Page 10 - AsiaElec Week 25

AsiaElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AsiaElec
28 with an aim to shi ASEAN from fossil fuel to clean power.
COAL
China’s NDRC urges miners to raise coal production
China’s state planner asked coal miners to increase output and major gas producers to ensure stable supply during the summer as electricity demand rises.
Coal miners in western regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia were ordered to step up production of high-quality coal, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement
on Tuesday. Meanwhile, power utilities were encouraged to increase coal purchases from the spot market to ensure stable operation of power generation units.
Sinopec, CNPC, CNOOC and other key suppliers will need to accelerate construction of gas elds and arrange reasonable maintenance for their infrastructure, the NDRC said.
COAL
G20 coal subsidies:
tracking government
support to a fading industry
G20 countries have a critical role to play in leading e orts to combat climate change, as they account for 79% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, they committed to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in the medium
term, and since then many have played an important part in driving forward climate action internationally.
However, a decade on from this commitment, G20 governments continue to
provide billions of dollars of support for the production and consumption of fossil fuels, spending at least $63.9 billion per year on coal alone, the most polluting fossil fuel. ey have also neglected to de ne or document the full extent of their subsidies.
is research tracks each G20 country’s progress in phasing out subsidies to the production and consumption of coal (including coal- red power), looking at scal support, public nance, and state-owned enterprise investment. e report summarises key ndings from 18 parallel country briefs, with accompanying data sheets that list all the support identi ed for each country. OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
COAL-FIRED GENERATION
Sri Lanka approves four
coal power plants, moves
to reduce PUCSL’s authority
e Sri Lankan government has sanctioned four new coal power plants—two in Norochcholai and two in Trincomalee—and a proposal to amend the Sri Lanka Electricity Act to weaken the industry regulator, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL).
Each proposed new coal power plant is 300 MW. ree will run on “high e cient coal” while the fourth has been termed a “contingency power” or “bu er power plant”.
e government’s policy on coal power plants, which are being phased out globally owing to environmental concerns, has been inconsistent. A er years of negotiations, President Maithripala Sirisena shelved proposals for an Indian-funded coal power plant in Sampur, citing pollution. He urged the Indian government to support an LNG alternative instead.
e President maintained this position for a while, but changed his mind around 2018, when he instructed the independent regulator, PUCSL, to approve coal power plants.
e government then decided to diversify
the country’s power generation mix by including coal, LNG, heavy fuel, renewable energy, solar, wind and so on.
Since Karunanayake took over the power and energy ministry in January this year, he has also pushed for coal power plants.
A cabinet decision dated June 19, 2019 now grants permission for eleven recommendations reportedly made by a ministerial committee appointed in April.
One of the recommendations is to lessen the power of the in order resolve a number of disagreements with generator CEB and the government. e proposals calls for downgrading of the PUCSL to mere status of a ‘safety regulator’ and electricity industry ‘ombudsman’.
HYDRO
UK’s Mott MacDonald wins
Pakistan’s Tarbela HPP
contract
e UK Trade Commissioner to the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Simon Penney, visited Pakistan’s Tarbela Dam on June 24, only days a er UK Company Mott MacDonald was appointed as lead consultant for the Tarbela 5th Extension hydropower project.
He visited Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Faisal Vawda to discuss greater collaboration between the UK and Pakistan in meeting Pakistan’s future water resource and hydropower ambitions.
e appointment follows the successful commissioning of Tarbela 4, where Mott MacDonald was also lead consultant. e project is being delivered by the Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan (WAPDA).
e Tarbela power station, situated below the largest earth- lled dam in the world,
has been steadily developed since it was originally commissioned in 1976. e aim of the extension is to increase seasonal power supply in Pakistan to meet increasing demand for electricity. “I am delighted that a agship British company like Mott MacDonald is playing such a valuable role in supporting
the delivery of an important project that
will deliver energy to thousands of people, and congratulate WAPDA on progress to date. I would like to see more UK companies supporting Pakistan in meeting its future energy needs,” said Penney.
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION ISLAMABAD
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Week 25 25•June•2019