News Clipping Archive - Page 1108 of 1320

Energy Efficiency

Developers in Bangkok go green and reap the benefits

25 July 2019

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Thailand

Property developers in Bangkok concerned about the environment are investing in the “green architecture” of Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (Leed), says one of the principals at JLL, an international real estate consultancy company.

There are currently 1.26 million sqm of Leed office space in the Thai capital.

Dexter Norville, one of the bosses at JLL, said on Monday that 877,000sqm of that space – nearly 70 per cent – is managed by JLL.

Excluding owner-occupied offices, the Leed-certified gross floor area in Bangkok totals 630,000sqm, of which 577,000 (more than 90 per cent) is managed by JLL.

Leed is one of the world’s most popular green-building certification programs. Developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), it features rating systems for design, construction, operation and maintenance to help building owners and managers be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

“While Leed certification generally focuses on the physical building and its impact on the environment, the Well Building Standards are a series of certifications by the International Well Building Institute that broadly assess the building’s contribution to the wellness of people who use it,” said Norville.

“Well certification is becoming increasingly popular among landlords and developers.”

JLL is management consultant on two projects pursuing Leed certification – One City Centre, a Grade A office development that is a Raimon Land-Mitsubishi Estate joint venture scheduled for completion in 2022, and One Bangkok, Thailand’s largest mixed-use development project, a joint venture between TCC Asset and Frasers Property Holdings.

One Bangkok is also seeking Well certification.

Norville says Leed buildings involve high-quality standards and must also achieve the operating goals for which they were built. Some also receive Leed Ebom (Existing Building Operation and Maintenance) certification, showing that the landlord and manager are committed to sustainability.

Chakrapan Pawangkarat, Norville’s fellow chief of Property and Asset Management at JLL, said landlords are increasingly aware that sustainable development offers a competitive advantage.

In fact, both landlords and occupiers benefit from being recognised for their commitment to social responsibility and cost-savings through more efficient energy consumption.

A growing number of developments incorporate green features to obtain certification from reliable programmes such as Leed by the USGBC and the Thai Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability, which was established by the Thai Green Building Institute in collaboration between the Association of Siamese Architects and the Engineering Institute of Thailand.

“To achieve their sustainability ambition, many developers and owners seek help from consultants and experts to assist with developing, operating and managing their green real estate. This has contributed significantly to our growing portfolio of Leed-certified buildings that we manage in Thailand, building on our expertise in this area,” Chakrapan says. THE NATION (THAILAND)

Eco Friendly Vehicle

Jokowi to issue regulations to support electric vehicles this week

25 July 2019

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Indonesia

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is slated to sign two long-awaited policies for the development of Indonesia’s electric vehicle industry this week, a senior minister has revealed.

The two regulations will comprise a presidential regulation (Perpres) on battery electric vehicles and a revision of a government regulation (PP) regarding luxury goods tax, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said during a conference at the 2019 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) on Wednesday.

“This week, the President will sign two very important policies for the automotive industry,” Sri Mulyani said. “Concerns over climate change are important [to the industry]. The world is looking for such policies and our government should thus cater to these concerns.”

The Perpres will stipulate a number of fiscal incentives for the EV industry, such as import tariff incentives for battery based EVs and their supporting machinery and materials, VAT deductions and tax incentives for imported goods related to investment in the EV industry.

Meanwhile, the revision of PP 41/2013 on luxury motorized vehicle taxes will change the classification of taxes imposed on certain passenger vehicles based on their emission rates, namely low-cost green cars (LCGC), hybrid EVs, plug-in EVs, flexy engine EVs, fuel cell EVs and fully electrified vehicles. The revised PP will see lowered luxury goods taxes starting at 15 percent of the price of the vehicle, far lower than the existing taxes that average around 40 percent.

With the issuance of the two new policies, Indonesia is expected to pick up its pace and improve its competitiveness both domestically and abroad, Sri Mulyani added.(hen)

Oil & Gas

Pryce Gases set to drill well in southwest Palawan Basin

25 July 2019

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Philippines

PRYCE Gases Inc. (PGI), a distributor of liquefied petroleum gas, is set to drill a well in the southwest Palawan Basin.

“Pryce Gases Inc., along with a consortium partner, has decided to enter Sub-Phase 5 of Service Contract 55 [SC 55], which will be effective on August 26, 2019,” said PGI.

PGI’s entry into Sub-Phase 5 will mean the drilling of one ultra-deepwater well at the cost of at least $3 million.

PGI acquired a 25-percent interest in SC 55 via a farm-in agreement with Otto Energy Philippines Inc.

