The groundbreaking event for the Dieng 2 and Patuha 2 geothermal plants was held in Dhanapala Building, Jakarta, Indonesia. The $300 million project will extend the capacity of the two GeoDipa geothermal power plants by 60 MW each. The event was attended by Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
In her speech, Sri Mulyani stressed the importance of professionalism and integrity in the execution of the project. By avoiding unnecessary mark-ups in the expenses, the project can be completed within the planned budget. Sri Mulyani also expressed optimism that the project can be completed without conflict of interest and without a single cent falling to corruption.
The expansion of the Dieng and Patuha geothermal projects will bring Indonesia closer to the government’s target of a 23% energy mix from renewable sources.
“We hope that these two projects will be completed and ready to be operated in 2023. Geothermal power is far cheaper and environmentally friendly than coal-market-priced coal,” Riki told reporters during the ceremony.
Riki said that the construction of the Dieng and Patuha Unit 2 PLTPs is a concrete step for Geo Dipa as a BUMN and a special mission vehicle under the Indonesian Ministry of Finance to increase the target of the new renewable energy (EBT) mix by 2025.
According to him, Riki, Geo Dipa has also pocketed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with PLN for 7 units of the Dieng Patuha PLTP. Based on PPA, the price of electricity for every one megawatt (MW) is Rp 2.5 million. Meanwhile, the agreed selling electricity tariff to PLN is 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.
So far, the two projects have been included in the Phase II Fast Track Program (FTP) of 10 MW. PLPT Dieng – Patuha Unit 2 is also part of the 35 thousand MW electricity project mega project by the Jokowi-JK government.
In addition to working on the Dieng – Patuha Unit 2 PLTP, Riki said, Geo Dipa Energi is also building its own small scale power plant with a capacity of 10-15 MW and an organic power plant cycle ranking with the Build Operate Transer (BOT) scheme. The two independent projects are expected to be completed in 2020 and 2022
PT Gesits Tecnologies Indo (GTI) is now selling its maiden product, the electric scooter, for Rp 24.9 million (US$1,753).
“After passing through a series of research tests and the construction and production stages, we are proud to present Gesits […] which uses electric power technology,” said PT GTI CEO Harun Sjech on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.
He said the company did not announce the on-road price of the vehicle because of different taxes, depending on the region.
Orders for the vehicle opened Thursday and deliveries would be made starting July, he said adding that customers could place orders at Hall C of Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) during the Indonesia International Motor Show from April 25 to May 5 in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
Gesits was developed in collaboration with state-owned enterprises, namely construction company PT Wijaya Karya, weapon maker PT Pindad, technology company PT Len, state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina and state-owned electricity company PLN. (bbn)
Mondelez Philippines, the local unit of global snack giant Mondelēz International, Inc., has taken another step towards empowering people to snack right by making its operations more sustainable. The company’s manufacturing plant in Sucat, Parañaque City is now powered by 100% geothermal energy as supplied by its partner, the Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) Bacon-Manito Geothermal Project in the Bicol region.
Mondelez Philippines is best known for providing Filipinos with their favorite snack products such as Eden cheese, Cheez Whiz, Tang powdered beverage, Oreo cookies, Toblerone, and Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. The company aims to be a snacks leader in the country by providing consumers with the right snack, for the right moment and made the right way. The latter means setting the benchmark in being a responsible business and contributing to the community where they operate in.
Globally, the company has declared its 2020 sustainability goals, which include the 15% reduction of its absolute carbon dioxide emissions in its manufacturing worldwide by 2020. The shift of its Sucat plant to 100% renewable power is Mondelez Philippines’ contribution towards achieving this goal.
“We are proud to source our power from 100% renewable energy. Sustainability for our company is about preserving our world and its people. We all depend on just one planet. The smart and sustainable use of natural resources to reduce our environmental footprint is necessary now more than ever. This latest initiative complements our other sustainable projects in the Philippines,” shared Mondelez Philippines Plant Lead Atul Kulkarni. “We have a biomass boiler which uses biodegradable sources of fuel, a rainwater treatment facility in our plant to lessen water waste, plastic waste recycling projects, and solar power systems, which all contribute to the achievement of our sustainability goals.”
