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Others

Energy chief cites need to tap all energy sources

4 November 2019

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Philippines

MANILA – Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi on Wednesday last week underscored the importance of tapping energy from all possible sources, including nuclear, as the country lacks adequate capacity to date.

In his speech during the handover ceremony for the Official Phase 1 Mission Report of the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (NIR) Mission in Taguig City, Cusi said the government is continuously looking for additional sources of capacity, especially because the supply of the Malampaya gas field northwest of Palawan is expected to be depleted by 2027.

Cusi said he and several other Philippine energy officials were in China a few days ago for the petroleum exploration meeting wherein a possible tie-up is being considered to utilize resources from the West Philippine Sea.

“That effort is actually in search for Philippine energy security and we would like to tap the West Philippine Sea resources so that we can be assured of energy security especially that Malampaya will be depleted by 2027. And of course, we are all looking for other sources of energy,” he added.

Among the options that are being looked into to boost capacity is geothermal energy.

Cusi said such option should not be questioned because of the current situation.

The Energy chief also questioned the department’s earlier policy of putting a cap on the share of energy sources for the country, noting this is “uncalled for this time”.

He said developed countries put a cap on their energy sources because they have enough energy supply.

“But the Philippines is different. We have shortage of power. We lack capacity. We need to build capacity soon otherwise we’re going to have brownouts and we don’t like that. That’s bad for the country, bad for business, bad for our economy,” he reasoned.

Cusi further said this is the reason why Philippine officials have been encouraging foreign investors to invest in the country’s power sector, among others.

For geothermal energy, he said the national position is having a policy for this source to be included in the country’s energy mix.

“From there that we will go and make this legal framework, regulatory framework,” he added.

A law is needed for this bid but Cusi said they “will go in phases” such as the survey of a third party to address gaps.

Results of the survey, which was presented during the event Wednesday, showed that the country is committed to a systematic approach to finalizing its nuclear power strategy and is completing the associated infrastructure development.

Cusi said they will meet with officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by December to submit the country’s action plan on how to close the gap.

He said measures toward the move to tap geothermal energy have been delayed for three years because this is a complicated process.

He is optimistic that approval of policies and regulations will be finished within the Duterte administration, but not the materialization of the power plant itself.

The country has an existing nuclear power plant, known as the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, although it was never used. It was constructed in the 1980s in Morong, Bataan to secure capacity following the 1973 oil crisis.

Originally, the plan was to construct a power plant with two nuclear reactors but only one reactor was constructed costing about $2.3 billion.

The plant was mothballed on fears of similar incidents following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the United States and the Chernobyl disaster in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

There were also myths about the plant’s location that energy officials have denied.

These myths include that the plant was constructed on top a fault and it was built on eruptive products on the flanks of Mount Natib, which is a dormant volcano.

“Had we adopted nuclear, the nuclear that the Philippines envisioned then, in the late 1960s or the early 70s, the Philippines economic landscape would have been different,” Cusi said.

“The project has been demonized and up to now, that is affecting us, that’s making life difficult for us. But as I’ve said before all the accusations, all the allegations about the nuclear or the BNPP (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant) have been answered by time. And we have proven them wrong,” he added.(PNA)

Energy Cooperation

Halliburton becomes anchor member of Singapore’s ARTC tech-sharing platform

4 November 2019

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Singapore

HOUSTON – Halliburton has signed a strategic agreement with Singapore’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Center (ARTC) to become an anchor member, enabling collaboration across industries with research and development projects that will advance next-generation technologies. Halliburton is the only oilfield services company with membership in ARTC.

ARTC is a public-private partnership platform with more than 70 members, ranging from global multinational corporations to small and medium enterprises. ARTC focuses on advanced manufacturing and remanufacturing and serves to accelerate the transfer of innovation from applied research to industrial applications.

As an anchor member of ARTC, which is led by Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Halliburton will leverage the organization’s pool of engineers and researchers to help drive the development of collaborative solutions that will increase value for our customers.

“We are excited about the possibilities to advance the way we complete oil and gas wells through harnessing the power of innovative ideas from outside our industry,” said Dr. Sriram Srinivasan, vice president for Global Technology with Halliburton. “Singapore is a world leader in cutting edge research, and we look forward to lending our expertise to the development of technologies for new markets.”

