Page 11 - AsiaElec Week 09

AsiaElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AsiaElec
HYDRO
Laos to inspect safety of dams
The government of Laos has established a committee of local and foreign experts to inspect the safety of the nation’s dams, an official said Tuesday, as it forges ahead with plans to supply regional power despite several catastrophic accidents in recent years.
“The government has set up an inspection committee to examine small, medium and large dams,” an official with the Ministry of Energy and Mines told Radio Free Asia’s Lao Service, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“So far, [the committee has] inspected some small dams. The committee includes officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mines and advisors to the Lao government.”
French large-dam expert Anton Schleis leads the committee which, as of Tuesday, had inspected 13 small dams and found the construction of one to be substandard, the official said.
The committee has recommended that local authorities improve the construction of the 104-megawatt (MW) Nam Chien Dam in Xieng Khouang province’s Khoun district, he said.
There are currently 39 operational dams in Laos, as well as 24 dams under construction and 291 in the planning stage or undergoing feasibility studies. The committee plans to inspect all 39 of the country’s operational dams by year-end, according to the official, before proceeding with examinations of the other projects.
Landlocked Laos has worked to position itself as one of Southeast Asia’s top electricity exporters by aggressively damming the Mekong River and its many tributaries.
The official Vientiane Times reported that Laos expects to generate about 20,000MW
of electricity from 2020-30, which will be
in excess of domestic demand, with surplus available for export to countries in the region, citing the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
COAL-FIRED GENERATION
Vietnam cuts coal generation plans by 15GW
Vietnam is scaling back a plan to build new coal plants, as financial restrictions and local environmental concerns increase the difficulty and complexity of constructing such facilities.
The National Steering Committee for Power Development has recommended
eliminating about 15GW planned new coal plants by 2025 owing to slow progress and the unwillingness of some regions to develop them, according to state-controlled news website VietnamPlus.
The recommendation underscores how coal’s status as the cheapest and easiest option for developing countries to bring power to their people is being challenged on multiple fronts as richer nations shy away from the fuel.
Global banks are refusing to lend, making it more difficult and costly to build plants that burn the dirtiest fossil fuel, while costs are tumbling for competing renewable generation.
Under the committee’s proposal, coal would provide about 37% of Vietnam’s electricity by 2025 instead of half as previously planned.
Renewable power would help fill the gap, increasing to about a quarter of the country’s power from 13 percent in the existing version. The share for natural gas and major hydropower plants, which comprise most of the remaining capacity, would remain largely unchanged.
Mitsubishi wins maintenance deal for Thailand’s BLCP power station
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has concluded a third long-term maintenance agreement (LTMA) for the BLCP Power Station operated by BLCP Power Limited (BLCP), an independent power producer (IPP) in Thailand.
The original LTMA for the power station lasted three years which was followed by
a second agreement for six years. MHPS’ technical service effectiveness over the nine-year period was highly regarded by the client. As such, BLCP sought continuation
of long-term stable operations and improved efficiency which led to the conclusion of a 12- year third LTMA.
The comprehensive LTMA includes regular inspections, equipment replacement, and efficiency improvements. The extension concludes in 2032, when the 25-year power purchase agreement with the Electricity Authority of Thailand completes. MHPS’ strong track record in maintenance and optimization will help ensure a long service life for the power plant.
The BLCP Power Station, located in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong Province in eastern part of Thailand, is a 1,400 megawatt thermal power generating facility
comprising of two power plants for which the handover from MHPS was completed in 2007. The LTMA covers the power plant major equipment including boilers, steam turbines and flue gas cleaning system built by MHPS on a turnkey basis.
MHPS also concentrates on measures
to strengthen its service business, such as developing and expanding its operations and maintenance (O&M) service including enhancing efficiency through renewal and renovation of power generating equipment, trouble prevention and reducing CO2 emissions. The conclusion of this LTMA is part of this effort.
MHPS
COAL
Guizhou province to close
10mn tonnes of coal
capacity in 2020
Southwest China’s Guizhou Province plans to phase out 10mn tonnes of outdated coal production capacity by closing 80 coal mines in 2020, local authorities said, state-run Xinhua reported.
In recent years, the coal-rich province
has been promoting the transformation and upgrading of its coal industry by closing small and outdated mines and using more smart machinery, said the provincial energy bureau.
Local authorities have ordered the closure of small coal mines with an annual production capacity of less than 300,000 tonnes as
well as larger mines whose production or construction has long been suspended.
The bureau also called for beefing up the utilization of coalbed methane to improve coal mine work safety and increase power generation from green energy.
In recent years, China has been phasing out outdated production capacity in a wide range of sectors, including coal and steel, amid efforts to promote high-quality economic growth.
NUCLEAR
Restart approved for Japan’s Onagawa NPP
Japanese regulators gave allowed Tohoku Electric Power to restart the No. 2 reactor at its Onagawa nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, the first boiling water reactor (BWR) to be approved since the Fukushima disaster
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