“We are honored to have a global company such as Mondelez Philippines sharing the same values as us,” EDC Head of Business Development, Marketing, and Trading Marvin Kenneth Bailon shared. “Geothermal energy, for us, is the holy grail of renewable energy. It is the only baseload renewable energy, which means it can run 24/7, without depending on the seasons. This makes it a reliable source of uninterruptible power.”
EDC, is one of the world’s largest geothermal producers and the country’s leading renewable energy company with an installed capacity of 1,471.8MW. EDC is a subsidiary of the First Gen Corporation, the country’s largest clean energy company, with a portfolio that includes natural gas, geothermal, solar, wind, and hydro.
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate committee on energy opened on Thursday an inquiry into the unexpected brownouts recently experienced by several towns and cities in Luzon.
The hearing was initiated by energy committee chair Senator Sherwin Gatchalian in view of the series of yellow and red alert warnings issued by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
Gatchalian said in an earlier statement that the probe will examine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) inaccurate electricity forecast for the dry season, pointing out that the agency earlier assured the public of ample power supply.
He added that the brownout experienced by residents in Luzon was “totally unacceptable.”
“Definitely, heads must roll this time. We owe it to the power consumers to give them accurate information on the power situation in the country. Mukhang na-overestimate ng DOE ang available capacity ng kuryente natin,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
The senator also asked the DOE and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to look into the possible “collusion” among power companies, warning against higher electricity rates and incidents of brownouts during the May elections.
Among the resource persons invited are Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Agnes Devanadera, National Power Corporation (NPC) President Pio Benavidez, NGCP President and chief executive officer (CEO) Anthony Almeda and National Transmission Corp. (Transco) President and CEO Melvin Matibag.
Also invited to the hearing are representatives from Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) President Oscar Reyes, Philippine Electric Plant Owners Association (PEPOA), and PCC, among other power distribution companies, stakeholders and consumer groups. /jpv
JAKARTA — Citizens of countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, strongly prefer clean energy over the coal projects that have become Beijing’s calling card, a new survey shows.
The findings, from a multi-country survey, commissioned by environmental group E3G, were published ahead of an international forum hosted in Beijing for leaders of BRI countries. The survey is the first of its kind to gauge public opinion of foreign investment in energy in these countries.
It found that in six of them — Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam — there was little public support for coal projects. These same countries are among the top 10 for the construction of new coal-fired power plants, many backed by Chinese developers under the BRI.
“This polling provides clear evidence that the citizens of the BRI countries prefer clean energy investment over coal,” said Nick Mabey, chief executive of E3G. “China should now work with governments, business and investors at the upcoming Belt and Road Forum to make sure these demands are met.”
China’s Belt and Road Initiative showing China in Red, the members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in orange, and the 6 proposed corridors of the Silk Road Economic Belt, a land transportation route running from China to Southern Europe via Central Asia and the Middle East, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a sea route connecting the port of Shanghai to Venice, Italy, via India and Africa. Image by Lommes licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Solar over coal
Coal projects accounted for up to 42 percent of China’s overseas investment in 2018, according to the China Global Energy Finance database. This makes China the world’s biggest investor in coal power development overseas, which threatens to scupper international climate goals.
According to the survey, the majority of respondents selected renewable energy sources when asked which type of energy they felt their country should invest in to best support its long-term development, ranging from 61 percent in Pakistan to 89 percent in Vietnam.
Solar power was the most favored by the respondents, receiving the highest share of positive responses of all energy options in the six countries. At the other end of the spectrum, coal was the least favored, with the majority of respondents feeling it should be the lowest priority, ranked even lower than nuclear in four of the six countries.
The respondents tended to associate foreign investment in coal projects with increased pollution and climate change. Some respondents also associated coal with corruption.
Conversely, they mostly linked foreign investment in wind and solar power with long-term economic development and job creation, on top of climate change mitigation and decreased air and water pollution.
Asked about their general feelings toward foreign investments in energy, more than 85 percent of those surveyed said they favored investments in renewable projects, while less than a third said they favored putting that money into coal.
Right to left, President of China Xi Jinping, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and President of Indonesia Joko Widodo at the May 2017 Belt and Road International Forum. Image courtesy of the Russian Presidential Press and Information Office CC 4.0 license.
Emphasis on ‘green’
Those findings should serve as a wake-up call for the Chinese government, said Adhityani Putri, director of the Jakarta-based Center for Energy Research Asia (CERA).
