Page 13 - AsiaElec Week 30

AsiaElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AsiaElec
ey were joined at the launch by the Mayor of the Regional Council of Goyder and representatives of Mitsui & Co, Engie’s joint venture partner on the project.
Consisting of 32 turbines and currently the fourth largest wind farm in South Australia, the opening of Willogoleche is the latest major milestone in the state’s renewable energy transition. Willogoleche is the rst onshore wind farm in the world to install and commission GE’s 3.8MW turbines at scale, and its 130m rotor blades can operate through a range of wind speeds, allowing Engie to maximise the capacity of each turbine.
Power from the site will be delivered via ENGIE’s retail arm, Simply Energy, which has more than 700,000 customers in Australia, including nearly 90,000 in South Australia.
e wind farm represents a $250mn investment by ENGIE and follows a $75mn upgrade to its 500 MW Pelican Point Power Station, one of the most environmentally friendly of its type in Australia. In total ENGIE has more than 800 MW of wind- rming capacity available in South Australia making a critical contribution to the state’s energy security and stability.
Commenting on the opening of Willogoleche, Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan said: “ e Willogoleche Wind Farm adds another signi cant renewable energy resource to South Australia’s impressive portfolio of wind and solar generation.”
“Willogoleche’s 119-MW capacity will put downward pressure on prices by increasing competition in the South Australia’s energy market.”
ENGIE, July 29, 2019
First wind turbine
operations commence with
tower cranes in Australia
ALE’s K1650L tower cranes have begun work to install wind turbine generators (WTG) near Port Augusta in southern Australia, where they will help to power 155,000 homes.
It is the rst time this type of crane has been used for wind turbine installation
in Australia. ALE has brought two of the innovative cranes to the country, where
one recently commenced work at Lincoln Gap Wind Farm. e K1650L tower crane was selected for the project due to its high wind speed tolerance and small footprint. e crane’s compactness means the size of hardstand can be reduced by more than 50% in comparison with other cranes widely used in the wind industry, allowing cost and time savings in civil works.
is also helps to reduce the crane’s environmental impact – a particular bene t for Australia, where several wind farms are planned close to forested areas. Being able to signi cantly shorten the boom up and down area is a great contribution to overall project e ciency because less space needs to be cleared to position the crane.
ALE has been contracted to install 14 WTGs at the Lincoln Gap Wind Farm site, which will begin commissioning the rst of its 59 wind turbines later this year.
ALE previously utilised the advantageous capabilities of these tower cranes in ailand, where, with a hub height of 162m, they were used to install the tallest WTGs in South East Asia.
ALE, July 26, 2019
Bangladesh Railway to set up rooftop solar plants
Bangladesh Railway (BR) has announced that it will set up roo op solar plants in its stations, o ce buildings, junctions, workshops and sta quarters across the country. e move forms part of the Bangladesh government’s plan to promote renewable energy across the country.
Power Division, BR and state-owned nancing agency Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL) have all agreed in principle to work on the project.
Sources familiar with the plans told
local media that around 100 MW of solar generating capacity would initially be installed on the roo ops of railway facilities across Bangladesh. e scheme is reportedly backed by private sector investment.
Sources with Power Division said that under the proposed plan, BR would provide over 10 million square feet of roo op space, while private sponsors would install plants with nancial support from IDCOL. Power Division will buy excess electricity from the plants that is not consumed.
Japan’s SBI invests in Sri Lanka’s Sunshine Energy
SBI Ven Holdings, a unit of Japan’s SBI Holdings, has invested $2mn in Sri Lanka’s Sunshine Energy. e Japanese rm will take a 30% stake in Sunshine under the deal.
e Sri Lankan company has built hydro and solar power capacity in the country.
“At a time where the investor con dence and sentiment have been greatly a ected, SBI Ven Holdings’ investment on Sunshine Energy brings in vital foreign direct investments (FDI) to Sri Lanka when it is much needed
in the market and the economy,” Sunshine Holdings Group’s managing director, Vish Govindasamy, said. He added that the investment would help the rm bring Sri Lanka closer to meeting its renewable energy targets.
Week 30 30•July•2019
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