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SINGAPORE – The Land Transport Authority is spending more than $130 million on a trial to see if diesel-electric hybrid and battery-powered public buses are feasible here – the first move towards an aim to convert Singapore’s fleet to cleaner energy sources by 2040.
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Siemens opened the new 1200-square-meter service centre in Rayong to continue its commitment to deliver excellent local services to its customers while also supporting Thailand‘s new Power Development Plan (PDP) that puts more emphasis into high efficiency, natural gas based generation and renewable energy technologies.
The new Siemens service centre serves as a combined repair centre and warehouse providing full maintenance support including inspection, spare parts replacement, tooling and repair facilities to serve Siemens‘ gas turbine, compressors and industrial steam turbines.
Rayong is a key location for Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) development plan, which is part of the Thailand 4.0 policy. Together, these plans aim to promote high value industries and boost economic growth for the country.
Thorbjoern Fors, CEO of Siemens Power Generation Services, Distributed Generation and Oil and Gas, spoke at the opening ceremony and said the company selected Rayong as the location for the company‘s service centre in order to be close to customers, to access the great talent in Rayong for industrial services and to provide even better levels of service to Thailand’s growing industrial sector.
Fors also said the new service centre would provide benefits for the owners of the nearly 100 industrial gas turbine units in Thailand. The Thai fleet represents the largest fleet of the SGT-800 turbine in the world. – an incredible achievement for not a very large economy country.
“The new service centre is great for Siemens‘ customers and will provide benefits to the efficiency of Thailand’s energy sector,‘‘ said Fors. “It brings us closer to our valued customers in Thailand, makes our services more localised, faster and more efficient, which is exactly what our customers and the industry needs.”
Nadja Haakansson, Vice President, Head of Power Generation Services, Thailand, said: “This service centre will bring many benefits to our customers in terms of ease and quality of service and speed. Our goal is to be as close as possible to our customers – and the new service centre helps us achieve this.
“Our service centre brings a localised service for our customers to help them improve availability, operational flexibility and efficiency. The high efficiency of the SGT-800 drives improved fuel consumption and reduction of airborne emissions such as CO2,” said Haakansson.
“In addition, we also take advantage of digitisation in power generation to provide real-time monitoring and analysis for preventive maintenance and improved operational efficiency.”
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With the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change’s (MESTECC) recent focus on expanding the contribution of renewables sources to the power sector, the Malaysian Gas Association (MGA) strongly advocates the increasingly important role that natural gas plays globally in transitioning to a sustainable energy mix and how Malaysia can emulate this to ensure the nation’s energy sustainability.
With MESTECC’s 2019 Initiatives striving to achieve 20 per cent renewable energy capacity mix and eight per cent savings through energy efficiency by 2025, the inherent properties of natural gas as the cleanest burning fossil fuel, makes it the perfect partner to achieve these targets.
Following a briefing session with MESTECC’s Energy Division, MGA President, Hazli Sham Kassim said, “Given the growing global call for climate action, MGA applauds Minister Yeo Bee Yin and her ministry for setting a clear direction through MESTECC’s 2019 Initiatives with actionable steps to build a low carbon economy for the country and achieve the government’s COP 21 goals.”
“Natural gas is a viable option to strengthen peninsular Malaysia’s electricity grid, optimise the reserve margin, improve system reliability and mitigate any intermittencies in renewable power generation, especially solar PV, thus providing a long-term energy solution for a sustainable future,” he added. Similar sentiments were also echoed during the recent 9th International Indonesia Gas Conference and Exhibition (IndoGas 2019) in Jakarta where he spoke.
With increasing use of renewables, the issue of power supply intermittency becomes a pressing concern, which can be addressed effectively through gas-fired turbines that have the flexibility of quick start-up and short ramp-up times.
