- Renewables
19 October 2018
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- Philippines
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CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga, Oct. 15 (PIA) – – Geothermal exploration in the province is progressing with drilling targeted to start next year.
Kalinga Geothermal Project, a consortium of Aragorn Power and Energy Corporation, Guidance Management Corporation and Allfirst Kalinga Ltd., is given a two-year extension for its exploration permit. It is now on Phase 3 (exploration drilling) which includes memorandum of agreement signing and declaration of its commerciality.
The geothermal project’s projected capacity is 100MW with a service contract of 260 square kilometres covering barangays in Pasil, Lubuagan and Tinglayan. It has contracts in place with First Balfour as general contractor and Drill Corp. for drilling. It has also completed community development projects in four of eight ancestral domains.
The Department of Energy granted the project a Certificate of Energy Project of National Significance (CEPNS) on August 14 this year. It is one of only four applicants issued with the CEPNS from 23 applicants that were accepted out of 306 applications filed.
During a recent meeting with government stakeholders, the consortium representatives said they will continue to engage the affected communities and other stakeholders and plans to construct access roads to project site and well pads for the targeted well testing in the second quarter of 2019.
Consultations with seven affected barangays in Tinglayan, three in Lubuagan and one in Pasil were already completed and closed with MOA per ancestral domain forged. Discussions are ongoing in two ancestral domains of Pasil while negotiations ongoing in seven barangays, also in Pasil, they said.
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples –Cordillera Director Roland Calde said their concern is to ensure that host communities of development projects such as on power generation are consulted and taken their consent, and that they benefit from these projects.
Meanwhile, Vice Gov. James Edduba said he has been pushing for the project to materialize since he was the local chief executive of Pasil. Now that he is with the provincial LGU, he assured the company the necessary assistance.
Gov. Jocel Baac called on affected communities to set aside personal benefits and think to consider first long term benefits. “Let’s give way to this exploration and later talk with them (company) when it is ripe for development and is going to operate,” he said.
The generation of clean and cheap energy from renewable energy sources is one of the agenda of Pres. Duterte. He signed Executive Order No. 30 creating the Energy Investment Coordinating Council in order to streamline the regulatory procedures affecting energy projects.
It provides among others a 30-day period to act on ESPN applications which is in compliance to the provision of RA 11032, or An Act Promoting Ease Of Doing Business And Efficient Delivery Of Government Services which the President recently approved.
Kalinga has been known as a geothermal prospect for over 50 years. In 1964, it was first identified by COMVOL (now PHIVOLCS) as one of the top three geothermal prospects in Luzon for power production. (JDP/PAB-PIA CAR, Kalinga).
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Renewables firm AC Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Philippines-based industrial firm, Ayala Corporation has announced a further 80MW of solar projects in Vietnam, soon after detailing a 300MW pipeline in the country.
AC Energy said that its joint venture with AMI Renewables Energy would include a total of 80MW of PV power plants in the provinces of Khanh Hoa and Dak Lak, which would be commissioned in time for the June 2019 solar feed-in tariff deadline. This is on top of plans to add 300MW of projects in the country in the same time period.
The projects were said to cost around US$83 million, financed with debt and equity from Indovina Bank of Vietnam and RCBC of the Philippines, while AC Energy will participate with at least 50% economic share, according to the company.
AC Energy formed a platform company with AMI Renewables last year to build renewable energy plants in Vietnam, including the 352MW Quang Binh wind project.
The company aims to exceed 5GW of renewable energy capacity by 2025.
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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 15): China has expressed its intention to buy another 500,000 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia provided the prices are competitive, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says today.
This follows his official visit to China in August, he added.
“China has stated that it is prepared to import an additional 500,000 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia, provided the prices are competitive,” he said replying to a parliamentary question by Bukit Bintang Member of Parliament Fomg Kui Lun who asked about the outcome from the premier’s visit to China in terms of trade and economic cooperation.
Last year, China imported 1.92 million tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia, behind India which bought 2.03 million tonnes and the European Union at 1.99 million tonnes.
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Can Tho (VNA) – The first waste-to-energy plant in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho began trial operation on October 15.
The plant is invested by China’s Everbright International and operated by the Can Tho Everbright Environmental Protection Holdings Ltd (EB Can Tho).
