Page 12 - AsiaElec Week 50 2020

AsiaElec NEWS IN BRIEF AsiaElec

exercise a section of the Mekong River Some of the noted projects have been South on an industrial scale, with Australia’s
Agreement to halt the scheme. Asia’s first cross border 400 KV transmission Renewable Energy Agency backing
The Mekong River is the 12th longest river line at Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar; agreement construction of the country’s first utility-scale
in the world at 4,350 kilometres. It starts in on funding modality for Gorakhpur-Butwal vanadium flow battery in outback South
the Himalayas and flows through six countries 400KV line for which the construction is Australia.
to its mouth in Vietnam and out into the expected to commence soon, as well as the The federal agency has granted the project
South China Sea. brisk progress on the 900MW Arun-III Hydro nearly $6mn, saying the technology could
Somkiat Prajamwong, secretary-general of Electric Project. “play a major role” in addressing Australia’s
the Office of National Water Resources says The embassy, in an official statement, said need for increased “heavy-duty” energy
they won’t oppose the dam project if there is the power and energy secretaries of India and storage as renewable energy generation
no impact. Nepal co-chaired the 8th meeting of Joint increases.
“But if conclude that construction will Steering Committee (JSC) on cooperation ARENA chief executive Darren Miller said
have a damaging effect on the environment in the Power sector that was held through a flow batteries complemented “the role of more
in Thailand, we will exercise our right as a video conference. Both countries discussed, established technologies such as pumped
member of the Mekong River Commission inter alia, development of suitable rules and hydro energy storage and lithium-ion batteries
to stop the project under the Mekong guidelines for allowing access to Nepali power in the Australian market”.
Agreement.” producers to Indian markets, development The battery technology stores energy as
Article 7 under the Mekong River of energy banking mechanism, development a liquid energy electrolyte, separating the
Commission’s “Agreement on the Cooperation of cross border high voltage transmission energy storage from the power generation,
for the Sustainable Development of The lines as well as reviewing the progress of the meaning it does “not degrade like lithium-ion
Mekong River Basin 1995? says that members SJVN Limited-developed 900MW Arun-III batteries”, according to the agency.
of the Commission can veto any proposal Hydro Electric Project in Nepal, the embassy Matt Harper of Invinity Energy Systems,
for the area which they consider may have highlighted in the meeting. which is supplying the project’s batteries, said
a harmful effect on the environment. The Furthermore, both sides reaffirmed their the technology’s use of electrolytes enabled it
Article has never been used in the past. commitment to further strengthen the power to store large amounts of energy for longer.
The Thai government has issued a request cooperation. This includes the development “Because we’re storing the energy in that
to the Lao government for additional of an integrated grid, building of more cross liquid flowing component, we can very easily
environmental studies, particularly as the border transmission lines and investing in store many, many hours of storage all at once,”
limited information supplied by the Lao Nepal’s hydro and solar power projects. he said.
government hints at increased levels of adlamalka Energy chairman Andrew
sediment in the freshwater ecological system. Doman, whose property near Hawker in
” SA’s central outback will house the $20.3mn
“We have requested additional information RENEWABLES project, said he was drawn to the technology
from the Lao government, particularly because of SA’s historic issues with grid
regarding concerns we have over the trans- Australian Renewable stability and reliability.
boundary impact of the project. As far as I “The real problem in SA, as it is in any
know, the correct environmental assessments Energy Agency backs country that relies on a lot of renewable
have yet to be carried out,” according to the energy, is not the capture of energy [but] how
Bangkok Post. vanadium flow battery you store it, and how you time shift that solar
Chainarong Setthachua, a lecturer and energy from the middle of the day to the
ecology expert at Maha Sarakham University, project in outback SA evenings,” he said.
has been a long-term critic of the “ongoing Mr Doman said the demonstration project
Mekong crisis”. Technology first discovered at the University would co-locate a 2-megawatt vanadium flow
of NSW in the 1980s will be “coming home” battery, with 15,000 solar panels.

POLICY

India set to allow Nepali

power producers access to
Indian power market

India will allow Nepali power producers to
access the Indian power market, confirmed
the Indian embassy in Kathmandu. It said that
doing so will provide and outlet for Nepal’s
surplus power in the coming months.
In recent years, India-Nepal have been
coordinating closely in the field of power
and energy, with both countries having made
considerable progress in the last five years.

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 50 16•December•2020