As the lead advocate of the nation’s natural gas industry, MGA has also called for co-generation to be included in the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Act (EECA), currently being drafted and scheduled to be tabled at the end of this year. MGA is currently leading the efforts to promote greater adoption of cogeneration through its Taskforce on Promoting Cogeneration.
MGA will continue to facilitate the growth of the sector and encourage greater usage of natural gas as it offers integrated innovative gas solutions for the country’s long-term energy mix, be it as feedstock for industries, fuel for heating or combustion as well as for transportation, at significantly lower environmental and economic cost.
On the international front, MGA has represented the country at various high-profile industry platforms such as the World Gas Conference (WGC 2018) held in Washington DC, Gas Information Exchange in the Western Pacific Area (GASEX) in Hangzhou, China, and IndoGas 2019 in Jakarta, Indonesia. MGA is also a charter member of the International Gas Union (IGU), a worldwide non-profit organisation with members from more than 90 countries, representing over 97 per cent of the global gas market and currently holds the role of IGU’s regional coordinator for South and South East Asia.
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KUALA LUMPUR (March 15): Pestech International Bhd has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Japanese renewable energy power plant developer for a potential joint investment in the bidding for the Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Plants for Peninsula Malaysia (LSS 3 Project)
According to a bourse filing, the group’s wholly-owned subsidiary Pestech Power Sdn Bhd PPW) inked the MoU with Japanese outfit RS Renewable KK (RSRKK), which is effective today until legally binding contracts have been executed.
RSRKK is involved in the development of renewable energy power plants in Japan and globally.
The MoU is framed around both parties exploring the possibility of undertaking a joint co-operation for a bid with regards to the LSS 3 Project.
If successful in their bid, both PPW and RSRKK would consider investing in the LSS 3 Project through a special purpose vehicle.
The partnership comes on the heel of news that the Government would undertake an open tender for the third round of the 500 megawatts (MW) large scale solar projects, which comes to a total value of RM2 billion.
The project was initiated by the Government so that Malaysia could move away from its dependency on fossil fuels, with the aim of achieving a target of 20% of energy production from renewable sources by 2025.
Shares in Pestech closed unchanged at RM1.30 — with 190,400 shares changing hands — giving the group a market capitalisation of RM863.65 million.
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DAVAO CITY — Listed independent oil firm Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. is assessing various locations proposed by potential dealers as part of its expansion program this year, a top company official said yesterday.
Lawyer Allan Raymond T. Zorilla, Phoenix Petroleum senior vice president of external affairs, business development and security, told BusinessWorld that the review takes into consideration not just location but “moving traffic” in the area.
“We will look at the viability of the areas as we always consider location as a primary factor (in expansion),” said Mr. Zorilla.
He added that the company is especially interested in opening more service stations in Mindanao, where the company started.
On average, he said, the company opens about 50 new service stations every year and it reported last month that it ended 2018 with 600 nationwide.
Apart from setting up new service stations, Mr. Zorilla said the company also buys “white stations” or existing facilities not attached to specific brands, or even those that sell competing brands including those held by small independent retailers.
Phoenix Petroleum, in a Feb. 27 statement, reported a “banner year in 2018 with the strongest revenue and earnings in the Company’s history, driven by record volume from new businesses and sustained strength in its core fuels business.”
The company, headquartered in Davao City,reported a net profit of P2.77 billion, up 82%, while revenue was at ?88.61 billion. — Carmelito Q. Francisco
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MANILA, Philippines — Independent oil firm Eastern Petroleum Corp. plans to invest up to P5 billion in the next three years to corner five percent of the Philippine liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market, its top official said.
The company is targeting five percent of the entire country’s monthly LPG consumption of 100 million kilograms, Eastern Petroleum chairman and CEO Fernando Martinez told reporters yesterday.
“We hardly scratched the surface since the Philippines consumes 100 million kilos per month. We are below one percent. We want to capture five percent of the market. We need at least three years to fulfil that,” Martinez said.
