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  • Energy-Climate & Environment
28 August 2019

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  • Vietnam

A stunning 12 million people could be displaced by flooding in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta within half a century, according to new research led by Philip Minderhoud, a geographer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Minderhoud and his colleagues arrived at that surprising conclusion after analyzing ground-based measurements of the Mekong’s topography that the Vietnamese government shielded from Western scientists  for years. The results, published today in Nature Communications, show the Mekong’s elevation over sea level averages just 0.8 meter, which is almost two meters lower than commonly quoted estimates based on freely available satellite data.

The ground-truthed projection more than doubles the number of Vietnamese living in low-lying areas that will be inundated by encroaching seas, with some underwater in only a few decades. And Torbjörn E. Törnqvist, a geologist at Tulane University, who was not involved with the study, says the implications extend beyond the Mekong to similarly threatened deltas throughout the developing world. “My hope is that these findings will wake people up to the fact that we’re dealing with terrible data sets that aren’t appropriate for the problems these deltas are facing,” he says.

In many developing countries, elevation levels are derived from global satellite data because there are few ground-based measurements or because governments guard their own measurements from outside scientists. But satellite data can be notoriously unreliable for assessing vertical elevations in low-lying areas. According to Törnqvist, inaccurate topography data hamstring efforts to predict how soon portions of a given delta might fall below sea level. He says the problem is a concern not just for the Mekong but also for other mega deltas inhabited by tens of millions of people, including the Ganges in Bangladesh and India and the Irrawaddy in Myanmar.

Unlike rocky continental coasts, deltas are made of soft, fertile river sediments deposited over thousands of years that can easily compact and subside. Subsidence can grow worse when upstream dams block the incoming flow of new sediments in rivers or when groundwater or natural gas is pumped up from below, removing underlying support for the land, which contracts like a drying sponge. Urban infrastructure and paved roads can also prevent groundwater from seeping into the land, recharging the aquifers. All these forces are at play in the Mekong, which is subsiding in some areas at rates approaching five centimeters per year—among the fastest in the world. According to Nguyen Hong Quan, a hydrogeologist at Vietnam National University, flooding has grown more common in both upper and coastal parts of the delta. Rivers and aquifers are also being contaminated by intruding seawater, which poisons protective wetlands and mangroves—and even coastal crops—from the roots up.

Credit: Mapping Specialists

Warning signs have been evident for some time. Ten years ago, James Syvitski, an oceanographer at the University of Colorado Boulder who has since retired, published a landmark paper predicting that many of the world’s deltas could face catastrophic flooding in the 21st century. Syvitski based his widely publicized analysis on topography information gathered by the space shuttle Endeavour over an 11-day period in February 2000. Known as the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), this global survey was sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Defense, which retained high-resolution data for military purposes and made a low-resolution data set freely available for civilian research.

SRTM information and, to a lesser extent, other space-based measurements of delta topography appear in numerous international assessments, which the World Bank and other groups rely on when making policy decisions, such as where to allocate resources for flood preparedness. Although the SRTM data led Syvitski to his insight, the measurements are prone to vertical errors ranging up to 10 meters or more. “Not so bad if you’re modeling the Himalayas,” Törnqvist says. “But for a low-lying delta, that’s a whole different story.”

The gold standard remote-sensing system used for measuring delta heights—lidar, which is often mounted on aircraft—can determine vertical elevations to within a few centimeters. But lidar is expensive and generally unavailable in developing countries.

SRTM data had put the Mekong’s average elevation at 2.6 meters. But Minderhoud, who was with a Dutch research team studying subsidence in the delta, was skeptical. He had used SRTM measurements to create three-dimensional maps of the delta’s hydrology, yet the resulting maps had strange elevation patterns that were not consistent with the local terrain. Minderhoud says his Vietnamese colleagues knew the government had been collecting ground-based survey data and even some lidar measurements. Vietnamese academics in the country, however, were barred by the government from publishing that information in international journals, according to Minderhoud.

Robert Nicholls, a coastal engineer at the University of Southampton in England, says it is not unusual for governments to withhold their own topography measures for national security reasons, citing Bangladesh and India as examples. Because those data can be used to support strategic military operations, such as troop movements that depend on knowing whether ground will be wet or dry, “they are not in the public domain,” Nicholls says. And governments may simply not want to stir drama among local populations, Törnqvist notes.