SC 55 consortium is composed of Otto Energy Philippines; Otto Energy Investments Ltd.; PNOC-Exploration Corp.; and Palawan55 Exploration & Production Corp. (Palawan55).

PGI said the drilling activity is without prejudice to the consortium exercising its option to enter the appraisal period on or before August 26, 2019.

“Alternatively, the consortium may opt to enter an appraisal period, which will require the implementation of an appraisal work program. This program has to be approved by the Department of Energy, and may involve the drilling of an appraisal well,” it added.

PGI is a subsidiary of Pryce Corp. and is principally engaged in the importation, distribution and retail sale of liquefied petroleum gas.

SC 55 is a deepwater block located in the southwest Palawan Basin, covering an area of 9,880 sq. km. It is in the middle of a proven regional oil and gas fairway that extends from the productive Borneo offshore region in the southwest, to the offshore Philippine production assets northwest of Palawan.

Electricity/Power Grid

Power plants fuelled by oil a financial risk, EVN cautions

25 July 2019

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Vietnam

National power utility EVN says running oil-fuelled power plants to meet domestic demand will be a huge financial challenge.

Total electricity produced and imported in the first half this year rose 11 percent year-on-year to almost 117.4 billion kWh, Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the country’s biggest power producer and monopoly distributor, said in a new report.

Of this, 800 million kWh were produced using oil, which cost more than coal, the report said.

A kWh of oil power costs up to VND6,000 (26 cents, excluding distribution and transmission fees) to produce, but it is sold for just VND1,844.64 (7.9 cents), a loss of VND4,155 (18 cents).

EVN deputy general director Vo Quang Lam said that coal and gas supply is low and hydropower plants are suffering from a lack of water, so the company might have to mobilize up to 3 billion kWh of power produced from oil this year to meet demand, which is set to continue to rise in the last six months of the year. “This would be a huge financial challenge for EVN,” he said.

To accommodate demand, EVN plans to put two thermal power plants and one hydropower plant with a total capacity of 1,480 MW into operation in the second half of this year,

The plants are Vinh Tan 4 Extension in the southern province of Binh Thuan Province, Duyen Hai 3 Extension in the southern province of Tra Vinh and Upper Kon Tum Hydropower Plant in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

Also in the last six months, EVN will start construction of two solar power plants, the 50MW Phuoc Thai 1 in the central province of Ninh Thuan and 49 MW Se San 4 in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

Vietnam’s rapid growing economy is posing greater risks of power shortage. The Ministry of Industry and Trade said last week that the shortage is estimated at 6.6 billion kWh in 2021, nearly 10 billion kWh in 2022 and 15 billion kWh in 2023.

The reason for the shortage is that 47 of 62 proposed energy projects with a capacity of more than 200 MW each are behind schedule, the ministry said, adding that Vietnam might need to import 3.6 billion kWh in 2021 and 9 billion kWh in 2023 from Laos and China to meet domestic demand.

The World Bank has estimated that Vietnam needs $150 billion for energy sector development by 2030, as electricity demand is set to grow by 8 percent a year for the next decade.

Oil & Gas

With $20 billion investment, Brunei’s oil and gas workforce to grow from 20,000 to 35,000

25 July 2019

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Brunei Darussalam

Brunei’s oil and gas industry is expected to hire 15,000 more people over the next few years with $20 billion in investment into downstream projects including a petrochemical refinery and fertilizer plant.

Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Dato Seri Paduka Awg Hj Matsatejo Sokiaw said that the first phase Hengyi Industries’ oil refinery and petrochemical plant at Pulau Muara Besar (PMB) has recently completed construction.

Hengyi’s plant will be able to refine up to 165,000 barrels per day (bpd), with a planned second phase increasing refining capacity to 500,000 bpd, bringing the project’s investment value to over $15 billion.

Another significant downstream project is the $1.8 billion ammonia and urea plant producing industrial fertilizer in Sg Liang which is slated to be completed in 2021. At full scale, both refinery and fertilizer plants are expected to be amongst the biggest of their kind in Southeast Asia.

“Currently, the oil and gas sector is employing around 20,000 people,” said MEMI’s deputy minister during at the opening the waterflooding workshop organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers which focused on the use of water injections to increase oil extraction at existing wells.

“With the growth in the upstream and particularly the downstream and service sector, during operation phase-only, we would need another 15,000 people in the next few years.”

Hengyi’s refinery will also produce several chemical products used to make clothing and plastics which will be exported.

The deputy minister urged companies to give the “highest priority” to the development of Bruneians in the industry, while encouraging local youth to leverage digital technology and innovation to be competitive.

