Minister as saying the ministry had received a large number of proposals from investors on adding their projects into the power development plan.

Those in desire of planning adjustments include five liquefied natural gas fired power projects with a combined capacity reaching thousands of MW, 210 projects in photovoltaic power, and 59 in wind power.

Regarding grid connection, there are nearly 100 projects ranging from 110 kV, 220 kV, to 500 kV which are also seeking for planning adjustments.

The ministry cited the delayed planning process as a major cause which hampers the operating schedule of power projects.

It could pose a high risk of failure for projects to meet requirements for commercial operations as prescribed in the Prime Minister’s Decision 11/2017/QD-TTg and to enjoy preferential tariffs in Decision No. 39/2018/QD-TTg.

In fact, investors are rushing to put their solar power projects into commercial operations prior to June 30, 2019, whilst the commercial operations date for wind power falls on November 1, 2021.

Therefore, financiers have raised concerns that their power projects have yet to be added to the power development plan so far.

According to baodautu.vn, the large-scale Ke Ga wind power project is designed with an overall capacity of 3,400 MW. The investor revealed that a detailed plan on surveying a 2,000-square-kilometer site in the central province of Binh Thuan was submitted to the MoIT for approval last week.

The project is expected to see the first series of turbines put into operations by late 2022 while the first phase of construction towards the 600 MW capacity will be completed by 2023.

The delayed planning process raises a big question mark over when the Ke Ga project will be added to the power development plan and will receive an investment decision.

In fact, the MoIT is assigned to implement the power development plan and national energy plan as stated in the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 995/QD-TTg dated August 9, 2018.

However, there is no specific guidance regarding the procedures for planning, appraising, and approving the plan. This has caused confusion for the ministry over how to handle new power projects as it considers whether it is still empowered to approve the projects in format with Circular 43/2013/TT-BTC, Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade noted in the report.

The MoIT suggested the Prime Minister allow the ministry to adjust and supplement the power development plan as it did with previous regulations.

In particular, it recommended the planning of power sources of over 50 MW and power grids of 220 kV or higher be approved and adjusted by the Prime Minister, while projects under these levels should be approved by the ministry.

Electricity/Power Grid

EVN sees sharp drop in power loss

19 March 2019

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Vietnam

Power loss in Vietnam Electricity (EVN)’s systems has reduced sharply over the years thanks to the firm’s efforts to better manage the power network, especially in transmission and distribution.

Last year, the EVN saw 6.9 percent power loss, 0.3 percentage points lower than its target, and completing its five-year plan a year prior to the deadline.

In 2019, it aims to reduce the loss to 6.7 percent and to 6.5 percent in the future.

Since 2015, the firm has seen improvements in power loss reduction, from 7.94 percent in 2015 to 7.57 percent in 2016, and 7.24 percent in 2017.

According to Prof. Tran Dinh Long, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Electrical Engineering Association, the reduction of power loss in the recent 10 years has shown the EVN’s great efforts, helping Vietnam become a leading country in terms of low power loss.

Prof. Long added that power loss in the power system largely depends on investment in the network, requiring a long process of modernisation.-VNA

Bioenergy

Wasting away to make energy

18 March 2019

–

Thailand

Many private companies in the Thai renewable energy field are pleased with the new version of the national power development plan (PDP) for 2018-37.

The PDP calls for gradually opening up investor participation in waste-to-energy power projects, setting a goal of 500 megawatts from such fuel, representing 30% of total renewable resources by 2037.

Part of the impetus for this type of energy generation is that waste management has been put on the national agenda to help eliminate waste pollution in the country.

The Pollution Control Department forecasts average solid waste in Thailand to increase from 40,662 tonnes per day in 2008 to 42,900 in 2023.

More than 50% of waste heads to landfills and has done so for more than four decades.

There were several complicated conditions and regulations that were a barrier to developing a waste-to-energy sector in Thailand during 2012-15, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission.

The ERC has since amended several laws and conditions to create more potential for waste-to-energy business.

The new PDP allows the regulator to adopt business models and development conditions to license private investors.

Naruphat Amornkosit, secretary-general of the ERC, said an announcement of licensing for waste-to-energy projects is likely this month, with a tentative feed-in tariff of 3.66 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit).

This licensing round excludes 12 refuse-derived fuel (RDF) projects under the Quick Win initiative with a combined capacity of 78MW.

“The ERC will consider the business model and capacity in providing two types of licences: small power producer at a capacity between 10-99MW and very small power producer for less than 10MW,” Ms Naruphat said.

She said power purchase agreements will be for a period of 20-25 years and the state grid has plans to buy power from this renewable resource.

The locations and landfills will be in high-density areas such as Bangkok, its surrounding provinces and other metropolitan areas.

Ms Naruphat said licence holders have to comply with a single rule: quick development during a stipulated time frame to avoid any delays and postponement.

Higher purchase price

Montree Wiboonrath, president of the Institute of Industrial Energy, said the institute submitted proposals to the ERC to place RDF resources in the biomass power category, which offers a higher feed-in tariff of 4.24 baht per unit.