To gain access to the Vietnamese data, Minderhoud first had to build trust with government institutions and identify opportunities for cooperation. “I tried to find out how my own research might contribute to their goals,” he says. “The key was to make this a combined effort.” In time, he wound up with a data set of 20,000 elevation points measured throughout the delta, which he subsequently used to create a new digital map of its topography.

But Minderhoud and his colleagues also performed a crucial step that is frequently neglected in global and regional assessments: they calibrated the data to a local benchmark for zero elevation, specifically at an island town along Vietnam’s coast called Hon Dau. The calibration was necessary because ocean currents, temperature and other forces can cause water to “pile up” along certain local coastlines and estuaries, increasing sea-surface height in some areas more than others. The more typical approach is to use a global benchmark for zero elevation. But because global benchmarks may not reflect local sea-surface height, they can introduce further errors. In the Mekong, the ground-truthed elevation was lower than the SRTM measurement, a finding that Nguyen maintains “was not a surprise to scientists in Vietnam.” By combining average rates for sea-level rise and for subsidence, Minderhoud estimates that the delta will submerge by 0.8 meter on average in 57 years.

Minderhoud notes that discrepancies between local lidar and satellite measurements can work both ways: elevations could be higher than what the space-based observations indicate. “That’s why you have to model each delta individually,” he says. Heri Andreas, a researcher at the Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, who was not involved in the new study, agrees. According to Andreas, Jakarta—coastal home to 10 million people and one of the fastest-sinking cities on earth—has been modeled extensively with lidar. It is estimated that much of the city’s northwest could be completely submerged by 2050, and residents living there may have to be evacuated to higher ground. With Jakarta subsiding into the Java Sea, Indonesian president Joko Widodo recently announced plans to build a new capital city on the island of Borneo. “But many other cities in Indonesia are also experiencing subsidence, and we don’t have accurate elevation models for most of them,” Andreas says. “That’s a significant problem for our mitigation programs—we don’t know how low the land really is or when it might be inundated.”

Nguyen says the Vietnamese government is developing what he claims is a new and even more precise elevation map. He says the government is also drawing up new plans to limit groundwater extraction and protect the coastal mangroves so they are not washed out to sea, allowing ocean rise to encroach inland unabated. As for relocating people, Nguyen says he is unaware of any plans to that effect. “The challenge is to convince people if the prediction is reliable enough to take action,” he says. “I feel the Mekong Delta is very beautiful, but in a dangerous place. We want to show the world how we’re working to defend it so it won’t disappear.”

  • Energy-Climate & Environment
28 August 2019

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  • ASEAN

HANOI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needs to work closely together to work out proper solutions, the regional grouping’s Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi said here on Tuesday.

He made the remarks in Hanoi when meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Noting that the United Nations is underlined the issue of climate change, the Vietnamese prime minister said ASEAN should make climate change one of the priorities in its agenda.

The prime minister informed the secretary general that Vietnam is considering the most pragmatic theme for ASEAN Year 2020.

The secretary general said he strongly believes that Vietnam will successfully play its role as ASEAN Chair in 2020.

The secretary general also said ASEAN is determined to complete the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of this year towards official signing next year.

  • Bioenergy
28 August 2019

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  • Vietnam

HCM CITY — The HCM City People’s Committee has approved the construction of three plants to generate electricity from waste using advanced technologies, and work on them will start in September and October, according to the city Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the department’s director, Nguyễn Toàn Thắng, said the plants are expected to start running on a trial basis in September next year, and process 50 per cent of the city’s solid waste to produce power.

They will come up at existing solid waste treatment facilities in Củ Chi District run by the Tâm Sinh Nghĩa Investment Development JSC., Vietstar Joint Stock Company and Tasco Joint Stock Company.

“They would help ensure a healthy living environment and are needed for the city’s green and sustainable economic development.”

Using advanced technologies to generate electricity at waste treatment plants is in line with the city’s orientation on urban solid waste management.

The city wants waste-treatment facilities to use advanced technologies to generate electricity from garbage instead of burying it in landfills.

It aims to reduce the volume of buried waste to 20 per cent by 2025.

Burning and burying of garbage are two methods that have an adverse impact on the environment.

The city generates around 9,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, of which 72.5 per cent is buried and the rest is burnt, recycled or used to produce fertilisers.

Advanced technologies will convert waste into electricity and produce by-products that can be recycled.

The power generated would be used to run the plants and the excess would be transmitted to the national grid, Thắng said.

“The projects will help reduce the volume of buried waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and control odours and leachate leakage from waste.”

Ngô Như Hùng Việt, director of Vietstar Joint Stock Company, said the power plant would use German technology and have a daily waste processing capacity of 2,000 tonnes in the first phase by 2020 and 4,000 tonnes in the second phase by 2021.

