News Clipping Archive - Page 1092 of 1294

Renewables

Renewable energy alliance urges Duterte to veto Legarda solar firm’s franchise bill

9 July 2019

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Philippines

An alliance of renewable energy developers has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to veto a bill seeking to grant a 25-year franchise to the solar energy firm owned and operated by the son of Antique Representative Loren Legarda.

The Developers of Renewable Energy for AdvanceMent Inc. (DREAM), sent a letter to Duterte appealing for the President’s to reject House Bill 8179 or the Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPBC) franchise bill.

DREAM consists of various associations whose members are developers of renewable energy projects, including the Philippine Solar Power Alliance, Biomass Renewable Energy Alliance, PhilHydro Association Inc., Wind Energy Developers Association of the Philippines, and the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines.

“We hope that the President will not sign the Mega-Franchise Bill to law as it would not be beneficial to the Filipino people,” DREAM said in a letter dated June 25.

“While it seems that the bill has a noble purpose of providing electricity services, its true nature violates the guarantee of due process and equal protection in the Constitution and encourages anti-competitive practices.”

The alliance also claimed that the bill intends to benefit only SBPC, a private corporation owned and operated by Leandro Leviste.

GMA News Online reached out to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo for a statement but has yet to receive a reply as of this posting.

DREAM said there is no “substantial distinction between SBPC and other power companies that have more capacity, resources, experience, and capability to operate distributable power technologies and mini-grid systems.”

“Allowing one private company to have the single responsibility of electrifying remote and unviable villages in the Philippines practically eases out any potential competition that could offer the same or even better service to the Filipino people,” it added.

The group warned that eliminating competition would potentially result in lack of innovation and improvement in electricity services leading to an increase in power rates in areas “which are likely inhabited by people who do not have the financial capability to pay unfairly priced services.”

“By approving this legislative franchise, the recipients of these electric services in remote and unviable villages would suffer from the effects of anti-competitive practices that the bill ironically seeks to promote,” DREAM said.

The Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and “numerous” administrative issuances already provide for existing mechanisms that address the problem of electrification of isolated areas, the alliance added.

GMA News Online has also contacted Leandro Leviste for a statement on this development, but has not received any reply as of this posting.

Ratified by Congress last month, the bill allows the solar power firm to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain distributable power technologies and minigrid systems in the country.

The bill requires SPBC to operate its distributable power technology (DPT) and minigrid systems in the least cost manner and to provide open and non-discriminatory access to its DPT and minigrid systems for any end-user within the franchise area.

Under the Constitution, any bill that is neither signed nor vetoed by the President will automatically lapse into law 30 days after it was forwarded by Congress. —VDS, GMA News

Others

ASEAN, EU to enhance cooperation on Environment and Climate Change

9 July 2019

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ASEAN

BANGKOK, 9 July 2019 – At the launch of a High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate Change in Bangkok yesterday, Senior Officials from ASEAN and the European Union (EU) reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and the EU on shared regional and global challenges related to protection of the environment and climate change.

Ms. Astrid Schomaker, Director for Global Sustainable Development at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, and Mr. Hazri Hassan, Director for International Policy at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources who also represented Singapore as the ASEAN-EU Country Coordinator, delivered the joint Opening Statements.

As agreed in the Joint statement of the 22nd ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting in January 2019, the dialogue will provide space for exchanges of best practices and lessons learned, assessing progress towards relevant environmental and climate goals, and designing enabling conditions at regional scale.

At the meeting, ASEAN and the EU approved the jointly adopted Objectives and Working Arrangements for the Dialogue as a new milestone in their relationship, building the foundation for further growth and exploring new joint projects on environment and climate change.

The officials then discussed the main areas of cooperation which addressed mitigation, adaptation, long-term strategies and sustainable finance in relation to climate change.

They also discussed other environment issues, conservation of natural resources, water and biodiversity, waste management, plastics and marine litter.

Further, Sustainable Cities and Communities, addressing ‘SMART Green ASEAN Cities,’ and focusing on smart solutions enabled by digitalization and use of technologies were deliberated.

One highlight in this regard was the presentation of the executive summary of findings and recommendations of a recently conducted regional gap-analysis on the state of circular economy for plastics in ASEAN Member States.

The analysis, conducted by a team of experts from the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, developed a knowledge base for follow-up actions by the EU to inspire and assist circular economy approaches to plastic issues in the ASEAN region.

Equitable investment in human capital is vital for Thailand’s future — Further, Sustainable Cities and Communities, addressing ‘SMART Green ASEAN Cities,’ and focusing on smart solutions enabled by digitalization and use of technologies were deliberated.