He added that local and international training organisations were encouraged to set up in Brunei to train the industry’s expanding workforce.

Meanwhile in the upstream sector, Brunei is embarking on drilling for oil and gas more than 2,000 metres underwater, while also focusing on deploying advanced recovery to extract remaining hydrocarbons in older assets.

“Brunei is celebrating 90 years of discovery of oil, and the first few discovered fields are still producing today. Inevitably, the secondary and tertiary enhanced recovery plays an important role to produce the remaining hydrocarbon in the depleted reservoirs,” he said.

“We have also invested significant amount and efforts in developing waterflood projects in one of our biggest offshore fields.”

Brunei’s oil and gas industry accounts for over half of the nation’s GDP and more than 95% percent of its export. However oil production has steadily dropped from a high of 219,258 bpd in 2006 to around 100,000 bpd in the past two years.

Coal ,
Energy Policy

Think tank urges Duterte to issue EO on reducing coal dependence

24 July 2019

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Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Energy and environmental think tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) is urging President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration to come up with an executive order outlining how they plan to “fasttrack” the development of renewable energy sources while “reducing” dependence on coal, as he mentioned during his State of the Nation Address on Monday.

“We welcome the positive remarks uttered by the President during his Sona, responding to the clamor of the public against dirty, deadly, and costly energy from coal and fossil fuels,” said CEED Executive Director Gerry Arances. “His statements are significant given that existing energy and power policies largely favor coal.”

Arances cited that at present, the power mix is dominated by the share of coal at 51 percent, and is set to continue to grow given the 30 coal-fired power plants still in the pipeline. The Department of Energy (DOE) also projects that coal will only increase for at least two decades more, according to the Philippine Energy Plan.

“We urge the President to formalize in an Executive Order the marching orders he gave during his speech to provide clear policy directions to the DOE and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),” said Arances.

Electricity/Power Grid ,
Renewables

How Solar Para Sa Bayan plans to end energy poverty by 2022

24 July 2019

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Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – While millions suffer from frequent brownouts, the town of Paluan, Occidental Mindoro is now brownout-free.

In 2018, Solar Para Sa Bayan (SPSB) completed the largest Solar-Battery Microgrid in Southeast Asia at zero cost to government. Using solar panels, Tesla batteries, and backup diesel generators, it serves Paluan 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at 50% below the full cost of the local electric coop.

NO MORE BROWNOUTS. Paluan, Occidental Mindoro celebrates the completion of Southeast Asia’s largest solar-battery microgrid. All photos courtesy of Solar Para Sa Bayan

Paluan Mayor Carl Pangilinan attested to the project’s benefits. “Throughout our history, our town was denied service by the electric coop because of lack of supply in the whole Occidental Mindoro. Everything changed when Paluan sought Solar Para Sa Bayan to provide stable, cheap, clean energy. Our municipality now enjoys 24/7 electricity, which has opened new opportunities for Palueños.”

ACCESS TO MORE FILIPINOS. Solar Para Sa Bayan is now operating in over 12 towns.

SPSB is now serving 24/7 power in over 12 towns, benefiting over 200,000 Filipinos. It has developed projects in 18 provinces and aims to support the Department of Energy’s (DOE) goal for the Philippines to achieve 100% electrification by 2022.

12 million Filipinos without electricity

According to the DOE, an estimated 12 million Filipinos lack access to electricity. This is despite the fact the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) became law in 2001, with its primary objective “to ensure and accelerate the total electrification of the country.”

The National Electrification Administration says it still needs 25 billion pesos to reach the country’s unenergized sitios. The National Power Corporation spends over 20 billion pesos per year serving missionary areas, mostly for less than 24 hours a day given the difficulties of serving off-grid areas.

For years, billions in government subsidies yielded inadequate results. But thanks to advances in technology and SPSB’s initiative, consumers in underserved areas can finally access cheaper, better service at zero cost to government.

Necessity for a microgrid franchise

Despite all this, Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) has insisted that SPSB cease its operations because Paluan is part of OMECO’s franchise. In a statement, the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association said that its members would defend their “electricity franchise privileges” and “cannot be expected to peacefully yield their jobs anytime soon to the private sector.”

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In this light, SPSB applied for its own franchise. House Bill 8179 grants SPSB the non-exclusive right to operate microgrids in “remote and unviable, or unserved or underserved areas in selected provinces of the Philippines.” Unlike the existing Qualified Third Party (QTP) program, which has energized just 3 barangays in 18 years and is highly subsidized, this franchise enables projects without needing the consent of the existing utility; covers underserved municipalities, not just unserved barangays; reduces permitting requirements; and creates an effective alternative, while respecting the rights of existing utilities and paving the way for others to offer better service to consumers.