Construction of the plant started on June 30, 2018. The project will last 22 years, including the construction period, with a total investment of 1,050 billion VND (45.6 million USD).
Sitting on a site of 5.3ha in Truong Xuan commune, Thoi Lai district, the plant is capable of processing 400 tonnes of household waste and generating 150,000 kWh of electricity per day.
After one month of trial run, the plant will be put into official operation on November 15.
The factory is expected to help Can Tho city to deal with household waste as it consumes up to 77 percent of the city’s total garbage volume.-VNA
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The eventual liberalization of many electricity markets in Asia is opening up investment opportunities and new business models for consumers, producers and authorities. Utilities in the region have already started experimenting with blockchain technology, in preparation for what has been hailed as “the era of the prosumer”. For example, Power Ledger is working together with Thai energy utility BCPG in order to test blockchain technology for peer-to-peer (p2p) energy trading in a neighborhood in Bangkok. Meanwhile, in Singapore, Electrify is developing a blockchain-based marketplace that will enable p2p energy trading between users and/or the energy suppliers. All in all, blockchain is expected to impact not just the act of energy trading, but it is also set to revolutionize the financing side, the origination of renewables, the security of the grid and other applications.
The rapidly developing blockchain and energy landscape can be a difficult one to navigate. With so many initiatives popping up on an almost daily basis, it’s tough to distinguish the signal from the noise. To provide a quick, but comprehensive overview of the different players and efforts in the field, Solarplaza just published the most recent update of their ‘Comprehensive Guide to Blockchain and Energy Companies’, which is complimentarily available on their website.
Additionally, to facilitate a powerful and effective platform for exchanging relevant knowledge and networking with industry-peers, Solarplaza has decided to bring its Blockchain2Energy conference series to Singapore. Blockchain2Energy Asia will be the key meeting point for developers, utilities, startups, consultants, technology leaders, investors and regulators, allowing them to explore the present and future of blockchain in renewable energy in Asia. Organized by Solarplaza alongside local partner Vertech Capital, this 1-day conference in Singapore (November 27) will be the perfect meeting place for the energy-blockchain community in Asia.
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Gunkul Engineering company Korat Wind Energy has passed its three-month completion review at the 50MW Mittraphap wind farm in Thailand.
The project is comprised of 20 turbines in Nakhon Ratchasima and sells power to the Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand via a long-term deal.
Mott MacDonald conducted technical due diligence during financing, which included reviewing the project’s participants, design, construction and operational execution plans, schedule and contractual arrangements, energy yield, site suitability reports and environmental and social plans.
The consultancy also provided construction monitoring services and will monitor operations throughout the loan tenor period, which commences in late 2018.
Mott MacDonald said: “It is an honour to be part of and contribute to Thailand achieving an increase in renewable energy consumption.”
It said Mittraphap adds to the country’s current wind installed capacity of 580MW already in commercial operation.
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Vientiane (VNA) – Laos is among 15 countries worldwide receiving the biggest investment from China in the energy sector, Vientiane Times on October 15 quoted a World Bank report as saying.
By 2017, China’s investment in the field in Laos hit 15 billion USD and is expected to continue rising in the years to come, said the report.
China is now one of the largest investors in the hydropower sector in Laos, engaging in about half of the total number of hydropower projects in the Southeast Asian nation.
According to data of the International Rivers, China’s hydropower projects in Laos include the 2.4 billion USD Pak Beng, the 2 billion USD Ban Ou, Nam Kham 3, Nam Beng, Nam Leuk 1 and 2, Nam Ngum 5, Nam Mang and Nam Phay plants.
The energy sector has made significant contributions to Laos’ annual budget and played an important role in the country’s economic development. The Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines said that Laos is capable of producing 30,000MW of solar, bio-mass, wind, thermal and hydro electricity.
At present, Laos is home to 48 operating hydropower plants with total designed capacity of 6,551MW. They are able to generate 35,549 GWh per year. The country is now building 52 other hydropower plants with combined capacity of 6,511MW, able to generate 31,395 GWh per year. These plants are expected to be put into operation between 2020-2021.
China is currently the largest foreign investor in Laos with more than 700 projects worth up to 8 billion USD.-VNA
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.
