News Clipping Archive - Page 1164 of 1294

Renewables

LS Cable Asia to Supply Cables to Solar Power Plants in Vietnam

24 March 2019

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Vietnam

LS Cable Asia announced on March 25 that LS Vina, its Vietnamese manufacturing subsidiary, would supply US$50 million worth of power cables to a large-scale solar power plant project in Vietnam. The contract volume corresponds to about 14 percent of LS Vina’s sales last year.

LS Vina signed the contract with Vietnam’s Hoanh Son Group to supply mid- to low-voltage cables to more than 10 solar power plants to be built in central Vietnam for the next two years.

Hoanh Son Group is engaged mainly in construction and real estate development and is also participating in the construction of new and renewable energy power plants including hydropower and solar power plants in Vietnam,.

The Vietnamese government plans to increase the nation’s photovoltaic power generation capacity to 3.5 GW by 2030 so related projects are expected to bring more business opportunities to LS Vina in the future.

Bioenergy

Open tender for waste-to-energy management system

24 March 2019

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Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: The government will hold an open tender exercise for companies interested in developing a waste-to-energy (WTE) management system for safer waste disposal.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said the government is working out the tender details which will be ready in three months.

“After that, we will launch a request for proposal,” she told Bernama after opening the Pharmacy Renaissance Summit by the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG) today.

Yeo said the time had come for Malaysia to modernise its waste management system and shift from landfills to a better disposal solution.

Earlier, during her address, she said the chemical pollution of Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang should serve as a lesson on how every kind of waste, particularly scheduled waste, must be managed with caution.

“Malaysia needs a paradigm shift in terms of how we monitor our disposal of scheduled waste as well as clinical waste.

“Malaysians need to be more responsible and, as a government, we need better enforcement,” she said.

Yeo praised MCPG’s Green Pharmacy pilot project, which began in 2017 and is aimed at empowering pharmacists in educating the public on disposal of sharps waste (biomedical waste that includes hypodermic needles).

MCPG organising chairman and president Lovy Beh said the initiative started with 30 community pharmacists in Penang, with the support of the state government.

She said many people did not know how and where to dispose of sharps waste and unwanted or expired medicine, and would often throw them out with household waste or flush them down the toilet.

This is dangerous because diseases can be easily transmitted and it causes pollution, she said.

Oil & Gas

Thai energy developer eyes US$7.8 billion LNG scheme in Vietnam

24 March 2019

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Thailand ,
Vietnam

Vietnam Economic Times reported that the Gulf is asking the Ninh Thuan provincial People’s Committee for in-principle approval to the implementation of two projects, including a liquified natural gas (LNG) re-gasification terminal and a Ca Na LNG-fired power plant complex. This complex is set to gather four power plants with a combined capacity of 6,000 MW.

An estimated US$7.8 billion is needed for the two projects under build-operate-transfer (BOT) form or other models. The investor pledged to ensure the progress of the work as scheduled.

Pham Van Hau, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the LNG power project plays a key role in spurring socio-economic development in Ninh Thuan and many neighboring localities in the southern region.

Ninh Thuan has mapped out a plan on developing the Ca Na power center which include a LNG terminal and LNG-fired power plants. The plan was submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for appraisal and it will be sent to competent authorities for approval later.

Following the plan is ratified, the province will outline a set of criteria aimed to select appropriate investors.

The Gulf has made bold moves in the Vietnamese market through its extensive participation in power projects. In a recent move, the Thai energy developer and one Vietnamese partner inked a deal on developing a photovoltaic solar power project in the southern province of Tay Ninh.

The solar project is designed with a capacity of 48 MW, with a total investment capital of US$66 million. The Gulf owns a proportion of 49 per cent of the project value while the rest is held by Vietnamese firm. The construction of the project is slated for June.

In early 2018, the Gulf said it planned to invest in a 5,000 MW gas-fired power plant in the southern province of Dong Nai, while stating that it is eager to provide local energy developers with technologies and equipment related to gas fired power generation.

Gulf Group, one of the leading energy producers in Thailand, raised US$733 million through its initial public offering in 2018. The Thai firm is eyeing many power projects in neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

Energy Cooperation

US offers help to ASEAN countries on oil and gas exploration ventures

23 March 2019

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ASEAN

HOUSTON, Texas – The United States (US) government is offering help to countries in the Southeast Asian region – primarily those wanting to extract oil and gas resources within their exclusive economic zones but investment flows are being impeded by diplomatic skirmish with Asian super power China.

In his keynote address at the CERAWeek here, US Department of State Secretary Michael R. Pompeo noted that Southeast Asian countries have vast resources of oil and gas – with aggregate value of US$2.5 trillion – but they cannot get their hands into these resources because of China’s ascendancy.

According to Pompeo, China’s proclivity of holding control over international waters, “is not simply a security matter, but blocking developments in the South China Sea through coercive means to access $2.5 trillion worth of their energy resources.”

