News Clipping Archive - Page 1270 of 1324

Oil & Gas

7 December 2018

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Cambodia

Retail petrol prices in the Kingdom continued to fall on Monday amid an increase in crude oil prices in the international market.

This follows the renewal of a pact between two top oil producers to cap output and the temporary trade cease fire between the US and China.

A Ministry of Commerce statement released on Monday said petrol prices fell by 200 riel to 3,450 riel per litre, while diesel dropped 300 riel per litre to 3,500 riel for the period between December 1 and 15.

The ministry said the drop came as part of a growing trend of falling oil prices in regional and international markets.

Normally, the ministry evaluates retail petrol and diesel prices once every two weeks in line with market price fluctuations.

However, oil prices soared more than five per cent on Monday with West Texas Intermediate rising $2.82 to $53.75 and Brent up $2.98 at $62.44.

The crude price spike comes after Russia and Saudi Arabia renewed a pact to cap output, while the US agreed to halt raising tariffs on Chinese imports, stalling a trade row that many feared could hit demand for the commodity.

Bin Many Mialia, deputy managing director of Commercial Marketing and Corporate Affairs at PTT (Cambodia) Ltd, said the price of petrol in Cambodia will not rise immediately due to the ministry setting oil prices once every two weeks, also factoring in the price it set for the previous two-week period in its calculations.

“If international prices rise in the next 15 days, [the price] does not reflect the [local retail] price for the next 15 days. [The ministry] takes the price of the last 15 days of last month to calculate the current price,” he said.

However, he said if international crude oil prices increase in the long-term, petrol prices in Cambodia will fluctuate accordingly.

Before this increase in oil prices in the international market, it decreased to about a third of its price at the beginning of October, hit by a number of factors including demand, high production, softer-than-expected US sanctions on Iran and a global growth slowdown.

Another major factor was the ongoing trade row between China and the US.

The oil producers of Opec and non-Opec members will meet in Vienna, where they will announce their cuts to oil production. Most analysts expect a cut of around one million barrels per day.

Energy Efficiency

Grundfos Partners with Cambodia to Improve Water Security

7 December 2018

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Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Grundfos and the Ministry of Industry & Handicraft, Cambodia today confirmed that they will exchange a letter of intent to strengthen cooperation in water management, in an effort to reduce the cost of water and increase access to clean, quality water in the country.

His Excellency Cham Prasidh, Minister of Industry & Handicraft, Cambodia and Mr. Leong Chee Khuan, Area Managing Director – South Asia, Grundfos highlighted that the Letter of Intent will include an endorsement of Grundfos by the Cambodian government, welcoming its latest technology and business models to reduce non-revenue water and boost water management efficiency.

One of the biggest water management challenges for Cambodia is its water infrastructure, which is prone to leakages and insufficient water pressure when serving cities and provinces during peak hours of water consumption. This leads to cases experiencing up to 40 per cent in non-revenue water (NRW), or water that is lost or otherwise unaccounted for in the system.

H.E. Cham Prasidh said, “As Cambodia’s economy grows rapidly, we’ve seen an increasing demand for clean water, and we expect this demand to increase to 0.8 million cubic metres per day by 2025, and to one million cubic meters per day by 2030. This will place more pressure on our water utility facilities to provide efficient and reliable water access.

“We are excited to work with an industry leader like Grundfos to improve Cambodia’s access to clean, quality water. We believe Grundfos’ innovative technology and solutions will have significant impact on our water management systems.”

Mr. Leong Chee Khuan, Grundfos said, “Grundfos is committed to helping Cambodia strengthen the quality, reliability and sustainability of its water supply. We are pleased to work with the Cambodian government in its mission to achieve greater water security by levering our leading industry innovation.”

To tackle Cambodia’s water challenges, Grundfos introduced a pilot project in the Takeo province using its demand driven distribution solution. It is an intelligent water distribution system which automatically adjusts the water flow using remote sensors, reducing excessive pressure in the water pipes. This in turn limits water leakages and losses, minimizing cost and energy. Chemicals usage is also drastically reduced due to more data being available to ensure accurate dosage, ultimately reducing costs along the way.