The EU shared its longstanding experience on waste management and circular economy. In its 2018 Plastics Strategy, the European Union has committed to assist other regions in shifting towards a circular economy for plastics and both regions agreed to tackle this problem together. Both sides agreed that the issue of plastic waste export deserves special attention and urgent action.

The High-Level Dialogue was supported by the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI), a development cooperation program that facilitates dialogues between the EU and ASEAN in priority policy areas of joint interest. Drawing on the EU’s experience of regional integration, the E-READI policy dialogue facility further strengthens both the ASEAN regional integration process as well as the overall ASEAN-EU partnership.

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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. The Member States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. On 31 December 2015, the ASEAN Community was formally established. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta.

Others

PTT prepares to test Thailand’s market for electric motorcycles

9 July 2019

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Thailand

Thailand’s state energy firm PTT is set to launch its first 10 electric motorcycles as it tests the local market this year.

The company said it has received 3,000 orders for the electric motorcycles. It will adjust the cost of its electric motorcycles to about 70,000 baht ($2,280) per unit to gain a commercial sales volume benefit.

Wittawat Svasti-Xuto, chief technology and engineering officer, said PTT’s involvement in electric motorcycles follows the group’s support of Thai start-up Etran, which is a designer and developer of electric motorcycles, to test the market.

“The investment in the electric motorcycle business is in line with PTT’s strategy to invest in the electricity value chain,” he said.

“Initially, we admit that the investment cost in manufacturing electric motorcycles is still high at about 100,000 baht per unit. We plan to reduce the manufacturing cost for each electric motorcycle to about 70,000 baht to support its commercial purpose,” said Wittawat.

“So far, we have received orders from interested customers for about 3,000 units.”

He said that to test the market, the group’s start-up has ordered the manufacturer to make 10 electric motorcycles under a sub-contract manufacturing agreement. As the motorbikes are not being mass produced yet, the retail price is still high.

However, if the price is reduced to about 70,000 baht per unit, they could be more easily sold, Wittawat said.

The investment plan for electric motorcycles is one example of the directions that PTT is going following a reshuffle aimed at embracing disruptive technology, as well as the changing behaviour of consumers. THE NATION (THAILAND)

Coal

Thailand Boosts Imports of Russian Coal In January-May

8 July 2019

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Thailand

Argus, citing market participants, reported that Thailand’s imports of Russian coal almost tripled on the year in January-May to 498,000 tonne from 164,000 tonne And Russian shipments to Thailand are expected to keep rising because of competitive prices. Russia became the third-largest coal supplier to Thailand this year, with its share of imports rising by almost three percentage points to 5pc in January-May.

A source at a large Russian mining company, said that “In 2019, we plan to increase coal shipments to southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand, as we find more opportunities in this region with growing consumption. Most of the Russian coal trades into Thailand are on a spot basis, and for local buyers price remains the key factor.”

Thai consumers buy Russian coal fines and lower-calorific value brown coal, which can partly replace declining domestic lignite supply. Russia mainly ships brown coal with a CV of less than 5,000 kcal per kg and bituminous thermal coal with a CV of about 5,500 kcal per kg to Thailand.

Source : ARGUS

Energy Cooperation

Brunei Senior Officials Visit Dubai’s DEWA

8 July 2019

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Brunei Darussalam

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has received a high-level delegation from the Brunei Ministry of Energy, Manpower, and Industry (MEMI) at DEWA’s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz.

Dato Seri Setia Dr Mat Suny Hussein, Minister of Energy, Manpower, and Industry, led the delegation.

The meeting with Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA discussed ways and means of working together and exchanging experiences and practices to enhance Dubai’s position as a global hub for trade, finance, tourism, and green economy.

At the beginning of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed Hussein and the visiting delegation, emphasising the importance of enhancing joint cooperation. Al Tayer also talked about DEWA and Brunei’s companies sharing best expertise, experiences and best practices in energy, water, and sustainability, to further develop these areas and mutually benefit from shared experiences.

Al Tayer presented DEWA’s latest projects and local and international achievements, and its active role in promoting sustainable development in Dubai. He also briefed the visiting delegation on DEWA’s projects, initiatives, and plans, to achieve the vision of the wise leadership to transform Dubai into a global centre for clean energy and green economy as well as the global directives for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. DEWA contributes to achieving this vision by creating a future model for utilities in the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity and water.