He stressed that some ASEAN countries cannot stand up to China’s subjugation, so it is dangling to these countries to turn to the US for help – both on the diplomatic and investment fronts.

“The US wants to promote energy security in those ASEAN countries, we want to help them to have access to their own energy resources and not fall into debt traps,” the American top diplomat has asserted.

Beyond Asia, he further called on global investors to “come follow America’s energy blueprint which is innovative, not subjugating.”

The Philippines is among the countries in the Southeast Asian region that is currently advancing fresh round of petroleum contracting within its territories. And notably, the country was recently visited by Pompeo and had his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Nevertheless, the Philippines is approaching the China diplomatic crisis in friendlier terms by pursuing joint exploration activities in these so-called conflict areas within the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

The officials of the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) went to the extent of qualifying that they will not process yet the applications for petroleum service contracts for those that straddle diplomatically strained blocks.

There are currently around 10 applications for service contracts within these “conflict domains,” but approvals may only come once both the Philippine government and China could already agree on a joint exploration framework and the enforced moratorium for these areas be already lifted.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi already forwarded official correspondence to his Chinese official-counterpart at the National Energy Administration (NEA) seeking definitive discussions on the oil and gas investment issues within the West Philippine Sea.

The energy chief disclosed that he reiterated that “request for talks with China” when he recently met with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, but he has yet to get a definitive response from his energy official peer.

Oil & Gas

Brunei car ownership completely saturated: ASEAN

23 March 2019

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Brunei Darussalam

Car ownership in Brunei is saturated and the sultanate stands to benefit from fuel economy policies over time, according to a publication of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The “ASEAN Fuel Economy Roadmap for Transport Sector 2018-2025: with Focus on Light-Duty Vehicles,” released recently, shows Brunei has fully saturated its vehicle ownership, being the only country within the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc to have done so.

Vehicle ownership in Brunei stood at 419 vehicles per 1,000 people in 2013. The country’s saturation level, according to the roadmap, is 420 vehicles per 1,000 people.

The level of vehicle ownership in a country is said to be saturated when vehicle ownership per capita in that market stops growing.

Vehicle ownership in the sultanate is also expected to remain fully saturated until 2040.

It added that given its high level of vehicle ownership, Brunei “could benefit from fuel economy policies as the vehicle fleet is refreshed over time.”

Meanwhile, the roadmap singled out Brunei for its high fuel subsidies, saying this denotes that the sultanate’s gasoline prices are below the world market price for crude oil.

Data from the roadmap show that the sultanate has the cheapest average petroleum price at the pump, at 41 U.S. cents per liter, while on the other end of the range, Singapore, which heavily taxes fuel, prices its petrol at 1.58 U.S. dollars per liter.

“Fuel taxes are a very efficient means of motivating fuel efficiency improvement. Cutting subsidies can thus be a key starting point towards effective fuel economy policies,” ASEAN says.

The roadmap reveals that Brunei, along with Malaysia and the Philippines, is planning to introduce fuel economy labels for vehicles, following the lead of Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, which impose mandatory labeling schemes for light duty vehicles, as well as Indonesia, where labeling is voluntary.

It also notes that Brunei wants to adopt the European Union (EU)’s carbon dioxide emissions standards for light duty vehicles, and points out that the EU rules on limiting motor fuel consumption are more stringent than existing measures being implemented on a voluntary basis in other ASEAN markets.

Xinhua earlier reported that Brunei will introduce in 2023 fuel economy regulations that aim to reduce the country’s carbon dioxide emissions and lower motor fuel subsidies.

Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Hj Mat Suny said during Thursday’s Legislative Council meeting that the regulation, which will be hammered out with Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications, will be enforced in stages beginning 2025.

Renewables

Treasure Island taps Vivant subsidiary to shift to solar energy

23 March 2019

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Philippines

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Vivant Energy Corporation subsidiary ET Vivant Solar helps Cebu-based manufacturing company Treasure Island Industrial Corporation (TIIC) meet its sustainability goals by converting part of its energy requirements to solar.

ET Vivant has installed solar panels on the roof of buildings at the TIIC compound in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City. The solar rooftop installation is designed to generate 1400 kWp of renewable energy exclusively for TIIC’s packaging division, iPak.

TIIC’s Packaging Division, branded as iPak, manufactures plastic and metal packaging materials, containers, pouches, caps, seals, and labels, as well as plastic household containers for domestic and international customers.

“As a manufacturing plant, we have taken great strides in protecting the environment in communities where we operate,” TIIC Senior Vice President Douglas Ong said. “Partnering with ET Vivant to use solar energy supports our mission to be a value-driven company that generates sustainable growth and delivers maximum profitability.”

“Using solar also allows TIIC to see savings in terms of its electricity consumption from the grid,” Ong said.

Treasure Island and ET Vivant signed a power purchase agreement allowing the manufacturing conglomerate to use all of the solar energy generated by the photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftop of its buildings.