“Biomass power generation is made from agricultural waste, and the price of raw material fluctuates greatly compared with abundant solid waste in landfills,” Mr Montree said.

For example, the price of wood chips and rice paddy has tripled from 500 baht per tonne to 1,400 baht in the past five years, he said.

At present, RDF power projects receive a feed-in-tariff of 2.65 baht per unit.

“The lower tariff means many investors will have a low return on investment,” Mr Montree said.

A waste-to-energy power plant in Samut Prakan. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

Some 550MW of waste-to-energy power projects have applied for licences, with RDF resources a part of this renewable energy, he said.

The capacity represents the first phase of the waste-to-energy business, but only 22 projects have been developed and are operational, offering a combined capacity of 213MW.

The remaining capacity of 337MW has not been developed because the rules and regulations are too complicated for the ERC to approve the licences for investors, Mr Montree said.

“Energy policymakers should facilitate investment in RDF projects because the amount of waste in Thailand grows quickly every year,” he said.

Kulit Sombatsiri, the energy permanent secretary, said the Energy Conservation Fund is considering allocating a budget of 2.5 billion baht for the Local Administration Department to develop waste separation plants nationwide.

These plants will sort out raw materials for RDF-made power generation.

Ready but wary

Kanapod Nitsiri, chief executive of Eastern Energy Plus Co, said EEP’s business expansion is being stymied because of uncertain rules and regulations.

“We are pushing for the feed-in tariff of 3.66 baht per unit because costs for preparation and development always increase,” he said.

EEP is the operator of RDF power projects in Phraek Sa subdistrict in Samut Prakan province.

“During a public hearing on participation in the RDF power project, we have suffered from unexpected costs because local communities are protesting the project because of the stench and wastewater,” Mr Kanapod said.

EEP is the first investor in local RDF power projects and has seen it take several years to develop and operate its plants. The company wants to invest in three more RDF projects at the same landfill.

EEP also plans to submit documents to join the Quick Win initiative in Ayutthaya.

Worawit Lerdbussarakam, vice-president of TPI Polene Power Plc (TPIPP), said the company sees opportunities in the coming year for waste-to-energy power projects.

TPIPP is Thailand’s largest capacity operator of an RDF project, which is located in Saraburi province.

Mr Worawit said Thailand has great potential to develop RDF projects, with capacity of up to 1,800MW.

“Of course, policymakers should facilitate development with more flexible conditions and rules,” he said.

With its experience in RDF projects, the new quota for waste-to-energy capacity is a big opportunity for the company, Mr Worawit said.

TPIPP plans to submit proposals for the RDF auction to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for the Nong Khaem and On Nut landfills this month.

The BMA plans to open the auction round for 40MW in total, with an estimated investment cost of 12 billion baht.

TPIPP has issued debentures worth 4 billion baht since last November for refinance and to provide funds for its business expansion, including new RDF projects.

The company also wants to participate in the auction for independent power producers in the coming years.

Cherdsak Wattanavijitkul, managing director of TPC Power Holding Plc (TPCH), said the company is ready to participate in the auction for RDF projects because of its financial capabilities and business partnerships.

“TPCH has lengthy experience in biomass projects, which generate power from agricultural waste, so it can be assumed that we can work with RDF technology,” Mr Cherdsak said.

The company wants to diversify its power generation business from biomass to solid waste, he said.

TPCH won a licence in the first RDF auction in November 2017 from the Nonthaburi Provincial Administration, with a capacity of 9.5MW. That project is under construction, scheduled to commence commercial operation in 2021.

It also took part in an auction of BMA’s Nong Khaem and On Nut landfills for RDF projects.

“TPCH plans to expand the committed capacity of waste-to-energy power projects, almost doubling to 250MW by 2020 from 130MW in 2018,” Mr Cherdsak said.

Electricity/Power Grid

‘Cambodia Electricity Power Cuts Caused By Drought,’ – Official Reports

18 March 2019

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Cambodia

Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, could see periodic power outages continue until late May due to an electricity shortage attributed to climate change and drought, the Energy Ministry said Monday.

The planned outages, which occurred for several hours on multiple days earlier in some Phnom Penh neighbourhoods, may last until the fourth week of May, Victor Jona, director-general of the ministry’s energy department, told dpa.

The government was asking people to minimise their electricity usage.

Large businesses could use their own diesel generators for backup power, Jona said.

Prime Minister, Hun Sen, said the nation was facing a 400-megawatt electricity shortfall due to a water shortage which had led to cuts in the country’s hydroelectric power generation, the Khmer Times reported on Monday.

“Climate change is not only affecting Cambodia, but also the whole region,” Sen said.

Nearly half of Cambodia’s 2,208 megawatts of power generated domestically in 2018 was from hydropower with about a third coming from coal, according to government figures.

National utility company, Electricite du Cambodge, said on Friday that electricity demand had risen and led to power supply disruptions due to extremely hot weather, the Times reported.

The utility was scheduling either morning or afternoon power outages for six hours daily throughout the country. (NAN)

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Ready but wary

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