To encourage adoption of this new technology, Grundfos also created a new business model to remove the barrier of the usual upfront investment. The plant operator is paying for the pump system through annual installments, which are financed by the money saved on energy and water bills due to the equipment upgrade.

As part of this project model, the plant operator is able to track their savings through Grundfos’ Remote Management system, an Internet-based remote monitoring, management and reporting system for pump installations.

The strategy of implementing the innovative solution together with the business model helped the plant save more than 270,000 kWh in electricity and around 200,000 m3 water per year, with a projected payback period of two and a half years.

Mr. Leong Chee Khuan, Grundfos also said, “Our work in Takeo has shown us that our new business model has huge potential in Cambodia and other countries where water utility authorities need not be held back by financial considerations when investing in new and efficient technologies. The success of this pilot project is encouraging, and we look forward to introducing this approach to the rest of Cambodia. We believe the model will open doors for our solutions to truly make a difference to Cambodia’s water utilities.”

Renewables

Investors rush to develop solar power projects

7 December 2018

–

Vietnam

Several investors have announced plans to develop solar power plants in Vietnam as the prime minister’s decision providing incentives in terms of power price will expire in June next year.

Solar panels are seen on the roof of the building of Binh Dinh Power Company. Investors have announced multiple solar power projects

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as of August this year, 121 solar power projects with a combined designed capacity of 6,100 megawatts (MW) had been added to the national and provincial power development plans, Tuoi Tre Online newspaper reported.

Of these, Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) agreed to purchase the output from 25 projects.

The government of the southern province of Tay Ninh has approved a number of solar power projects as well, including Dau Tieng plants 1, 2 and 3 with a combined capacity of 500 MW. Dau Tieng Tay Ninh Energy JSC is the investor behind these projects, which require a total investment of VND12.5 trillion (US$536.7 million).

Other solar power projects are also being developed in the Dau Tieng Lake area, including Tri Viet 1 and Bach Khoa A Chau 1.

These projects are expected to be completed prior to June next year, turning Tay Ninh into a large renewable energy generation center in Vietnam.

Regarding the progress of these projects, Tran Quang Hung, deputy director of Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa Irrigation Co., Ltd, said that his company had coordinated with the local authorities to hand over land to the projects.

According to Bui Van Thinh, chairman and general director of Thuan Binh Wind Power JSC, besides wind power, the company has ventured into the solar power sector with a 150-MW plant in Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan Province.

Also, Bamboo Capital Group (BCG) has invested US$200 million in three solar power projects with a combined capacity of 200 MW in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. The firm is also executing other projects in Quang Nam Province and HCMC.

BCG chairman Nguyen Ho Nam said that the group expected to supply two gigawatts of electricity to meet the domestic demand.

The current situation reportedly arose from a decision of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, which offers a slew of supporting mechanisms for the development of solar power projects, including a hike in the solar power price to VND2,086, or 9.35 U.S. cents, per kilowatt hour (kWh), excluding value-added tax.

After June 30 next year, the price may drop, according to an expert from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The development of renewable energy could help reduce environmental pollution, on the one hand, but may put pressure on the infrastructure of the national grid, the representative added.

Tran Viet Ngai, chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association, said that while hydropower potential has been fully tapped, the development of solar and wind power is an indispensable trend across the world. In Vietnam, the Government has focused on developing solar power since 2007, he said.

In related news, more and more households have installed solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity. These households’ solar power systems have been connected to the national grid.

According to Bach Khoa Investment and Development of Solar Energy Corporation, which has cooperated with HCMC Power Corporation to distribute and install solar panels, nearly 200 households have had solar power systems installed on the roofs of their houses since July.

In the past, it took some three years to have 300 solar power systems installed.

Some 1.77 million kWh of electricity from local households’ solar power systems was added to the national grid by late July.

Nguyen Hoang Gia, general director of HCMC Energy Solutions JSC, said the number of clients commissioning his company has increased sharply since early this year, including 30 households, three State management agencies and one corporation.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, households’ investment in solar panels will help generate electricity for their use, reducing pressure on the national grid.