“I am pleased to have Halliburton join the ARTC consortium, and I look forward to our adventure of co-creation and open innovation. This partnership will allow us to explore advanced manufacturing technologies that could transform the sector,” said ARTC’s chief executive officer, Dr. David Low. “With Halliburton onboard, I am optimistic that this will spark new opportunities for advanced manufacturing R&D in the energy sector and local enterprises in Singapore.”

Khalil A. Bakar, director of Energy & Resources for the Singapore Economic Development Board, said, “Halliburton’s partnership with ARTC reflects the growing technical capabilities in Singapore and the company’s continued confidence in Singapore as a key innovation node in the region. This is a positive example of how oil & gas companies can collaborate with Singapore to develop and test innovative solutions to advance next-generation technologies, enhance competitiveness and further develop the industry.”

Energy-Climate & Environment

Parliament: Emissions from air-conditioning contribute ‘sizeable’ amount to buildings and household emissions

4 November 2019

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Singapore

SINGAPORE – Global warming may be causing temperatures to climb, but turning on the air-conditioner to escape the heat could be making things worse.

Emissions from cooling buildings and homes make up a “sizeable” proportion of this sector’s total emissions, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor said in Parliament on Monday (Nov 4).

Singapore generated 52.5 million tonnes of emissions in 2017.

The buildings and household sectors contributed around 19 per cent to this, making it the second-highest source of emissions in Singapore after the industrial sector, which contributes about 60 per cent to total emissions.

Of the 19 per cent, “a sizeable portion would have been for air-conditioning”. said Dr Khor.

She was responding to Mr Ong Teng Koon (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) and Workers’ Party Non-Constituency MP Leon Perera on the breakdown of Singapore’s emissions and the efforts the country was undertaking to reduce them.

The land transport sector contributed around 14 per cent of Singapore’s total emissions, and the incineration of municipal solid waste at waste-to-energy plants contributed around 3 per cent, Dr Khor added.

REDUCING EMISSIONS

Singapore is committed to reducing its emissions across all sectors, she said.

To reduce industrial emissions, for instance, Singapore had implemented a carbon tax, which came into effect this year, she said.

On reducing emissions from buildings, she said all new buildings, as well as those undergoing major retrofitting, are required to achieve a minimum sustainability standard under Building Control Regulations.

The Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Scheme also encourages building owners and developers to achieve higher energy efficiency, such as by reducing a building’s cooling demand and adopting more efficient cooling systems, she said.

On helping households make more environmentally friendly choices, Dr Khor pointed to two schemes by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The Mandatory Energy Labelling Scheme – which uses a tick system to denote greener options – will encourage consumers to purchase more energy-efficient household air-cons, she said. Under this scheme, five-tick air cons are the most efficient.

The NEA has also introduced the Minimum Energy Performance Standards to phase out less-efficient appliances from the market, she added.

There are also efforts to reduce emissions from the land transport sector, she said.

For example, Singapore aims to make public transport the preferred mode of travel in Singapore.

“By 2040, we target for nine in 10 peak period journeys to be taken using public, active and shared modes of transport, and for these journeys to be completed within 45 minutes,” she said, adding that Singapore has already capped the vehicle population here at zero growth, except for commercial vehicles.

Emissions from international aviation and marine bunker fuels sector are not included in Singapore’s calculations of its emissions.

To reduce emissions from waste incineration, Dr Khor pointed to the recently launched Zero Waste Masterplan, which highlighted the need for the Republic to step up efforts to practice the three Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle.

She added that the recently passed Resource Sustainability Act will further provide regulatory teeth to the managing of electrical and electronic waste, packaging waste including plastics, and food waste.

She said: “These measures will contribute not only to reducing carbon emissions and closing the resource loop for these key waste streams, but will also extend the lifespan of our only landfill at Semakau.”

Dr Khor also urged individuals to do their part in Singapore’s efforts to reduce emissions.

“We can all choose to make climate-friendly choices and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, such as setting the air-conditioner temperature at 25 deg C, practising the 3Rs, and taking public transport.”

