News Clipping Archive - Page 1079 of 1348

Bioenergy

4 October 2019

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Philippines

METRO Clark Waste Management Corp. (MCWM), operator of the country’s first and only engineered sanitary landfill, said it is eyeing to start constructing next year its $210-million waste-to-energy facility in New Clark City
in Capas, Tarlac as part of its efforts in venturing into renewable energy generation in the Philippines.

MCWM President Rufo Colayco said on Thursday the initiative would involve transitioning from merely landfilling to high technology recycling and renewable energy generation.

He explained this would be done through developing an advanced centralized recycling facility at the waste management center where materials will be segregated for recycling and processing into secondary fuel.

The secondary fuel will then be used as the primary feed stock for a secondary fuel CHP (cogeneration or combined heat and power) which will generate up to 35 megawatt of electrical renewable energy for the New Clark City.

MWCM Founder Holder Holst said the Philippines produced about 700,000 tons of waste in 2018, which is projected to grow at about 77,765 tons of waste per day by 2025.

Once operational, he said the new facility would allow the company to collect at least 2,000 tons of wastes a day, covering about 20 percent of the wastes in the area.

According to Colayco, the company has been awaiting a response from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), after MCWM submitted its “unsolicited” proposal in February this year.

“They wrote us finally last week and they said the what we have submitted needs additional information, which is so easy to do. What we could not believe is why it took eight months before they tell us [there are additional requirements we nned to comply with],” he said in mixed Filipino and English.

“I think he (referring to BCDA President and CEO Vince Dizon) also wrote sometime in June but all he said was the receipt, that’s all,” Colayco added.

Despite the delay, he said the MCWM was optimistic that once the project gets approval from the government, it can start construction of its million-dollar waste-to-energy power plant by “middle to late” part of 2020, provided that there will also be a six-month long bidding under Public-Private Partnership.

Meanwhile, Holst underscored the importance of building more engineered sanitary landfill amid the growing waste problem prevailing in many regions in the country.

Renewables

NGAP continues to champion geothermal development in the Philippines

4 October 2019

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Philippines

At the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines (NGAP) General Assembly, which happened at the close of the 1st Philippine Geothermal Conference at Taguig, Metro Manila, the NGAP Board of Trustees reinforced their commitment to champion geothermal development in the country.

In the face of the several challenges facing the local geothermal community, NGAP aims to continue their efforts to create a favorable regulatory and business environment, promote technological innovations, develop the competencies of the local human resource, and advocate the development of non-conventional geothermal sources in the country.

NGAP, together with the Department of Energy (DOE), continues to actively lobby in the Senate and the Congress for programs that will incentivize renewable energy development. They have also teamed up with other renewable energy developers and advocates with the Developers of Renewable Energy for AdvanceMent, Inc. (DREAM) and the Philippine Energy Independence Council (PEIC).

For 2020, NGAP’s plans include an initiative to promote awareness about the geothermal industry and its benefits through a series of roadshows to various schools and universities. They will continue to work with the DOE to craft a renewable energy program.

Others

Yeo: Malaysian govt not paying for plastic waste repatriation

4 October 2019

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Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Three countries have agreed to take back 89 containers of plastic waste detained at seaports, at no expense to Malaysian government.

“We already know where the country is from and we have contacted the ambassadors,” said Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) Yeo Bee Yin.

“So far, three countries have verbally agreed to take back the plastic waste, at no cost to us.

“We expect the documentation process to take up to six weeks. The procedure is complicated and very complex in accordance to the Basel Convention,” the minister added.

She was speaking to reporters after officiating at the launch of the new brandname MCIS Life owned by MCIS Insurance Bhd here today.

Apart from Port Klang, Yeo said MESTECC officials had found containers containing plastic waste at Penang Port and seaports in Sarawak.

Yeo said MESTECC was determined to stop illegal importation of plastic waste because Malaysia is not a dumping ground for foreign trash.

China used to receive the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world but closed its doors to foreign refuse last year in an effort to clean up its environment.

Huge quantities of waste have since been redirected to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia and to a lesser degree the Philippines.

“We find that some quarters in the industry is pressurising the government to auction these illegal plastic waste cheap or eventually give it to them free,” Yeo said.

“That is not going to happen. Malaysia has and will continue to return the plastic waste.

“We’re doing this because we want to stop the illegal importation. If we succumb, these plastic waste will continue to enter illegally,” she said.

Todate, Yeo said the authorities at Malaysia’s seaports had been ordered to block entry of illegal plastic waste and the parties bringing them in must pay the repatriation costs to the countries of origin.