To meet its target, Eastern Petroleum needs to invest P4 billion to P5 billion to roll out one million LPG tanks, put up depots and acquire trucks for transportation.
For this year, the oil firm is looking to add 50 company-owned LPG outlets to increase its market share.
“We are adding 50 corporate outlets, meaning company-owned. We’re focusing on Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, Central Luzon which constitutes the equivalent of the half of total consumption of LPG for the entire industry,” Martinez said.
This will help the company grow its store count from 140 at end-2018 to 190 by the end of the year.
“We’ll have a market share of 1.1 percent by end of the year, that’s the vision,” Martinez said.
EC Gas is the oil firm’s LPG brand launched in 2013, an explosion-proof cylinder made from composite materials and is up to 10 kilograms lighter compared to the average weight of LPG made from steel.
Its LPG System is designed based on the latest composite cylinder technology that uses seamless polymer, fiberglass construction, and molded HDPE (high-density polyethylene) casing. This technology makes EC Gas cylinders explosion proof even in direct exposure to fire.
The product was awarded as the most innovative product at the Entrepreneur and Franchise Expo 2014.
Eastern Petroleum recently partnered with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to ensure that Filipino households are safe from LPG-related fires and even deaths beyond the fire prevention month.
Data from the BFP showed that fire incidents in the National Capital Region (NCR) have declined by 9.3 percent to 4,645 incidents in 2017. Only 0.58 percent or 27 incidents in NCR had been attributed to LPG explosion due to direct flame contact or static electricity.
On a national scale, the BFP data showed that fire incidents have declined by 26.41 percent to 14,197 in 2017, 0.83 percent of which was caused by LPG.
Martinez said the partnership between Eastern Petroleum and BFP would empower its EC Gas retail network and users with relevant safety tips and techniques on how to prevent fire from occurring.
“We, at Eastern Petroleum and EC Gas, continue to look into developing value added services that equip its retail network with best practices they could share with their household and commercial customers,” he said.
Martinez said these value added services help assure EC Gas users that their tanks are free from any leak, thus ensuring their households and establishment are safe from the perils of pilfered and unmaintained steel tanks.
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HCM CITY — Lục Văn Tân, a HCM City resident, is considering installing solar power panels on his 35sq.m rooftop to save on electricity bills.
But the initial investment for the panels has made Tân think twice.
It costs between VNĐ25 million (US$1,070) and VNĐ30 million ($1,280) for each 10sq.m panel. That means Tân would have to spend about VNĐ90 million ($3,840).
In spite of the long-term profits solar power brings, many families hesitate to install the panels due to the cost.
It is estimated that it takes just five years to recoup the investment but not all families can afford the initial outlay.
Trần Đình Nhân, general director of Vietnam Electricity (EVN), said: “There are no loans available to support people willing to use solar powers, which prevent households from accessing the renewable energy source.”
Two years after home solar systems were launched, only 1,800 customers including offices, businesses and households had so far invested in rooftop panels, according to EVN.
“The power generated is below the country’s solar energy potential,” Nhân said.
Solar panels not only help people to cover their domestic electricity demands but also contribute to the national power grid.
EVN has said it would install electricity meters in houses to measure extra rooftop solar power and buy from customers who were willing to sell.
However, this preferential policy has been held back by late legislation. EVN had been unable to sign contracts with customers because there were no instructions regarding payment methods, Nhân said.
The corporation has asked the Government to offer financial incentives and call on investors to support home solar system. The country’s largest power generator is also working with the German Development Bank KfW and has asked the Government to use the bank’s solar power development package worth 14 million euros to support home rooftop solar panels.
According to the EVN representative, if approved, each household would receive from VNĐ2 million ($85) to VNĐ6 million ($255), depending on panel capacity, for the installation. The assistance was only a small package but would encourage more families to install panels.
Many customers complained that they did not know which panels to install or how to maintain them.
EVN was considering high-quality solar panel suppliers and would publish list of qualified companies on the corporation’s website as a reliable reference source for customers, Nhân said.