Heavily amended version

House Bill 8179’s final version limits the scope to “remote and unviable, unserved, or underserved areas,” in selected provinces with less than 2% of the power demand of the Philippines; requires use of renewable energy; subjects the grantee to regulation by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and DOE, pursuant to EPIRA; obligates the grantee to provide reliable service, with financial penalties; and explicitly states the grantee “shall not be entitled to any government subsidy.”

This incorporates inputs of industry stakeholders from extensive congressional hearings, to ensure the franchise is highly regulated and compliant with EPIRA and the constitution, respects existing franchises, and enables DOE and ERC to impose further safeguards. This imposes even greater restrictions on SPSB than existing utilities, limiting it to marginal areas and prohibiting it from receiving any government subsidy.

Overwhelming consumer support

Motivating SPSB is the support it has received from consumers in underserved areas. Facebook posts supporting HB 8179 have reached 20 million Filipinos and generated over 2 million likes, comments, and shares. Various Local Government Units have attested to the benefits should the bill become a law.

Misamis Occidental Governor and former Tangub City Mayor Philip Tan said: “For several years, Tangubanons experienced extended power outages and exorbitant energy prices. But, with the advent of the Solar Para Sa Bayan Project, these will now become a thing of the past.”

BRIGHTER FUTURES. Solar Para Sa Bayan is bringing 24/7 power for the first time to over 200,000 Filipinos, at zero cost to government.

Mayor Shierwin Taay of Dingalan, Aurora said: “We thank Solar Para Sa Bayan for fulfilling the dream of Dingaleños, by solving our power crisis and reducing the cost of electricity. This is a great help for a town like ours to achieve a stronger economy and better life for our people.”

These sentiments are consistent with the results of a Pulse Asia survey indicating that 82% of Filipinos favor new options for electric service. According to Pulse Asia Director Ana Maria Tabunda, support for new options for electricity is consistent across all demographics in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

100% electrification by 2022

Should the bill become a law, SPSB’s commitment is clear. In a statement, it said, “We commit our utmost to support this administration’s goal of achieving 100% electrification and ending energy poverty by 2022, and do this without need for government subsidy.”

For decades, Philippine presidents have tried and failed to reach 100% nationwide electrification. Now, we have a solution, with the potential to energize the entire country by 2022 and add to the list of reasons why this administration will be remembered as the one that did the most to improve the lives of ordinary Filipinos. – Rappler.com

Eco Friendly Vehicle

Hyundai supports EV growth in the Philippines

24 July 2019

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Philippines

With the rest of the world switching to electrification in the past several years, the Philippines appears to be lagging behind when it comes to alternative means of transporation. But at the recent 2019 Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai in the Philippnes, believes that the country is ready to make the switch.

During the annual event organized by the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP), the automaker showed its latest electric vehicles, the Ioniq and Kona EV. First revealed at this year’s Manila International Auto Show, they serve as the brand’s first zero emissions vehicles that offer a cleaner & greener alternative than your typical internal-combustion engine automobiles.

Working alongside the event’s theme ‘Modernizing the transportation landscape, driving sustainable growth’, Hyundai says that electric vehicles hold the key to the future of mobility and showed their support to electric transportation.

“We at Hyundai believe that electric vehicles are the future of mobility. EVs have the potential to address the pressing concerns Filipinos are facing in terms of energy and environmental sustainability. That’s why we are one with the government and EVAP in advocating sustainable mobility through EVs or new energy vehicles, and we are proud to participate in this important summit,” said Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, president and CEO of HARI.

But in order to make the switch a reality, all sectors, including the government, transport groups, auto industry, motorists, and even commuters, have to work together to make the EV future happen.

“Making the shift to EVs from internal combustion engines in the Philippines requires cooperation between the auto industry, government, transport groups, vehicle owners, and commuters. We look to this summit to build stronger relationships between these sectors and thus bring us closer to the future of mobility,” added Agudo.

In review, the Kona EV serves as Hyundai’s first electric crossover in the range. It’s powered by an electric motor that produces 200 PS and 394 Nm of torque. On a single charge, Hyundai claims it can travel over 400 km before needing a recharge.

Meanwhile, the the Ioniq EV is the all-electric counterpart to the Ioniq Hybrid. As the name suggests, pure electricity powers the hatchback that allows it to put out 120 PS and 295 Nm of torque. Thanks to 28 kWh battery pack, the Ioniq EV can travel 200 km before the batteries are completely drained.

News Clipping

National power utility EVN says running oil-fuelled power plants to meet domestic demand will be a huge financial challenge.

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