Since June, Yeo said 21 containers of plastic waste at Port Klang and Penang Port had been shipped back to Spain, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

Others

Malaysia says no talks with Goldman Sachs on recovering funds lost in 1MDB scandal

4 October 2019

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia

’s finance minister on Friday said there are no talks with

Goldman Sachs

on the recovery of billions of dollars of state funds lost via the US bank’s former client

1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)

, local media reported.

Malaysia filed criminal charges last year against Goldman Sachs over its role as underwriter and arranger of three bond sales that raised US$6.5 billion for the now-defunct state investment fund.

1MDB scandal: Malaysia seeks to move Goldman case to higher court

The US Department of Justice is investigating the bank for its role in the sales which involved fees higher than market rates.

It also estimated $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by fund officials and associates from 2009 through 2014.

Top Mahathir adviser to recover US$2 billion from Chinese firm over axed pipelines

“There are no discussions with Goldman Sachs but we will continue with the legal process conducted by the attorney general,” Malaysian Minister of Finance Lim Guan Eng was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini.

A ministry official confirmed the comment to Reuters.

In January, Lim said the government would be ready to drop criminal charges against Goldman Sachs if the bank paid US$7.5 billion in reparations.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives at court to face charges of money laundering and abuse of power in relation to his alleged role in the 1MDB scandal. Photo: EPA-EFE

Malaysian prosecutors then filed criminal charges in August against 17 current and former directors at Goldman Sachs subsidiaries.

Goldman Sachs has denied wrongdoing, saying individuals at 1MDB and in Malaysia’s former government lied to the bank, outside counsel and others about the use of the bond sale proceeds.

Others

UPDATE 1-Malaysia’s Petronas sets up $350 mln venture capital fund

4 October 2019

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Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas said on Friday it had set up a $350 million venture capital arm for industrial and energy investments.

The newly launched Petronas Corporate Venture Capital will look to invest in startups in advanced materials, specialty chemicals as well as those involved in the future of energy, Petronas said in a statement.

“The fund will act as a minority stakeholder in early to growth-stage companies,” Petronas said, adding that it will look for investments in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

As the sole manager of Malaysia’s oil and gas reserves, Petronas is a significant contributor to government revenue and the country’s largest employer.

It has been looking to diversify amid volatility in oil markets. This year, Petronas acquired a Singapore-based solar energy company as part of a strategy to move into renewable energy and chase high-growth businesses to complement its mainstay operations.

Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the government was considering listing the exploration and production arm of Petronas as part of efforts to raise money to reduce debt.

Coal

2,000-MW Indonesian coal-fired plant may be operational next year

4 October 2019

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Indonesia

What some are calling the largest coal-fired power plant in Indonesia should begin commercial operations in 2020, officials said.

The 2,000-MW Batang power plant is nearly completed, an official with Adaro Power told the Jakarta Post. The project is being built to deal with Indonesia’s looming electricity shortage, according to the company.

Indonesia government authorities are pushing a larger plan to add 35,000 MW of power to the national grid. Construction on the Batang plant began in 2017, according to reports.

It has faced both international environmental and local opposition, with some Batang villagers claiming human rights abuses and negative impacts on fishing.

Bhimasena Power Indonesia, a joint venture of Japanese firms Itochu Corp. and Adaro Power is the developer on the estimated $4 billion (U.S.) project in Central Java. Parent firm Adaro Energy is one of Indonesia’s largest coal companies.

Various researchers and news reports have forecast that coal-fired capacity in Asia will grow by more than 50 percent over the next few years. China, India, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia are a few of those nations adding coal-fired power plants.