The ministry has teamed up with the Ministry of Finance and EVN to ask for the prime minister’s support in removing obstacles to the development of a solar power system.

Gia Lai inaugurates mega-solar power plant

TTC Group and Gia Lai Electricity JSC, on December 1, put into operation the Krong Pa solar power plant, with an investment of VND1.4 trillion, in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, news site Vietnamplus reported.

The plant, which covers more than 70 hectares in Chu Gu Commune, Krong Pa District, has a capacity of 49 MW. It was built in March with over 209,000 solar panels.

The plant is expected to annually add 103 million kWh of electricity to the national grid, serving some 47,000 local households. It will also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by some 29,000 tons per year.

Krong Pa, with its average temperature of over 25 degrees Celsius and six hours of sunshine per day, or 2,500 hours per year, is ideal for attracting solar power projects to the district.

The development of renewable energy will help exploit the land funds, create multiple jobs for the local people and improve the living standards in Krong Pa, one of the poorest districts in Gia Lai.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Krong Pa solar power plant, Gia Lai Chairman Vo Ngoc Thanh spoke highly of the efforts of TTC Group in putting the solar power plant into operation on schedule and asked the group to continue investing in other projects to boost the province’s socioeconomic development.

On the occasion, Gia Lai Electricity JSC presented 10 houses, worth VND500 million, to disadvantaged households in Krong Pa District.

Oil & Gas

Southeast Asia braces for more oil volatility ahead of OPEC meeting

7 December 2018

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Philippines

Most economies are net crude importers and benefit from lower prices

JAKARTA — Rattled by rapid oil price swings in recent months, Southeast Asian economies are on tenterhooks ahead of an OPEC meeting this week that is expected to result in a supply cut to boost prices.

The recent plunge in prices — the benchmark Brent crude dipped under $60 a barrel last week — has benefited economies such as Indonesia and the Philippines that are net importers of oil. This is helping to blunt the inflationary effects of currency slides against the U.S. dollar in these countries, which are caught in the crossfire of the U.S.-China trade war.

Oil rebounded as much as 5% on Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to a truce in their trade conflict. This latest move follows a 30% slide in crude last month, after it touched four-year highs at the start of October.

While nations in the region welcome the break in trade tensions — Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday that he hoped to see the U.S. and China take further “constructive” steps — they have to be prepared for further volatility after the meeting of the oil producing cartel that starts on Thursday.

Most Southeast Asian countries are trade-dependent, with the exceptions of Brunei, East Timor and Malaysia, are net importers of the commodity. While Indonesia is also an oil exporter, it is a net importer. Lower prices are especially welcome in the region’s largest economy, with the rupiah having dropped 11% against the dollar in the 10 months through October, though the currency has since partially rebounded.

“The region’s current-account deficit economies [will] benefit especially from the dip in crude,” HSBC economists wrote on Nov. 28, referring to Indonesia, the Philippines and also India. But the bank warned that net oil exporters such as Malaysia fare better with higher prices.

Measured as a whole, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations enjoyed economic growth of 5.3% in 2017, an expansion buttressed by both high trade-to-GDP ratios and record foreign investment of $137 billion last year, according to a recently published ASEAN Investment Report.

But while energy importing countries with high trade-to-GDP ratios will benefit from lower prices — not least as a partial offset against trade frictions — low oil prices could also suggest a wider economic downturn, which is not in the interests of emerging economies.

“The ongoing trade tensions have not affected the regional growth yet, but they have intensified the downside risks,” said Ekaterine Vashakmadze, a World Bank economist. “It is expected that lower oil prices will contribute to an improvement of the balance of risks for the region as a whole.”

Last week the International Energy Agency stated that while U.S. demand for oil has been “very robust,” that was not the case in Europe and wealthy Asian countries, nor in emerging economies.

“Trade tensions and other risks to growth can potentially affect global activity and its prospects, reducing, in turn, oil demand,” the International Monetary Fund cautioned in its October 2018 World Economic Outlook.

But absent a wider downturn, lower oil prices should act as a stimulus for Southeast Asian economies.