DEWA is securing its energy supply by diversifying the energy mix to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2050. To achieve this, DEWA launched several renewable programmes and initiatives, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world. Using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, it will have a capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 with investments totalling AED 50 billion. Upon completion, the solar park will reduce over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually and provide thousands of jobs in clean energy and green economy.

Al Tayer said that DEWA adopted the IPP model in the solar park’s projects to promote public-private partnerships. Through this model, DEWA achieved the lowest international prices for electricity on four separate occasions.

The 13MW first phase became operational in 2013 using photovoltaic solar panels. The 200MW photovoltaic second phase of the solar park was operational in March 2017. The 800MW photovoltaic third phase will be operational by 2020. The 950MW fourth phase of the solar park is the largest single-site Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world. Based on IPP, it combines photovoltaic and CSP technologies. It will use 700MW of CSP; 600MW from a parabolic basin complex and 100MW from a solar power tower; and 250MW from photovoltaic solar panels. The project will have the largest global thermal storage capacity of 15 hours; allowing for energy availability round the clock. DEWA issued a tender for the fifth phase of the solar park for 900MW of electricity using photovoltaic solar panels, based on IPP, which will be commissioned in stages as of Q2 2021.

The Research and Development (R&D) Centre of the solar park is centred on four major operational areas: electricity generation from clean energy and solar power, integration of smart grids, energy efficiency, and water. The R&D Centre’s projects and programmes consist of internal labs to study and test system reliability, and external field testing of new technologies and equipment, including performance and reliability of solar photovoltaic panels and removing dust. DEWA’s R&D Centre includes a lab built using 3D printing technology and is the first building in the UAE to be fully-printed on-site and the first such 3D-printed laboratory building in the world.

Al Tayer also discussed the solar-powered hydrogen electrolysis plant at DEWA’s outdoor testing facilities at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai that is being developed by DEWA, Expo 2020 Dubai, and Siemens. The key elements of this facility comprise the production of green hydrogen using electricity produced from solar panels, hydrogen storages, and a multitude of other services that include re-electrification (storage and network services), transportation, and other industrial services.

Al Tayer and the visiting delegation also toured the sustainable building’s various sections, including the green spaces on its roof and the solar photovoltaic panels that are used to supply the building with solar power. DEWA’s Sustainable Building in Al Quoz is the largest government building in the world to receive a Platinum Rating for green buildings from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The building uses 66% less energy and 48% less water and features an on-site 660 kilowatt (kW) solar power plant.

The Minister praised DEWA’s efforts and expressed his country’s interest in participating in DEWA’s leading projects in clean and renewable energy and water, praising the bilateral relations between the two countries and DEWA’s efforts in achieving sustainable development in the Emirate.

Others

Curtin Malaysia’s GEEC to enhance teaching, research in renewable energy

8 July 2019

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Myanmar

MIRI: The Faculty of Engineering and Science of Curtin University Malaysia has opened its ‘Green Electric Energy Centre’ (GEEC) slated for enhancing the teaching and research in renewable energy and also adding to its range of laboratory facilities.

The GEEC is equipped with state-of-the-art data loggers to obtain and store energy data harvested from fixed-axis and dual-axis tracking solar panels outdoors, and also a control system connected to an indoor benchtop wind turbine simulator and an outdoor wind turbine.

The wind turbine simulator can be used for laboratory-scale simulations to study the feasibility of full-scale projects, simulating different wind speeds and environmental conditions. Students and researchers can then evaluate data and graphs generated from the simulations at a number of workstations in the laboratory.

The centre is also equipped with a wind power generator, which in addition to demonstrating how wind power is harvested and distributed, it also powers up all the lights in the laboratory.

Present at the recent opening event were Curtin Malaysia pro vice-chancellor, president and chief executive Prof Jim Mienczakowski, chief operating officer Pieter Willem Pottas, acting dean for the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Associate Prof Vincent Lee, and also dean for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Prof Lenin Gopal.

According to Mienczakowski, the GEEC is an excellent facility and also a timely one, in light of global trends towards the development of green energy and the focus on sustainable development in engineering and science.

He said since the establishment of Curtin Malaysia 20 years ago, its Faculty of Engineering and Science had grown significantly and built a strong reputation, not only for its strong suite of course offerings but also for its emerging and distinctive research profile.

“We have made remarkable progress in a number of key areas, particularly in our leadership in innovative learning and research and development in emerging technologies. This centre will certainly help us build on those strengths,” he said.

Mienczakowski pointed out that in order to deliver world-ranked courses to an equivalent standard as those available at Curtin’s main campus in Perth, Australia, Curtin Malaysia must have the suitable facilities.