REGIONAL INVESTMENTS

Dr Khor on Monday also said the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources will work closely with the financial industry to develop Singapore’s competitive edge in renewable energy and green financing.

She was responding to Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who asked about Singapore’s role in the construction of new coal and gas plants in the region.

The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, produce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. These gases trap heat on the planet, causing climate change.

Financial institutions like banks have come under increasing global pressure to stop financing such projects, amid growing global awareness on how fossil fuels are contributing to climate change.

Dr Khor noted that regional investments were commercial decisions that businesses and financial institutions make to maximise their long-term risk-adjusted returns.

However, there has been a shift away from traditional fossil fuel projects to more sustainable ones, such as those involving cleaner renewables, with businesses placing increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, she said.

“In April this year, our three local banks announced their decisions to cease financing of new coal-fired power plants,” Dr Khor said.

She was referring to DBS Bank, OCBC Bank and United Overseas Bank.

Dr Khor added that her ministry is working with the Monetary Authority of Singapore to promote the broader green financing initiative in Singapore.

Energy Cooperation

SP Group sees greener future for Singapore in trading power with neighbours

4 November 2019

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Singapore

[NEW YORK/SINGAPORE] Singapore’s state-owned power grid operator wants to build more connections to neighbouring countries to tap their greater potential for renewable energy.

Nations like Malaysia and Indonesia have ample spare land for solar panels and enough wind to power turbines, both things that Singapore is lacking, Wong Kim Yin, chief executive officer of SP Group, said in an interview on Friday. Building transmission lines to connect the countries and using renewable energy credits to facilitate power trading can allow the island nation to use clean power even if it can’t produce it.

“One of the possible ways of tapping renewable resources is actually working with our neighbours,” Mr Wong said on Bloomberg Television. “Some physical regional interconnects will help Singapore in that department.”

Singapore faces two challenges getting more green power. The first is that producing clean energy for its densely populated urban areas requires a large amount of open land, a problem shared by grids globally as they seek more carbon-free electricity. The second, which is unique to its city-state status, is that its borders are national boundaries.

The idea of connecting power plants and customers across South-east Asia has been pursued for more than 20 years, but stymied by issues including lack of government coordination and infrastructure funding. But that could be changing.

Singapore Minister of Trade & Industry Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday included regional power grids as one of four measures the country will explore to help decarbonize its power sector, which is almost entirely reliant on imported natural gas. Also last week, Malaysia’s energy minister, Yeo Bee Yin, said the nation is in discussions with Singapore about cross-border power supplies, and expects to complete 550 megawatts of new grid connection capacity this year and a similar amount next year.

Legislation limits the use of Singapore and Malaysia’s existing power connections only to emergencies, Mr Wong said. A bilateral government agreement could immediately allow trading across those lines and start a movement toward wider international connections, he said.

Malaysia already has links to Thailand, which is also connected to Laos, so eventually Singapore could invest in hydropower dams in Laos and use renewable energy credits to receive the same amount of electricity from Malaysia, Mr Wong said. Even if the power Singapore receives isn’t necessarily generated by renewables, the net effect for the region would be more carbon-free electricity.

Mr Wong also discussed a few other green proposals:

SP Group is trying to speed the transition to electric vehicles in Singapore by building 1,000 charging stations by the end of 2020, from about 200 now. The company is focusing on large fleet owners, as EVs are more cost-efficient than traditional vehicles, even without subsidies, if they travel at least 80 kilometres daily, Mr Wong said.

In the long run, technologies including nuclear fusion and hydrogen might be able to provide more carbon-free energy for Singapore, Mr Wong said. He sees them as potential options in 15 years or more, but both need more development to make them safer and cost effective.

Oil & Gas

Decommissioning Challenges Escalating in South East Asia

4 November 2019

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ASEAN

For many decades now, South East Asia has been an important oil and gas producer, accounting for five percent of current global oil production. But now, age has caught up with oil and gas infrastructure in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

In February 2018 the Jakarta Post estimated that over the next decade, around 380 fields will cease production, leaving 35,000 offshore wells serviced by 2,600 platforms incorporating 7.5 million tonnes of steel and more than 55,000 kilometres of pipelines for decommissioning.