Noting in a recent report that “consumer price inflation in the Philippines reached a nine-year high of 6.7% in October,” consultancy Capital Economics surmised that “lower oil prices, which will put downward pressure on domestic energy and fuel prices, mean inflation should drop back over the coming months.”

But the OPEC meeting means Southeast Asian governments cannot depend on oil costs remaining low.

“Brent crude oil will recover to average above $75 [per barrel] next year despite clouds looming over global demand as OPEC and its producer allies move to defend prices by preventing a new supply glut,” S&P Global Platts wrote last week.

At the same time, record-high U.S. domestic oil production could hold prices down — as demanded by President Donald Trump.

At the OPEC meeting, Saudi Arabia will seek a balance between prices low enough to stall the expansion of the costlier U.S. oil industry, but not too low as to undermine the lavish domestic spending that underpins the monarchy’s control in the kingdom.

Either way, the price volatility looks set to continue.

“Saudi Arabia is working diligently to get a deal in place for next week as it understands that the oil market is over-supplied due to U.S. waivers on Iran and the stronger-than-expected growth in U.S. output in the summer,” said Energy Aspects, a London-based energy consultancy in a report last week. “However, several challenges remain and the market may well be disappointed with the most likely outcome.”

Liaw Thong Jung, regional oil and gas services analyst at Maybank Kim Eng, said that two possible price scenarios could emerge in the short term: a breakup in OPEC-Russia cooperation and status quo in production of 32.5 million barrels per day that would cause weakness and volatility in prices; or an output cut of 1 million to 1.4 million barrels per day that would will infuse confidence and bring more stable prices.

Reza Siregar, head of ASEAN & India Research at The Institute of International Finance, said weaker growth outlook, especially in major global economies, should dampen demand for oil in 2019.

“But the uncertainty on the supply side remains, especially with the sanctions on Iran,” Siregar said. “We expect a marginal fall in the fuel price next year, as weak demand will outweigh less supply of oil globally.”

Either way, the price volatility looks set to continue and some analysts contend that if there is no deal this week, oil inventories will rise next year and prices could fall toward $40 a barrel. Qatar — a small OPEC player — withdrew from the cartel on Monday, potentially weakening the group’s unity ahead the meeting.

And just as oil prices are likely to prove unpredictable, there remains the strong possibility that Trump will revive his threat to impose tariffs on all Chinese exports to the U.S. Such a move would invite retaliation and suck Southeast Asia further into the economic conflict between the world’s two biggest powers.

“What the [Trump-Xi] meeting yielded is simply a temporary cease-fire agreement,” said Mark Wu, professor of law at Harvard University and an adviser to the World Trade Organization. “For it to hold will require that much more progress be made in the negotiations over the next 90 days.”

So far, he said, “the two sides have not been able to resolve the systemic challenges plaguing the relationship, such as [intellectual property] theft and technology transfer. Unless those thorny issues are resolved, there eventually will be renewed calls to step up the pressure once more.”

Renewables

Solar Philippines PV mini-grid franchise passes to final stage in Congress

7 December 2018

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Philippines

UPDATED: A controversial House Bill granting private Filipino firm Solar Philippines a PV mini-grid and transmission franchise across the Philippines has all but passed through Congress, with only a procedural third step left to confirm the final draft of the Bill.

The House Bill (HB 8179) allows Solar Philippines, operating under the name Solar Para Sa Bayan (SPSB) ‘Solar for the country’, what is described as a non-exclusive franchise offering an alternative energy source from traditional utilities to Filipinos.

There are three steps in Congress: a first reading through the Committee; a second reading involving a debate on the floor; and a third reading, which is a confirmation of the final draft of the bill. Today the second reading was passed through a vote and the bill now only has to go through a third reading in the next couple of days, where it is possible certain amendments may be introduced, including factors relating to the scope of the franchise.

The House Bill has been at the centre of heated debates both in the media and politicly and has come up against intense opposition from most of the rest of the solar industry.

Among a long list of arguments on both sides, one of the key points is whether the bill would create a monopoly.