“It would help HCM better protect the environment and to become a more modern city.”

Groundbreaking for the construction would be on August 28, he said.

Thắng said the People’s Committee has directed relevant agencies to quickly complete the legal procedures for the three plants.

The city will call for bids to identify investors for two more similar power plants next year. — VNS

Read more at http://vietnamnews.vn/environment/534635/hcm-city-approves-3-waste-to-energy-projects.html#eR2W3fk2HQUBYUse.99

  • Renewables
27 August 2019

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  • Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Power Corp. expects to increase the generation capacity of the Tiwi and MakBan geothermal power plants after the six-year rehabilitation of the steamfield commenced last year.

AboitizPower chief operating officer Emmanuel Rubio said rehabilitation in the Tiwi and MakBan Geothermal Complex has already commenced.

“We have started looking at rehabilitating some wells in Tiwi. I think we’re already seeing some of the output of the (steamfield). It’s 12 wells, 50 megawatts. We signed that contract,” he said.

AboitizPower, through wholly-owned subsidiary AP Renewables Inc. (APRI), operates the 458-MW MakBan geothermal power plants that straddle the provinces of  Batangas and Laguna, as well as the 289-MW Tiwi geothermal power plants in Albay.

Last year, APRI signed a geothermal resources supply and services agreement (GRSSA) with Sy-led Philippine Geothermal Production Co. Inc. to supply steam and drill new production wells in the Tiwi and MakBan Geothermal Complex.

The agreement ensures the long-term operations of the two renewable power plant facilities.

PGPC, the pioneer in the commercial development of geothermal energy in Southeast Asia, is the steamfields operator and geothermal resource provider to the power plants.

Under the GRSSA, PGPC will drill 12 new production wells over a six-year period to increase steam availability for the power plant facilities by about 20 percent. The agreement also ensures a more competitive fuel pricing in the long term.

First commissioned in 1979, the Tiwi-MakBan Geothermal Complex is one of the biggest geothermal facilities in the country and the region.

PGPC has since operated the steamfield facilities.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/08/27/1946644/aboitizpower-raise-capacity-tiwi-makban#f5BfxejBhPpS4YpV.99

  • Eco Friendly Vehicle
27 August 2019

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  • Thailand

Mr. Khemmarat Sartpreecha, Deputy Governor, Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) and Mr. Zhang Haibo, President of MG Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the “Charging Network Development for Electric Vehicles Project” at the lobby, 1st floor, LED Building, Provincial Electricity Authority Head Office, on 22 August 2019.

Mr. Khemmarat disclosed that the MOU promotes preparations to install electric charging facilities for electric vehicles (EVs) for MG electric car users and EV charger users. The installations will be at MG car showrooms. PEA is ready to support EV cars and raise the standards of electrical installation of electric vehicle charging systems, both in the form of electric charging stations and in households.

This is to build confidence among MG customers to trust the electrical system inspection and installation, thereby supporting the use of electric car activities such as changing the power metres according to household needs, increasing the size of transformers to support increased usage, and exchanging useful information.

PEA will update MG with information about 11 existing PEA electric charging stations and 62 additional installations. MG’s electric car users with i-Smart systems can thereby search for and navigate to the nearest PEA electric charging stations as required. For its part, MG will provide MG charging cabinet information for users of  VOLTA, PEA’s application, enabling them to search for charging cabinets.

MG is now ready to promote and advise on the electrical system to employees and customers. PEA is positive that cooperation between the energy sector and the automotive sector will raise awareness and foster the electric automotive market to continue growing sustainably.

Mr. Pongsak Lertrudeewattanavong, Vice President of MG Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd., revealed that: “MG officially launched the new MG ZS EV, the first 100% electric model MG in Thailand last June. This model upgrades the Thai automotive industry and promotes Thai people to use automobiles powered by renewable energy in accordance with the Industry Ministry’s “Industry 4.0 Policy”. This vehicle is outstanding in terms of quality, performance, intelligence and environmental friendliness. It presents a superior experience with innovative and cutting-edge technologies that make it “simple” to use. We have already received great feedback from customers across the country. Currently, there are already over 1,000 vehicles on order. ”

  • Renewables
27 August 2019

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  • Vietnam

Private equity investor’s interest in Vietnam’s renewable energy sector is increasing as the country seeks private investments in the sector. In 2019, renewable energy has become of the most preferred sector for private equity investment in Vietnam, the third after fintech and the education sectors. It is noteworthy that in 2018, the renewable energy sector stood in the 10th position in private equity investment interest.