Decommissioning costs

Decommissioning is expensive. Wood McKenzie estimates that operators of offshore installations in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes the South East Asia region, Australia and New Zealand, could face a total decommissioning bill of over $100 billion for just 2,600 platforms and 35,000 wells. Between 2018 and 2022, the spend on decommissioning in Australia and Malaysia alone could amount to some $25 billion.

Challenges

Most countries in the region, apart from Australia and Thailand, have yet to develop the comprehensive legislative and regulatory frameworks for decommissioning. Wood Mackenzie notes that apart from Singapore — which seems to be developing into a hub of financial, technical and skilled expertise, in the same way as Aberdeen for the North Sea – -the rest of the region has neither industrial nor financial capacity.

Legislative and regulatory framework

There is no common regulatory legislative or regulatory framework governing decommissioning. For example, Thailand has one of the most advanced petroleum regimes in the region but Indonesia is just starting. In addition, not all countries have signed up to the relevant United Nations Conventions, international agreements such as the Basel Conventions (1989, 2011) nor regional agreements such as the Coordinating Body Of The Seas Of South East Asia (Cob sea) and the Regional Sea and Asian Council Of Petroleum (Ascope) Guidelines.

Paying for it

It is not only the cost but also funding that concerns governments and companies alike. The latter can pay for necessary decommissioning costs by directly self-insuring with the purchase of specialist insurance products, or indirectly, by creating a licensed insurance company. Alternatively, companies can self-pay by contributing to designated reclamation bonds or common bond pools held by states or regulators or, more directly, with letters of credit and escrow accounts.

However, as Alberta and Texas have shown, these schemes have insufficient funds to meet cover decommissioning and rehabilitation costs. To address this problem, London based start-up, Quatre Ltd. offers both an investment and insurance package under which oil and gas companies can securely and tax efficiently set aside an amount each year to fund future liabilities, providing stakeholders with the assurance that future decommissioning and reinstatement liabilities will be met.

A matter of innovation

Decommissioning projects require superior management skills and specialist equipment to dismantle, lift and transport huge parts of oil and gas infrastructure. For example, removal of the Brent Spar platform depended on Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit, a purpose built single-lift vessel. But, doubling the maximum weight of heavy- lift vessels from 5,000 to 10,000-tonne could reduce future costs.

Likewise, where large numbers of ageing wells and platforms are concentrated, batch decommissioning could yield huge cost-savings. Economies of scale and cost savings are also to be found by employing batch decommissioning across blocs of different operators. The offshore fields of Peninsula Malaysia and Sumatra are prime candidates for these cost saving approaches.

The imminent need for decommissioning of a large inventory of ageing oil and gas infrastructure could be helped by information-sharing and capability-building, both within and between regulators and operators to ensure consistent, consensual and cost-and-time efficient outcomes.

Others

Dr M: Australia has asked Malaysia to revoke Lynas conditions

4 November 2019

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Malaysia

BANGKOK: Australia has expressed hope that Malaysia will revoke conditions imposed on the Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Lynas) rare earths processing plant at the Gebeng Industrial Estate in Kuantan.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said this was conveyed by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in their meeting at the 35th Asean Summit here on Sunday.

“Lynas is an Australian company and has made a large investment in Malaysia. They are hoping that we can revoke the conditions imposed on the company; we will do so within three months after we have made a decision.

“We cannot ask them to leave Malaysia but (on the radioactive residue), we will place them in several locations… maybe in Pahang or several other places to reduce the (radioactive) intensity.

“In the future, we will ask the company to process the raw material first so that the waste produced would not be as it is now,” he told a press conference here on Monday.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) had in August renewed Lynas’ operating licence for six months, but imposed three conditions.

AELB said the conditions were decided upon after the Australian federal government and the Western Australian state government informed Malaysia that they would not be accepting Lynas’ radioactive Water Leach Purification (WLP) residue.

The conditions include Lynas having to move its cracking and leaching process, currently conducted in its plant in Gebeng, out of Malaysia.

The company, said AELB, will have to institute a plan to build a cracking and leaching facility abroad, which will begin operations within four years from the date the licence is given.