Leandro Leviste, founder and CEO of Solar Philippines, who was present at the vote today and confirmed the news to PV Tech, insists that he wants other players to come forward and follow suit, but much of the rest of the industry has called it out as merely replacing one monopoly (the utilities), with another monopoly in the form of a single private solar company.

PV Tech recently visited a solar-storage-diesel micro-grid set up by SPSB in Paluan, a previously heavily underserved area in terms of power supply on the island of Mindoro. The locals had faced frequent brownouts and just 3-8 hours of electricity per day if any, but the new mini-grid is offering 24/7 power at cheaper rates and could be a symbol of things to come to other parts of the country under the new franchise. The economics of rural electrification using microgrids should be considered an investment for the future, akin to how Silicon Valley tech providers plough money into initially loss-leading products and services, Leviste has said of his strategy.

Local solar industry decries ‘railroaded’ bill

The Philippines Solar and Energy Storage Alliance (PSSEA) had proposed amendments to the Bill, opening with this statement: “The goal of providing electricity for all cannot and should not be the sole domain of any one company. Increasing access to clean energy is possible only through the sustained, multi-sectoral efforts where everyone operates fairly and transparently.”

Claire Lee, vice president of PSSEA, told PV Tech that the association had been pushing for a rework of the franchise’s scope so that it focused purely on underserved and unserved areas, rather than across the whole country, but the approved bill reads that SPSB can operate “in areas to be determined by DOE including unserved and underserved areas”.

Lee said that this ambiguity suggests that SPSB will still be able to set up projects anywhere in the country.

PSSEA had also been pushing for safeguards and an obligation on Leviste’s part for a nationwide franchise and Lee said that the more crucial amendments proposed have been accepted. For example, Solar Philippines will have to seek certification and permitting from both ERC and DOE for its projects.

Lee added: “We maintain that what we need is a democratization of the power industry, not more barriers to entry. We have existing rules on missionary electrification. What we need are reforms on these existing rules.

“At this point we can only provide amendments, considering that the process of the bill was not transparent. The private sector was never consulted. We still consider this bill as unnecessary, unconstitutional and monopolistic.”

The PSSEA, had previously released the following statement: “We strongly oppose the passage of House Bill (HB) 8179 or the granting to one firm unlimited, monopolistic control of an important sector of our society. It is in conflict with the overarching policy of our nation being a free, open, fair economy. We are at a loss to know why it was even considered.”

In response to claims that the bill was railroaded, Leviste and his team have claimed that HB 8179 went through the longest hearings of any bill to the knowledge of members of the Committee on Legislative Franchises. More than three months had passed and other franchises filed after HB 8179 had already been passed. Solar Philippines also claimed that the House Bill had come under more scrutiny than nearly any other bill in the 17th Congress.

Despite this claim, Paul Pineda, head of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca) Resource Center, also told PV Tech that the bill was deliberated in just a matter of hours and discussed without any representation from stakeholders like distribution utilities nor other players from the renewable energy sector.

Leviste has also hit back at local electricity co-operatives, who have of course opposed the Bill, by claiming that it is not difficult to offer cheaper prices than members of Philreca because Filipino utilities charge the highest rates in Asia.

Again Pineda disputed this by claiming that SPSB actually charges higher rates than nearby cooperatives. He was citing bills that Philreca has seen from 20 customers of the Paluan micro-grid during a visit to the project and its customers.

SPSB has said that its mini-grid projects in provinces including Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, and Cagayan have been opposed by utilities, who claim third parties must get permission from them as the franchisees in these areas. It is for this reason that it believes mini-grid franchises are necessary for new providers to offer an effective alternative to existing utilities.

In a statement, SPSB said: “Existing utilities may be best served if, instead of trying to prevent competition, they just focused on lowering costs and improving services, so Filipinos would be satisfied with their electricity, and there would be no need for cheaper, cleaner, more reliable alternatives at all.”

The Department of Energy (DOE) has made a target of providing affordable, reliable electricity for all by 2022.