Meanwhile, Lenin said the GEEC would be rapidly expanded to its full potential in the coming months to include a micro-hydropower station and the installation of additional equipment such as solar photovoltaic emulators funded by the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), and more solar panels.

“This centre complements our range of teaching and research facilities, including our new Engineering Research Laboratory currently being constructed, very well. It offers our electrical engineering students, in particular, a greater, more technology-rich environment and learning experience,” he said.

Other innovative teaching and research facilities at the Faculty of Engineering and Science include its Keysight Reference Laboratory developed in collaboration with Keysight Technologies; the Schlumberger Petrel GIS Laboratory in partnership with Schlumberger; and the Digital Maker Hub with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDeC).

These are in addition to the faculty’s wide range of over 20 laboratories related to the various engineering and science disciplines, including applied geology, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil and construction engineering, electrical and computer engineering, software engineering and cyber security.

All these facilities enable Curtin Malaysia to continue forging a reputation for producing work-ready graduates, allowing its campus community to embrace new technologies as well as new ways of learning, and shaping its focus on high-impact research.

Curtin Malaysia is also geared towards assuming a key role in helping to develop Sarawak’s bio-economy through the operation of the newly-completed RM60-million pilot plant facility at the campus – funded by the Sarawak government; and enhancing research through the Curtin Malaysia Graduate School, Curtin Malaysia Research Institute (CMRI), Curtin Highway Research Institute (CHIRI) and other research centres.

Electricity/Power Grid

Sarawak Energy set to export electricity to Sabah by 2022

8 July 2019

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Malaysia

KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) expects to export electricity to Sabah by 2022 and Brunei Darussalam sooner under the Trans-Borneo Grid project.

Group chief executive officer Datuk Sharbini Suhaili said SEB is awaiting the approval of the Sabah government for the final draft of a power purchase agreement (PPA).

The PPA will pave the way for the export of 50MW initially from Lawas in northern Sarawak to Sipitang in Sabah.

“But we can export more when required,” Sharbini added at SEB’s annual media business update here yesterday.

He said SEB can only export power to Sabah upon completion of its “Northern Agenda” to connect both Limbang and Lawas to the state grid. The project, which is currently underway, will replace SEB’s diesel plants in northern Sarawak.

Under the Northern Agenda, SEB will beef up power supply, reduce power interruptions and enhance supply reliability in Miri.

According to Sharbini, a RM1bil allocation to upgrade Miri’s power supply system has been carried out since 2016.

He said a border SEB substation in Miri is ready to export electricity to neighbouring Brunei and that the PPA could be signed when Brunei is ready. Initially, SEB may export 30MW to the oil-rich sultanate.

Last week, Sharbini met with Brunei’s Energy Minister to discuss the Borneo Grid project.

“We (SEB) want to drive the Borneo Grid project. That is our ambition,” he said.

SEB has been exporting power to west Kalimantan, Indonesia since 2016 under an agreement with Perusahaan Listrik Negara Persero (Indonesian utility body) and the current export has reached 230MW.

Sharbini said SEB’s installed capacity is expected to increase to 5,450MW next year from 4,705MW in 2015. The additional power-generation capacity will come from the 600MW Balingian coal-fired plant to be commissioned later this year and the proposed combined cycle gas plant under construction in Tanjong Kidurong, Bintulu.

SEB owns the 2,400MW Bakun hydro-electric dam and 944MW Murum dam, which are both in full operation to supply power to the energy-intensive industries in Samalaju Industrial Park under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score).

Hydro power currently makes up about 75% of SEB’s generation mix, followed by gas and coal.

SEB is currently constructing the 1,285MW Baleh dam in the Kapit Division which is expected to come on stream by 2025 when its generation capacity would be raised to 7,115MW.

“In the past nine years, the average power demand from Score’s customers has increased by three times while our generation capacity has increased by 3.5 times,” said Sharbini.

Executive vice-president for strategic and corporate development Ting Ching Zung said SEB is currently in negotiations with several potential investors planning to set up manufacturing facilities in Samalaju Industrial Park. They would require 240MW to 440MW to power their plants.

One of the investors from China plans to set up an integrated steel mill there via its Malaysian unit, Wenan Steel Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

“Right now, we (SEB and Wenan Steel) have agreed on the commercial terms of the PPA. The steel mill requires between 30MW and 40MW of power under phase 1,” said Ting, who expects the proposed steel mill project to take three years to build.

“We are also in discussions with two (potential) new customers for power requirements of between 100MW and 200MW each for their ferroalloy smelting projects.”