Once the facility abroad is in place, the licence holder will no longer be permitted to produce radioactive residue in excess of 1 Becquerel per gram in its Gebeng plant.

Dr Mahathir said the government is constantly aware of the impact of restrictive regulations on foreign investors such as Lynas, to avoid affecting efforts to draw foreign direct investment into the country in the future.

“As such, we have to consider the impact of foreign direct investment into Malaysia. We do not want them to think that we have broken our promise… the result would be an end to foreign investment into the country,” he added.

Energy Cooperation

Singapore Sees Greener Future in Trading Power With Neighbors

4 November 2019

–

Malaysia

Singapore’s state-owned power grid operator wants to build more connections to neighboring countries to tap their greater potential for renewable energy.

Nations like Malaysia and Indonesia have ample spare land for solar panels and enough wind to power turbines, both things that Singapore is lacking, Wong Kim Yin, chief executive officer of SP Group, said in an interview Friday. Building transmission lines to connect the countries and using renewable energy credits to facilitate power trading can allow the island nation to use clean power even if it can’t produce it.

“One of the possible ways of tapping renewable resources is actually working with our neighbors,” Wong said on Bloomberg Television. “Some physical regional interconnects will help Singapore in that department.”

The idea of connecting power plants and customers across Southeast Asia has been pursued for more than 20 years, but stymied by issues including lack of government coordination and infrastructure funding. But that could be changing.

Key Speakers At Singapore-China (Chongqing) Economic and Trade Forum — Chan Chun Sing

Photographer: Paul Miller/Bloomberg

Legislation limits the use of Singapore and Malaysia’s existing power connections only to emergencies, Wong said. A bilateral government agreement could immediately allow trading across those lines and start a movement toward wider international connections, he said.

Malaysia already has links to Thailand, which is also connected to Laos, so eventually Singapore could invest in hydropower dams in Laos and use renewable energy credits to receive the same amount of electricity from Malaysia, Wong said. Even if the power Singapore receives isn’t necessarily generated by renewables, the net effect for the region would be more carbon-free electricity.

Wong also discussed a few other green proposals:

SP Group is trying to speed the transition to electric vehicles in Singapore by building 1,000 charging stations by the end of 2020, from about 200 now. The company is focusing on large fleet owners, as EVs are more cost-efficient than traditional vehicles, even without subsidies, if they travel at least 80 kilometers (50 miles) daily, Wong said.
In the long run, technologies including nuclear fusion and hydrogen might be able to provide more carbon-free energy for Singapore, Wong said. He sees them as potential options in 15 years or more, but both need more development to make them safer and cost effective.

Others

Results of study on transboundary pollution act expected in January

4 November 2019

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Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: The results of a study to determine the direction and effectiveness of a transboundary pollution legislation is expected to be known next January.

This comes on the heels of the government’s decision to look into new legal requirements, enabling action to be taken against individuals or companies which cause transboundary environmental pollution, including haze.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (Mestecc) Minister Yeo Bee Yin said the study was being undertaken by a special committee comprising legal as well as environmental experts, including those from the Attorney-General’s Chambers and local universities.

“Consultation with all the relevant authorities took some three months to ensure that the legislation to be tabled would be able to meet current needs.

“This would be followed by a Cabinet paper which could be completed and tabled before members of the Cabinet and if it’s given the green light then the ministry would go on to draft the transboundary environmental pollution act.

“This would enable us to prosecute and bring those who have committed offences to the Courts in Malaysia,” she said during the winding-up session of the Supply Bill 2020 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Earlier, she told the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia was comfortable with the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emission intensity by 45 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025.

The commitment under the Paris Agreement was signed by the country under the United Nations Climate Change Convention (UNFCC) to reduce carbon emission intensity.

“Malaysia’s commitment is to reduce carbon emission intensity by 45 percent of the GDP by 2025.

“This is relative to the 2005 level with 35 percent being unconditional while 10 percent is dependent on international support in terms of financing and capacity building,” she said.

To date, Malaysia has reduced its carbon emission intensity by 33 per cent.

News Clipping

REDUCING EMISSIONS

REGIONAL INVESTMENTS

Decommissioning costs

Challenges

Legislative and regulatory framework

Paying for it

A matter of innovation

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