Another argument from the PV industry is that rural electrification of the Philippines cannot and should not be the preserve of one company. SPSB is already in 12 towns in 9 provinces and supplying power to 200,000 people and it has made a great noise about how it can offer its projects without subsidy. The industry, on the other hand, believes this will stifle competition and therefore also innovation in the sector. Meanwhile, SPSB has highlighted the inefficiencies and poor power supply of the incumbent utilities and also pointed to a distinct lack of penetration of mini and micro-grids into the Philippines, Through its franchise, the company plans to change this while also preventing the institutionalisation of the inefficiencies of electric utilities.

Renewables

Renewable energy for a livable future

7 December 2018

–

Philippines

In such a fast-paced world, when are you going to make time to take a look at what’s happening around you?

With rampant development happening all over the world, there always seems to be a race to be better, to develop more, to be the first to innovate. However, such innovations and progress do not always lead to good things for the environment – and we now continue to experience the effects of such neglect. Not many people know this, but we had the opportunity to solve the climate crisis back in 1979 to 1989, particularly at the First World Climate Conference in 1979. However, efforts have been unsuccessful. During this decade, we have already been able to successfully identify the warming of the earth and its threats, while policies have been proposed to properly guide people on how to address them. If only affirmative action was taken to solve the impending climate crisis then, carbon emissions would have been frozen with a 20% reduction by 2005, and we could have been able to hold warming to less than 1.5 degrees. It is unfortunate that we have failed to do the necessary actions that were proposed in various conferences and summits like the Villach Conference in 1985, Noordwijk Conference in 1989, etc., as such, the world is now in an irreversible position where we can only try to “manage” the ill effects of our changing climate. Despite being blessed with rich natural resources, the Philippines’ ecosystem and biodiversity have become increasingly vulnerable to tropical cyclones, rising temperatures, and long dry periods. The Philippines is no stranger to natural calamities devastating our cities where Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: “Mangkhut”) left the country with P4.4 billion worth of damages on public infrastructure and P14.3 billion on agriculture in Regions I, II, III, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), V and CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region), according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Renewable energy for a livable future — *EDC’s 232.5-Megawatt Malitbog geothermal power plant in Kananga, Leyte is one of the world’s largest*

The weather has been increasingly unpredictable and tend to be in extremes, our seasons no longer based on certain months. Climate change has clearly caught up.

As we are now pressed for time in saving the earth, every action must start now. Climate change is a worldwide phenomenon, it affects everyone, which is why there has been attempts to create a global framework to address this threat. Through the signing of an international environmental treaty like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the weight of the problem is now shared among nations, yet the effects are personal. The implementation stays dependent on the policy makers and corporations in the local setting.

Still, the goal remains – to create a space that is safe and livable especially for future generations. The same soil where we stand offers us an option to lessen the effects of climate change. Geographically, the Philippines has the capacity to shift its major energy source from fossil fuels to renewable energy, like geothermal. About 10% of the world’s land area carries high thermal gradients that ensure heat flow to the surface of the earth. These zones are situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the southern part of which includes the Philippines. Geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has been championing this cause for years. More than 40 years ago, EDC has emerged as the largest producer of geothermal energy in the Philippines, and has put the Philippines on the map as the third largest geothermal producer in the world, next to the United States and Indonesia. Its track record and pool of geoscientists and engineers gives the assurance to the successful assessment of every exploration. EDC’s advocacy on the development of sustainable energy has paved the way to the seven geothermal steam fields in five geothermal contract areas, and the operation of eleven geothermal power plants in the country—power plants that release only a tenth of carbon dioxide in comparison to coal power plants. True to its roots, EDC continues to search for alternative energy sources in the middle of a crisis. Established during the oil crisis in the 1970s, EDC provides a cleaner alternative in the midst of the climate crisis. Geothermal energy remains to be the most reliable among other natural sources of energy, as it is the only source of power that can provide clean, renewable, and reliable baseload power, operating 24/7.

The possibilities of geothermal energy for power production are endless. Even now, it has not yet reached the peak of its potential development. According to a Stanford coursework by Aloysius Makalinao, a Schneider fellow for Climate and Clean Energy, who also has a diverse background in energy resources engineering and earth systems, the existing trend showcases that by 2030, much of the energy will come from geothermal in addition to the growth of renewable energy. The earth will continue to provide us what we need. It gives what it can take. This opens more opportunities to save the earth from a crisis that we’ve caused and should have addressed a decades ago.