ET Vivant, a partnership between leading global renewable energy developer ET Energy and Vivant Energy Corporation, will ensure maintenance of the solar rooftop installation until it turns over ownership of the modules to TIIC at the end of the 15-year contract.

“We are thankful that TIIC chose to start this change with ET Vivant,” Vivant Energy Corporation President and CEO Arlo G. Sarmiento said. “At ET Vivant, we develop solutions that not only meet the needs of our customers, but also adapt to the changing environment. We are particularly excited that this is our first solar project in our home province of Cebu, where we’ve been providing energy solutions that improve everyday living for almost a century.”

“We thank TIIC for trusting us to become their partner,” said Dennis She, CEO of ET Energy. He said that ET Vivant will take TIIC through every step of the process to ensure the success of the partnership.

The ET Vivant joint venture was formalized in December 2016 as part of Vivant Energy’s efforts to expand its renewable energy investments through subsidiary Vivant Renewable Energy Corporation.

Vivant Energy holds publicly listed Vivant Corporation’s investments in energy distribution and generation, retail electricity supply and energy-related engineering solutions. Through its equity interests in subsidiaries and associates, Vivant Energy provides energy-related services in Luzon, the Visayas and in Mindanao. /dcb

Oil & Gas

Investors to be invited to boost LPG, CNG businesses

23 March 2019

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Myanmar

Investors will be invited to boost gas exploration as well as LPG and CNG businesses, said Union Minister Win Khaing for Electricity and Energy.

He said investment in such businesses would help improve Myanmar’s electricity sector.

“To improve the electricity sector, we will invite investors to cooperate with us in exploring gas and developing LPG and CNG businesses and factories as well as solar energy,” said the minister.

According to sources from the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, tenders will soon be opened to operate 33 oil and gas blocks—15 offshore blocks and 18 onshore blocks.

At Myanmar investment forum held in Nay Pyi Taw on January 28, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations Thaung Tun said more blocks in Myanmar’s offshore areas would soon be put to tender.

Plans are underway to engage in LPG as a strategic business for its extensive use in industrial and transport sectors as well as for kitchen purposes.

It is targeted that LPG will be distributed to 1 million households in villages by 2020.

Electricity/Power Grid

Vietnam set to increase power supply to meet rising demands

23 March 2019

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Vietnam

According to Takimoto Koji, chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Ho Chi Minh City, Japanese investors are concerned as JETRO has been recently announced that Vietnam could face a power shortage by 2022.

However, the investors can feel relieved as experts believed Vietnam would increase coal-fired power sharply over the next decade to meet the local demand.

Daine Loh, power and renewables analyst of Fitch Group’s Fitch Solutions Macro Research, forecast coal power generation will reach 50.5 percent of the total consumption power mix by 2028, with gas at 22.5 percent, hydropower at 22.8 percent and non-hydro renewables at 3.8 percent.

He explained this is due to relatively slow supply growth from traditional sources of energy such as hydropower and natural gas, with the government set to turn to coal to meet the surge in demand for power.

According to Daine, traditionally, Vietnam has relied on hydropower and natural gas for its power generation, but there are several obstacles to see continued growth in these two sectors.

Firstly, hydropower potential has already been almost fully exploited at present. Furthermore, recent droughts and decreasing water supplies highlight the threats facing Vietnam’s hydropower generation output reliability.

Secondly, domestic gas reserves are depleting and will not sustain a substantial ramp-up in gas power generation over the longer term, Daine said.

“As a result, we expect the government to turn largely to coal power to meet Vietnam’s increasing power demand, which stems in particular from an expanding industry and manufacturing sector, in order to support continued economic growth. Rapid urbanization and government efforts to up electrification levels to 100 percent will further boost electricity consumption growth rates.”

Sharing the view, power analyst Nguyen Canh Nam from the Vietnam Energy Association, said coal-fired power would still play a key role in the country’s electricity industry in the coming years.

Considering the country’s domestic coal resources, the ability to import coal and the level of greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to develop coal-fired power because of its technical and economic feasibility, Nam said, explaining while renewable energy from solar and wind is more costly, it can’t ensure consistent power supply.

Application of modern tech

According to Nam, the ratio of Vietnam’s coal-fired power is 39.1 percent, the same as the global average. The rate is much higher in many other countries, such as 63 percent in China, 61 percent in Australia, 46 percent in South Korea, 78 percent in Poland and 87 percent in South Africa.

Besides, he said, coal-fired power output per capita in Vietnam is also 793 kWh, much lower than the world’s average level of 1,290 kWh.

However, Nam said the development of coal-fired power must be cleaner to increase efficiency and reduce emissions through the use of more modern technologies.

Besides coal-fired power, Nam also noted the need to accelerate the development of electricity from other resources, especially renewable ones.

For more sustained development, it is very important to change the country’s economic structure with an aim to reduce the share of power-intensive industries, he stressed.

“In doing so, the demand for electricity decreases, which will reduce the pressure on the electricity supply. At that time, we can make long-term investments for clean and renewable energy,” Nam said.

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