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Others

BRUNEI SHELL PETROLEUM SECURES PV DRILLING V TENDER ASSISTED RIG FOR SIX YEARS

4 October 2019

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Brunei Darussalam

PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Service Corporation (PV Drilling) has entered into a Contract for Provision of Heavy Tender Assist Semi-Submersible Drilling Unit PV DRILLING V with Brunei Shell Petroleum Company SDN BHD (BSP). The contract has the duration of six years, plus two (2) times of two (2) year extension with commencement date of 01st April, 2021 in Brunei Darussalam.
PV DRILLING V, which is the 8th TAD in the world, is the latest generation of its kind with state-of-the-art technology and could be considered the most modern TAD Rig with the SSDT 3600E HP design. In addition, PV DRILLING V is also the first design with high-tech applications that enables the Rig to work on the High Pressure High Temperature wells (HPHT) by its BOP control system that has working pressure up to 15.000 psi (equal approximately 1020 atm). The rig was completed in late 2011 and served for the drilling campaign of Bien Dong POC at Hai Thach – Moc Tinh field in early 2012 with a total of 16 drilling wells in deep water and offshore areas with extremely complicated and difficultly geological conditions. However, PV DRILLING V managed to complete the project prematurely, which assisted Bien Dong POC in saving time and reducing operation cost. During the whole project, the TAD has safely operated with operating efficiency of over 96%. This success has affirmed PV Drilling’s capability on mastering the technology and valuable experience of the rig’s technical staff.
The above contract not only helps to affirm PV Drilling’s capability in service provision but also offers PV Drilling an opportunity to provide BSP drilling services for the first time, especially brings job for the TAD rig. This is also the longest-term drilling contract PV Drilling has entered into. Taking this ocassion, PV Drilling will confirm and strengthen its presence in such an oil and gas strategic market as Brunei.
The first TAD in the world, named SSDT – 800, was built and developed by KFELS in 1994 and up to now KFELS has delivered such seven units with the latest model named SSDT 3600E, all of which have been deployed in both shallow and deep waters off Southeast Asia and West Africa. PV Drilling V is the 8th TAD in the world which is the latest generation of its kind with state-of-the-art technology and could be considered as the most modern Tender Assist Drilling Rig with the SSDT 3600E HP design. Developed by Keppel O&M’s Deepwater Technology Group (DTG), the KFELS SSDT 3600E design has revolutionized the way in which drilling tenders work, allowing them to be deployed next to deep water floating platforms for the first time.

Renewables

Storage omission in Vietnam solar FiT draft a ‘serious mistake’

3 October 2019

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Vietnam

Vietnam’s latest attempt to draft new solar feed-in tariff (FiT) rates has come under fire for the absence of energy storage in its remit.

the plans involve reducing FiTs for ground-mount and floating PV after solar capacity deployment exceeded expectations under the original subsidy by a factor of five.

During the first FiT programme, which ran for two years up to 30 June 2019, all three PV segments – floating, ground mount, rooftop – had a generous FiT rate of US$9.35 cents/kWh lasting for 20 years.

But under the third set of draft plans proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) this week, the subsidy for ground-mounted projects will be reduced to US$7.09 cents and for floating solar to US$7.69 cents. Rooftop solar, however, looks set to get a pass by maintaining its US$9.35 cents rate. If this third draft is approved by the Prime Minister, the new FiT programme will run until 31 December 2021.

There are three issues with the new draft, Gavin Smith, vice chairman of Eurocham’s Green Growth Committee, told Energy-Storage.news. Firstly, the absence of a provision to incentivise solar-plus-storage is a “serious mistake”. Energy storage, which helps integrate PV to the grid, had been incentivised in the first draft, but the technology has been omitted once again in the third draft.

Secondly, Smith said the new rate for floating PV is “insufficient to incentivise investors to go to floating solar first”. This would be a missed opportunity given the inherent benefits of FPV on land use and grid integration – most reservoirs in Vietnam have hydro plants with excess transmission capacity already built-in.

Thirdly, despite the first draft incentivising solar to be located in regions with lower irradiance and where there is less grid congestion already, the new draft resorts back to a single national FiT. Smith said this would concentrate solar even more in the overloaded south of Vietnam, with no benefit to the national transmission system.

“Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan Provinces are already overloaded,” Smith added. “It’s fully documented and not going away anytime soon. A single national price is going to exacerbate that.”

Again industry members see the addition of energy storage as a key factor in solving the grid constraint issues.

MOIT had expected around 850MW of installations by the end of the first FiT period up to June this year, but the high rate on offer led to a rush to enter the Vietnamese PV market, including many international companies, resulting in 4.5GW of deployment across 90 projects. This led to the now well-known grid congestions issues.

Industry members had warned as early as last year that large-scale projects were likely to cause grid congestion, particularly in the provinces of Ninh Tuan and Binh Tuan, where developers had been attracted by the highest irradiation levels in the country.

The deployment rush caused “overloading on the national grid at certain distribution lines and at certain period of day time”, said a MOIT release.

In the same release, Nguyễn Đức Cường, director of the National Load Dispatch Centre (EVN NLDC), said that while PV plants are being added to the national grid, congestion means that, against expectations, many plants are having to reduce capacity.

Investors have been notified of the overloading, but there are fears that should the overloading not be alleviated by necessary power transmission projects immediately, then both investors and the utility EVN will be negatively impacted. Site clearance for transmission projects was identified as one problem area, which could be resolved by greater collaboration between MoIT, local governments, investors and EVN.

On the plus side, Smith noted that MOIT had done well in its third draft of FiT changes to resist the temptation to reduce the FiT for rooftop projects, which are thriving across all segments.

The new FiT rates are expected to be approved imminently, said MOIT, but Smith said there is no guarantee that approval will come.

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