Vietnam’s energy demand has increased by 13 percent every year since 2000. To meet its objectives by 2030, the country would need around $10 billion investment each year.

For years, Vietnam has relied on sources such as thermal and hydropower for energy production. But now the country plans to move away from its dependency on such sources and generate electricity from alternate sources. To facilitate this, the Vietnamese government has granted tax relief incentives for renewable energy projects and has published a national hydropower plan. The objective is to create modern and sustainable energy sources by 2030.

The country also aims to increase the proportion of locally manufactured equipment in the renewable energy sector by 30 percent in 2020 and 60 percent in 2030. The country also plans to export energy by 2050.

“100 percent foreign ownership is allowed in energy production. Wind and solar energy projects, in particular, are absolutely booming-more attractive than anything I have seen in my 28 years working here,” Fred Burke, managing partner of Baker and McKenzie told the media.

So far, some private investors have put their money on Vietnam’s renewable energy sector. Most recently, AboitizPower has entered Vietnam’s renewable energy market with its acquisition of Mekong Wind for about $46 million.

Similarly, other investments such as Dragon Capital’s investment in Pacifico Energy, Vietnam-Oman Investment’s $48 million investment in BCG-CME Long An 1 solar energy plant and IFC’s investment in Phong Dien, Vietnam’s first private grid-connected solar farm are some prime examples.

  • Renewables
27 August 2019

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  • Vietnam

Vietnam’s energy sector has seen tremendous growth in the last decade. Generation capacity has grown at approximately 10 per cent each year and the country has achieved 99.2 per cent access to electricity – one of the highest rates in the region.

Looking ahead, Vietnam has also pledged its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, setting a target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 8 per cent by 2030, a number the country believes could increase to 25 per cent if it receives additional foreign investment and support.

The BCG Group believes there are eight things that need to happen to unlock economic value in the range of $30 billion in annual GDP impact by 2030.

Drive cost-competitiveness and greenhouse gas reductions in Vietnam’s oil and gas sector;
Drive energy efficiency across the energy value chain;
Develop a vibrant renewable energy (RE) sector and foster a regional RE champion;
Manage and de-risk under- or over-investment in grid infrastructure;
Develop and accelerate the petrochemicals agenda;
Unlock the full potential of domestic gas;
Provide policy, regulatory, pricing, and investment certainty;
Accelerate technology adoption and Industry 4.0 to enable these priorities.

Transforming Vietnam into a regional energy powerhouse

This agenda will require substantial investment – potentially of approximately $100 billion through 2030. However, with this will come new jobs and business opportunities for local firms and investors as well as more sustainable energy sources for the country as a whole.

Local players will have the opportunity to innovate and create new ventures related to renewables, energy efficiency solutions, and technology and digital solutions focused on the energy sector.

Vietnam has four things that can help drive the country’s ambitious energy agenda. Firstly, a successful history in developing the energy sector. Secondly, strong potential in renewables. Third, large potential in domestic gas. And fourth, a national commitment to sustainable development.

Vietnam has done this before, and it has done it well. Historically, it has a strong track record of growing its energy sector.

The BCG Group believes Vietnam should increase its focus on the renewables space. Wind and solar have significant potential but remain relatively untapped.

Total resource potential for solar has been estimated at 204 to 734GW, while the estimated range for wind is from 27 to 133GW.

Even assuming the lower end of these estimates, Vietnam has more than 200GW of renewable resources, or four times the current installed capacity potential, which it could exploit. A constant flow of international investment in the renewables sector is testament to its potential.

Transforming Vietnam into a regional energy powerhouse

We also see gas as a key source of energy. Today, gas accounts for 48 per cent of Vietnam’s total oil and gas resources but only 6 per cent of this reserve is under production or development, while 76 per cent remains unexplored.

There have been many challenges to increase domestic production, forcing the country to become a net importer despite domestic resources. We feel that there are policy, regulation, and pricing levers that Vietnam can employ to maximize its domestic resources. One suggestion would be to enhance conditions to attract upstream oil and gas investments.

This would include taking a closer look at its fiscal attractiveness and measuring it in relation to key factors that are important to investors in upstream gas. Another suggestion would be to re-examine and possibly restructure the gas market in some areas.

The fact that Vietnam has a deep commitment to sustainability will help promote this agenda.

Among the eight recommendations BCG outlines, energy efficiency initiatives at scale will be particularly important to drive both unit cost reductions and GHG emission reductions.