“There’s a much more positive perception given to foreign entities if they invest in renewable projects,” she told reporters in Jakarta. “We’re hoping that’s what China is striving for as well because its government has stated they wanted to build a more positive and green reputation. They said they wanted to make the BRI greener.”
The various projects under the BRI — through which China is investing in infrastructure spanning the breadth of Asia, through Africa and up to Europe — have frequently been criticized for their environmental impact.
In Indonesia, this includes a high-speed rail line that the government in Jakarta has now shelved due to a lack of proper environmental impact studies and conflicts with local zoning plans. State-owned Bank of China and Sinohydro have also been roundly criticized for a massive hydropower dam project in Sumatra that threatens the only known habitat of the world’s rarest great ape, the Tapanuli orangutan.
Amid these and other concerns, China has promised greener and more sustainable projects. During the first Belt and Road summit, in 2017, President Xi Jinping proposed establishing “an international coalition for green development,” supporting initiatives to help countries adapt to the impacts of climate change, and boosting science cooperation.
A draft communiqué of the second Belt and Road Summit, running from April 25 to 27, states that the 37 world leaders expected to attend will agree to project financing that respects global debt goals and promotes green growth. The word “green” appears in the draft seven times; it wasn’t mentioned at all in the official communiqué from two years ago.
“We underline the importance of promoting green development,” the draft reads. “We encourage the development of green finance including the issuance of green bonds as well as development of green technology.”
But activists say they’re concerned that the use of the word amounts to nothing more than lip service, and that China will continue investing heavily in coal and other projects that don’t merit a “green” label.
Participants at the Belt and Road International Forum in May, 2017 posing in Beijing, China. The BRI has the backing of dozens of nations that encompass billions of people. Image courtesy of the Russian Presidential Press and Information Office CC 4.0 license.
Indonesia still pitching for coal investment
China’s green pledge looks to be put to the test during the summit, where the Indonesian delegation plans to present to investors a list of 28 projects, worth a combined $91.1 billion. They include four coal-fired power plant projects, with total generating capacity of 2,100 megawatts. Also on the list are seaports, industrial estates, smelters and tourism zones.
The Indonesian government says it expects to clinch deals for at least three of the projects. It has also drawn up criteria that it expects any Chinese investors to comply with, including the use of environmentally friendly technologies.
“We will not accept any second-class technology that will have a negative impact on the environment,” said Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for maritime affairs, who also oversees the coal and energy sectors in Indonesia.
Despite this measure, activists have called on the Indonesian government to scrub the coal projects from the list, citing grave environmental concerns.
Mardan Pius Ginting, coordinator of the NGO Action for Ecology and Emancipation of the People (AEER), said building more coal-fired power plants would make it extremely difficult for Indonesia to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and meet its target of reducing 29 percent of its emissions by 2030 compared to business-as-usual levels.
He added the four proposed coal projects were problematic in other ways. One of them, the 700-megawatt expansion of an existing plant in Bali, has faced fierce opposition from local fishing communities. The current plant was financed with $700 million in loans from state-owned China Development Bank, and has been accused of wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem since it began operating in 2015. Locals have complained of coal waste residue being dumped on both the land and in the sea, and say the dust and fumes from the plant have triggered a spate of health problems.
The government’s search for investors to expand the plant, say activists, will result in increased pollution; the pumping of hot water into the sea, where it damages the delicate marine ecosystem; and a rise in coal-barge traffic, threatening the area’s reefs.
Pius said the three other proposed coal projects, all in Indonesian Borneo, were also of concern because they were mine-mouth plants, which meant that large swaths of forest would have to be cleared to accommodate them near existing coal mines.
Pius said projects with such big environmental concerns had no place on Indonesia’s investor pitch list, especially given that China itself was shutting down its coal plants and mines amid mounting concerns over air, water and soil pollution, and shifting to renewables. China currently leads the world in mass production of solar panels and other clean energy technologies.
“At a time when coal is no longer competitive in China, Indonesia shouldn’t offer up investments for coal plants that have been abandoned by China itself,” Pius said. “The key is for the Indonesian government to not propose [coal projects]. If there’s no pitch, then China won’t invest in them.”
Conversely, he said, “When there’s an offer, of course China will take it.”
“With China’s economy slowing down, of course they’re going to find ways to boost their economy and absorb their labors,” he added.
