Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 36

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Japan’s Cosmo Eco Power plans 1 GW of offshore wind
JAPAN
JAPAN’S Cosmo Eco Power has unveiled ambi- tious preliminary plans to build the country’s largest wind farm off the island of Hokkaido.
The 1GW project near the cities of Ishikari and Otaru would be the joint-biggest yet planned in Japanese waters.
Cosmo Eco Power has submitted an environ- mental impact statement (EIS) for the project in Ishikari Bay to local planning authorities.
The documents said that the wind farm would have up to 125 turbines installed at water depths of up to 200 metres.
Cosmo Eco Power said that each wind tur- bine would boast between 8 MW and 12 MW of capacity, depending on the choice of technology and suppliers.
The company will now carry out marine geology surveys and conduct studies to choose a transmission line route. This will help the com- pany select the most suitable wind turbine foun- dation technology.
Cosmo Eco Power currently operates 20 wind farms across Japan with 160 turbines and 266 MW of capacity.
Japanese oil company Cosmo Oil first bought into Eco Power in 2010, before becoming the dominant shareholder in 2019.
Japan could have up to 4 GW of offshore wind capacity in 2028, according to research from Wood Mackenzie, compared with 640 MW in 2018.
Wind current accounts for less 1% of Japan’s power generation, compared with 10% in Europe. As well as Japanese companies such as Cosmo Eco Power, a number of international investors and major utilities are now looking seriously at Japan’s offshore potential.
Equinor has plans to build up to 750 MW of offshore capacity, while MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Siemens Gamesa and E.ON are also interested.
The Japanese government has recently clari- fied and simplified its regulations on developing offshore wind plans, while offshore wind now forms a much more important part of its Basic Energy Plan. Earlier in 2019, Parliament passed a new law to promote offshore wind, offering 30-year concessions and a system of competitive tendering.
Japan poses many technical challenges, with deep offshore waters pushing up installation and running costs. The country’s powerful fishing interests are also concerned about the presence of offshore wind farms in fishing grounds.™
INVESTMENT
B Grimm Power aims for 5,000MW
B Grimm Power has set aside more than THB38.5bn ($1.2bn) for investment in its power projects with the aim of achieving 5,000 MW by 2022, the company’s chief executive officer Preeyanart Soontornwata said after opening its largest solar farm electricity plant in Tay Ninh, Vietnam in last week.
“We will focus on green energy such as solar, wind and hydropower in Thailand and others countries in Asia,” she said.
The company is currently developing renewable energy in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea, and the Philippines through 17 co-generation plants, 24 solar PVs, three hydro-power plants, one industrial waste-to-energy project, and a diesel generation with a total capacity of 2,896MW.
The company is looking to expand investment in Malaysia, Cambodia, South Korea, and the Philippines by focusing on
NEWS IN BRIEF
green energy such as wind, solar, and gas.
In Vietnam, the company aims to expand the capacity of its solar energy production of
Dau Tieng 1 and Dau Tieng 2 with Dau Tieng 3. The Dau Tieng 3 plant will have production capacity of 120 megawatts. In South Korea, the company is looking to invest in wind energy by collaborating with a South Korea firm to invest in a wind energy project, while its interest in Malaysia includes investment
in a combined cycle gas electricity plant in collaboration with its Malaysian partners.
Meanwhile, the company has continued to expand its investment in green energy in Thailand covering solar farm, wind, and waste.
Following the investment plan, the company expects revenue from overseas will increase from 25% to 30% of total revenue in 2022, with the next 70% coming from the domestic market.
She added that the company’s investments will come from both the company’s cash flow and loans from both commercial banks and the bond market with a debt-to-equity ratio of not over than 2:1.
DEMAND
India’s energy demand to grow by 4.2%
India’s energy demand is projected to grow by 4.2% through 2035, an expansion faster than all major economies of the world, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Tuesday as he sought investments in the country’s energy chain.
Speaking at the eighth Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable in Abu Dhabi, he said the share of world’s third-largest energy consumer in total global primary energy demand is set to double to 11% by 2040.
“The projected energy demand growth
is 4.2% per annum up to 2035. This makes India’s energy demand growing faster than all major economies of the world,” he said. “We are preparing for such a growth path of energy demand in the country.”
Pradhan said the per capita energy consumption of the country with 1.3 billion people is lower than the global average.
Week 36 10•September•2019
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