Renewables

Philippines government signs pact on renewable energy scheme for Palawan

7 December 2018

–

Philippines

The Filipino Department of Energy (DOE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the provincial government of Palawan to develop a new renewable energy scheme.

The Renewable Energy Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability (DREAMS) project aims to improve energy efficiency, safety, security in Palawan, which is a thin archipelagic province in the far southwest of the country. It would also facilitate renewable energy projects.

The MOU signing was in support of the DOE’s project to boost localized planning in the development and usage of renewable energy, following the successful series of consultations with the provincial governments of Palawan and Iloilo.

A Senate Bill to lift the cap on net metering projects beyond 100kW in the Philippines was recently being pushed through the Senate. It is expected to boost solar in big business and in social housing. PV Tech also recently visited a solar-storage-diesel micro-grid in Mindoro.

Oil & Gas

Sapura Energy’s 3rd quarter results will not dent the company

7 December 2018

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Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Sapura Energy Bhd will be able to ride over the challenging third quarter financial results ended September due to its strong fundamentals, solid order book of RM18.2 billion, rebounding crude oil prices as well as full support of its majority shareholder, Permodalan Nasional Bhd.

Analysts and industry sources said these are challenging times due to the cyclical nature of crude oil, but Sapura Energy is well poised to brush aside headwinds and emerge stronger than before.

The oil and gas giant is expected to announce its third quarter results on Bursa Malaysia tomorrow.

Industry observers say oil and gas industry will be facing a poor financial results in the third quarter of this year mainly due to weak crude oil prices.

But Sapura Energy is the exception as it has strict risk controls and the skills of its management led by its president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Shahril Shamsuddin.

“Shahril has more than 20 years experience in the oil and gas sector and he is experienced enough to turn around the firm. Any financial setbacks in the third quarter results will be temporary,” said an analyst at Public Investment Bank Bhd.

MIDF Research oil and gas analyst Noor Athila Razali is forecasting crude oil prices to gradually recover and trade at more than US$70 per barrel next month.

“Demand is expected to be firmer next year and we do not expect the current low oil price environment to persist into 2019,” she told NST Business.

Alliance DBS Research analyst Inani Rozidin meanwhile said despite all the gloom and doom, long-term outlook for Sapura remains strong as it has a sturdy order book of RM18 billion.

“The situation will normalise by the third quarter of 2019 and its order book will help the company to turnaround by 2020.

The company’s high tenderbook points to a potential recovery and we are optimistic on the company further clinching further sizeable contract wins,” Inani told investors in a research note recently, giving the stock a Buy recommendation.

Inani said Sapura’s losses will narrow towards the second half of 2019 due to the realisation of new contract wins and higher Brent crude oil prices to support the energy segment and improvements in the utilisation in the drilling segment.

She added Sapura’s RM18.2 billion orderbook is also its highest over the last four years and it is currently tendering book is worth RM30.6 billion.

“We are positive on signals that capital expenditure has bottomed out and contract flows are improving flowing into Sapura Energy’s order book.

Meanwhile, in its research note recently, Public Invest said Sapura Energy is well shielded against any impediments due to its vigour to lighten its debt burden from RM16.4 billion to RM9.8 billion and lower its gearing level to 0.6 times from 1.7 times currently.

“The management expects this to translate into lower interest cost by RM320 million and Public Invest has raised Sapura Energy’s net profit for 2020 to over 10-fold to RM2.46 billion due to interest savings from repayment of debt and gain from a RM2.7 billion disposal.

Most stockbroking houses such as JF Apex Securities, DBS Alliance and Public Invest have also the Sapura stock a Buy call with target prices ranging between RM0.80 sen to RM0.90 sen in the next one year from current levels of RM0.60 sen.

Shareholders can be assured over Sapura Energy’s outlook as its prospects are rosy and bright as challenging third quarter results is not expected to sway the company one bit but in turn elevate its resolve to become stronger again.

News Clipping

Local solar industry decries ‘railroaded’ bill

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