CERA’s Adhityani said China should use its leadership in clean energy to invest in renewable power projects in Indonesia.
“Why are there no big-scale solar projects, or more daring renewable projects in strategic locations?” she said. “This is important because China’s investments can trigger change and grow our renewable industry.”
BEIJING (April 25): In an effort to switch to renewable energy (RE), the government has proposed to build wind turbines in the sea at the East Coast, according to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“For wind power, there has been some suggestions to generate them in the East Coast as we get strong winds there,” said the prime minister at a dialogue session with the private sector here arranged by the ministry of international trade and industry (MITI) today.
He, however, noted that the proposal is still at development stage and has yet to be approved.
“We certainly would like to switch to RE instead of conventional power,” said Dr Mahathir.
“With regard to energy, of course we are looking at ways and means to lower generating power with crude oil.
“We are also using gas, solar and hydropower. We will not use nuclear energy. Instead, we are looking at how to make use of solar power in order to supplement the generation of power in the country,” the prime minister said, adding that in Sarawak, Malaysia has made use of the rivers there for hydropower generation.
Meanwhile, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir extended his welcome to Chinese investors to visit the Kulim Hi-Tech Park (KHTP) in Kedah, saying many multinational companies that are involved in solar panels and identification card chips have invested there.
He also noted that the local government is expanding the KHTP. Officially opened in 1996, the KHTP is the first hi-technology park development in Malaysia.
“We are also building new industrial parks further north in Kedah, bordering Thailand, as well as planning to build a new international cargo airport in Kedah in the next three to four years. We are also considering developing a new independent power plant for the sole purpose of exporting power to Southern Thailand,” he added.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — PLUS Malaysia Berhad’s Machap R&R (Northbound) is the first highway rest area in the country to use the solar photovoltaics (PV) green technology.
PLUS chairman Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim said the highway operator invested RM700,000 on the panels as an alternative energy source to supply power to the Machap R&R.
“This is our strategy and innovation drive to optimise the use of green technology to preserve the environment to have a positive impact on the rakyat’s wellbeing.
“This is in line with the government’s initiatives to protect and preserve our environment through renewable energy. We are committed to provide a positive and intuitive travel experience to our customers,” he said during the official launch.
The event was launched by Works Minister Baru Bian and was also attended by Works Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Abdul Razak Jaafar, director-general of Malaysia Highway Authority Datuk Aziz Abdullah and PLUS Managing Director, Datuk Azman Ismail.
The solar PV technology, with a capacity of 182 kWp (kilowattpeak), has been in operation at the Machap R&R since October 2018.
The technology enables PLUS to save on electrical usage by up to 51 per cent at the Machap R&R during daytime.
The panels were installed on the rooftop of the main food court, walkways and covered bus parking bays at the rest area.
Baru applauded PLUS for initiative and encouraged other highway concessionaires to develop and apply green technology at their respective highways to preserve the environment.
PETROSOLAR Corp. said on Tuesday that its 20-megawatt (MW) Tarlac-2 solar power project started exporting power to the Luzon grid the other day as part of its commissioning test.
“PetroSolar is pleased to add power supply to the Luzon grid especially during these times of thinning power reserves that have led to instances of rotating brownouts,” Dave P. Gadiano, PetroGreen Energy Corp.’s energy marketing manager, said in a statement on Tuesday.
PetroGreen and EEI Power Corp. are joint venture partners in PetroSolar, which also owns the 50-megawatt (MW) Tarlac-1 solar power facility. PetroGreen is the renewable energy holding unit of publicly listed and Yuchengco-led PetroEnergy Resources Corp. Both Tarlac-1 and Tarlac-2 plants are located in Central Technopark industrial zone in Tarlac City.
“Our commissioning of Tarlac-2 supports the Department of Energy’s (DoE) mission of ensuring more power supply as the country heads into the important May elections. We are also proud that our commissioning of Tarlac-2 comes a year after we put our 12 MW (megawatts) Maibarara-2 geothermal plant into commercial operations last April 30, 2018,” Mr. Gadiano said.
The first transmittal of generated power from Tarlac-2 comes three months after PetroSolar filed its application with the Energy Regulatory Commission and after compliance with the metering and connection standards of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, and market registration requirements of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines.
On Tuesday, shares in PetroEnergy rose 1.32% to close at P4.61 each. — Victor V. Saulon