Currently, there are three ferroalloy smelting plants in Samalaju Industrial Park.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2019/07/08/sarawak-energy–set-to-export-electricity-to-sabah-by-2022/#gicueatzelxDu2Cz.99

Electricity/Power Grid

TNB in the spotlight on looming market reforms

8 July 2019

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Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: The potential opening up of the power sector’s retail space will give consumers more options to buy their electricity from, but it is likely to have limited earnings impact on Tenaga Nasional Bhd

image: https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Themes/img/chart.png

(TNB).

TNB, which has come under the spotlight due to looming regulatory changes, is currently Peninsular Malaysia’s only retail electricity provider.

According to UOB Kay Hian, the liberalisation of the retail market would not hurt TNB, as it earns around 2% (0.96 sen/kWh of base electricity tariff of 39.45 sen/kWh) of revenue from the retail market.

“The incentive-based regulation (IBR) model is based on returns of regulated assets. The retail segment is asset-light and as such, TNB earns minimal profits as Peninsular Malaysia’s only retail electricity provider,” it said in a recent report.

Last Friday, it was reported that the government was conducting a study on whether to allow new energy suppliers to come into the market, with the results to be made known soon. The government is studying whether the move would make tariff rates more competitive for consumers.

The transformation of the local electricity industry is expected to come through the implementation of the Malaysia Electricity Supply Industry (MESI) 2.0 that aims to increase the industry’s efficiency, as well as decentralise the electricity supply industry, among others.

It is expected to be launched later this month.

UOB Kay Hian said it understands that the aim of opening up the retail market is “to give consumers the opportunity to choose a greener route, for example, by buying electricity from environmentally-friendly players like Cypark Resources Bhd

image: https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Themes/img/chart.png

, which owns 30MW of renewable energy in Peninsular Malaysia.”

Besides the retail segment, there is the wholesale segment.

However, analysts believe that the regulators will have to wait for the expiry of power purchase agreements (PPAs) and service-level agreements (SLAs) to be able to build a robust wholesale market.

More than half of Peninsular Malaysia’s generation capacity (or 23,881MW) has long-dated PPAs expiring in 2030-40, noted UOB Kay Hian.

Drawing from the Singapore experience, AmResearch noted that the power producers there compete to generate and sell electricity in the wholesale electricity market (WEM) every half hour.

“The WEM is like a power exchange. Retailers buy electricity in bulk from the wholesale electricity market to sell to the customers.”

Secondly, looking at the Singapore model, the research firm said that power pooling would result in power producers competing to sell electricity at the lowest rates to gain market share. This would result in lower operating profit margins.

“We believe that fuel costs would still be passed through, but operating profit margins would be thin. YTL Power International Bhd

image: https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Themes/img/chart.png

’s power unit in Singapore recorded a pre-tax loss of RM149.1mil in the first nine months of financial year 2019 (FY19) (ex-impairment),” it said in its report on Friday.

That said, the research firm believes that TNB will be a strong competitor if the retail segment is opened up due to its size and balance sheet.

AmResearch reckons that if the independent power producers or IPPs are selling electricity directly to the consumers, then they would need to pay a fee to TNB for the transmission and distribution activities.

Currently, out of TNB’s base tariff rate of 39.45 sen/kWh, about 11.58 sen/kWh is for transmission, distribution, customer service and grid system operations.

Another point AmResearch brought up in its report is the possibility that the imbalance cost pass-through mechanism might not be relevant if the retail segment is opened up.

“There may not be a need for the Electricity Industry Fund to subsidise rates for the domestic segment.

“This is because under the open system, retail electricity rates would fluctuate based on cost, demand and supply.”

One other reform that could feature in the upcoming MESI 2.0 is the separation of the single buyer role from TNB. This is seen as positive for TNB as it eliminates the fuel risk from the equation. The government will likely take over this role, said some analysts.

According to TA Research, the segregation of the single buyer role would free up the company’s working capital requirements significantly.

“Thus, this would provide a boost to TNB’s free cash flow and result in dividend upside potential.”

As single buyer, the company is responsible for coal procurement, which amounted to RM11.7bil in FY18, TA Research pointed out.

To facilitate the reforms, MyPower Corp was reactivated in September last year with the task to design and drive its implementation within three years. The current Regulatory Period 2 framework will end in 2021.

Shares in TNB closed 54 sen or 3.82% lower to RM13.60 last Friday.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2019/07/08/tnb-in-the-spotlight-on-looming-market-reforms/#P8jomsIJv7QJCCXq.99

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