We see three areas of focus being critical, the first being implementation of demand-side management practices. This refers to initiatives and practices that encourage energy consumers to optimize their energy use. Vietnam currently has the lowest energy efficiency level in the region.

Second, policy and regulatory incentives to provide fairer market conditions for renewable investments that reduce barriers to investment in renewable power generation. Third, leveraging technology at scale to support energy efficiency.

A number of digital solutions can enable better demand-side management, create efficiency in energy supply, and promote transparency in the energy system to inform policy changes.

Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil and gas company, publicly describes its competitive positioning as the lowest cost and lowest carbon intensity player. Lower cost and lower carbon intensity will be sources of competitive advantage in the future.

Energy efficiency initiatives in core oil and gas operations will help drive both cost efficiency and lower carbon emissions.

What is important to recognize is that there are many potential initiatives across the value chain and the wider economy. The key for Vietnam’s energy industry is to drive these ideas at scale.

This will require oil and gas players in the country consider the strategic positioning of energy efficiency at scale, think through the appropriate approach to manage the investment program, and rethink organizational models to make it happen.

Vietnam plans to continue to develop new coal-fired thermal power projects with estimated capacity of 43GW by 2030. Our expectation is that there will be a shift in the market in Vietnam towards gas and renewables compared to coal.

The economics of renewable energy sources has been steadily improving and is expected to continue to improve. Developing renewables at scale further improves renewable economics.

Globally, we have observed that leading renewable players who are competitive outside their home markets have successfully leveraged scale and experience to compete on price while maintaining high returns.

We spoke earlier about the potential of domestic gas in Vietnam. In addition, Vietnam plans to import LNG at a time when the global outlook on LNG prices are favorable towards buyers.

These factors, coupled with Vietnam’s sustainability commitments, can drive much higher renewable energy and gas-powered generation growth in the country, while reducing the contribution of coal over time. VN Economic Times

  • Renewables
27 August 2019

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  • Vietnam

At the forum “Energy Efficiency for Vietnam’s Industry to Develop Sustainably” held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on August 21, Mr. Nguyen Quan Nguyen, Minister of Science and Technology, spent time speaking about nuclear power in Vietnam.

According to Mr. Quan, traditional energy sources have been exhausted and Vietnam is importing more coal and liquefied petroleum gas. Thermoelectricity causes a lot of problems and many people oppose it because of its pollution. Hydropower has run out of medium and large capacity. Renewable electricity has potential but its efficiency is low and unstable.

Although the National Assembly has stopped considering nuclear power, Minister Nguyen Quan said that to ensure energy security, it is necessary to think of an alternative energy source – nuclear power.

“I worry that we have to return to nuclear power,” said Nguyen Quan.

Citing Japan, according to Minister Nguyen Quan, after the tsunami, Japan canceled its nuclear power program and closed more than 50 nuclear power plants.

“But someday they will have to develop nuclear power with safer technology, higher levels of automation and efficiency. In Vietnam, we still have to prepare the plan,” said Nguyen Quan.

Given that there is no basis for Vietnam to make nuclear power safe and sustainable, Mr. Nguyen Quan expressed his wish that the Ministry of Industry and Trade with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance supported the Ministry Science and Technology implementing a rapid construction of a nuclear engineering center with a Russian research reactor to help replace the research response in Dalat. This is not only a place for research but also a source of training staff for Vietnam’s nuclear industry.

“In science and technology, Vietnam is the leading country in ASEAN in nuclear technology. Vietnam’s nuclear reactors are very effective and bring many benefits. Therefore, Vietnam should construct a new nuclear science and technology center, not only for research, but also to train high-quality human resources, so that one day we will make nuclear power and we have enough qualified staff,” Mr. Nguyen Quan said.

“In the era of industrial revolution 4.0, people could control a nuclear power factory from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, even from space. It is possible to invite foreign investors to work for Vietnam but the safety staff and operators must be Vietnamese,” said Nguyen Quan.

Concerning the training program for nuclear power operators, according to former Minister Nguyen Quan, the training program should continue. Because this team not only serves nuclear power but also all other economic sectors that use nuclear energy.

Agreeing with Mr. Nguyen Quan, economic expert Tran Dinh Thien said that it is recommended that nuclear power should be rebuilt.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong said: “Nuclear power is a big problem for the country. The Central Economic Committee is directing research to advise the Party and the Government on policies in line with the development of energy in general, including nuclear power and how to meet the demand for country’s energy and solve many other issues.”

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