The way forward
Việt Nam’s annual power consumption has increased by 10 per cent in recent years, and the country is at risk of facing power shortages in the 2020s. According to environmental experts, renewable energy like solar would play a vital role in helping Việt Nam accomplish its long-term goal of hooking up the whole country to the national grid.
Cao Quốc Hưng, deputy minister of industry and trade, said at a renewable energy workshop this week Việt Nam had witnessed a ‘wave’ of local and international investment in renewable energy thanks to consistent policies and support mechanisms.
As of the end of last year, about 10,000MW of solar energy had been generated by large solar projects. More than 100 power purchase agreements were signed with two of them with total capacity of 86MW.
According to renewable energy researchers, the country’s solar system had huge potential to reach 35,000MW by 2030.
Việt Nam has focused its solar power development on both home rooftop systems and large projects invested by domestic and foreign investors.
The Government has applied favourable feed-in tariff incentives or renewable energy payments for solar power since 2017 in an attempt to accelerate investment in renewable energy. The fixed solar power price is set at VNĐ2,086 ($0.08).
Phương Hoàng Kim, head of the Electricity and Renewable Energy Department of Ministry of Industry and Trade told Thanh niên (Young people) newspaper the incentives had boosted the solar energy market.
However, the prices for solar power are fixed regardless of the amount of sunlight different areas receive, resulting in less interest in cooler areas.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is drafting new prices for solar energy based on geographical zones and opening the floor for feedback.
Kim said that the proposed price change aimed to stabilise the number of solar energy projects based on the rule that low prices should be applied in sunnier areas so investors could still profit if they invested in areas with low levels of sunshine. — VNS
Read more at http://vietnamnews.vn/society/507143/high-cost-casts-a-shadow-on-solar-power.html#Sm2KbG7FD3Cwgr3k.99
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BIDOR (March 14): After the end of the age of tin mines which contributed much wealth to Perak, the once boisterous and prosperous mining town of Bidor turned quiet.
What was left was a landscape littered with tin mines with little to attract industrial development or housing projects.
Examining the situation, local Bumiputera-owned renewable energy company Gading Kencana Development Sdn Bhd (GKD) realised that something can be done to transform the district’s landscape to cater for a solar power plant built using 90 percent local components.
What is interesting about the plant is that it marked a historic moment in Malaysia’s engineering history when it is the first time a solar power plant was connected to the 132 KV national power grid.
The 30 megawatt (MW) solar farm, which has been operational since November last year, can generate 54,000 MW hours worth of electricity a year.
GKD managing director Datuk Ir Guntor Tobeng said the company, with its 25 years of experience in the solar supply industry, had changed Bidor’s landscape so that it was no longer known as a stopover town and at the same time created job opportunities for the locals.
“Bidor is a suitable location for a solar farm as it has strong sunlight with an annual average radiation of 1,695.2 kilowatt hours per square metre.
“From an economic standpoint, the Bidor plant has generated RM14 million in revenue for the State Government and created jobs for locals,” he said in a statement after a visit by Orang Besar Jajahan Batang Padang Datuk Rashid Ayob to the plant today.
Construction of the RM214 million solar power plant, which was partially financed by Affin Islamic Bank Bhd, began in September 2017 and was completed in November 2018.
The power plant is capable of supplying electricity to 20,000 households and it is estimated the use of solar energy for these households can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 760 million tonnes over a 21-year period.
Guntor said the plant used 110,500 locally-manufactured solar modules and the development of the project opened up job opportunities for 304 locals, 30 percent of whom were young Malay women.
In 2014, GKD began operating an 8MW seven-hectare solar farm in Ayer Keroh, Melaka and the company had undertaken several other solar power projects, including some overseas
ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) is an intergovernmental organisation within ASEAN structure that represents the 10 ASEAN Member States’ (AMS) interests in the energy sector.
