Page 6 - AsiaElec Week 29

AsiaElec GAS-FIRED GENERATION AsiaElec

AGN unveils South Australian gas

grid expansion plans

AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN Gas Networks (AGN) has Australia (HyP SA) project that is currently
unveiled plans to invest around AUD580mn under-developed in Adelaide. The company
($404.8mn) in the South Australian natural gas said on July 9 that work had begun to install a
grid over the next five years. Siemens 1.25 MW proton exchange membrane
AGN, a division of Australian Gas Infra- (PEM) electrolyser at the AUD11.4mn ($8mn)
structure Group (AGIG), said on July 10 that it plant, which will produce up to 480kg per day
intended to replace 860 km of pipeline – includ- of hydrogen. The facility, which is due to come
ing its all of its cast iron mains – and connect online before the end of the year, will use renew-
39,000 residential, commercial and industrial able power sources to split water into oxygen and
customers. hydrogen gas, with the latter to be blended with
AGN’s proposed investment is part of a wider natural gas and fed into the existing gas grid.
development plan for the state’s gas distribution AGN said it wanted to expand current net-
network between financial year 2021-2022 and work service beyond the Adelaide metropol-
2025-2026. The plan, which has been submitted itan area, Mount Gambier, Port Pirie, Whyalla
to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), also and the Riverland to include the Mount Barker
aims to implement an upfront price cut of 7% region.
from July 1, 2021 for 460,000 customers. The company said it had connected 40,000
Commenting on the development of the new customers and replaced 1,000 km of gas
plan, AGIG CEO Ben Wilson said the company mains since the start of the current five-year
had held more than 20 workshops seeking feed- period in 2016. AGN expects the AER to deliver
back from residential and business customers. a draft decision on its plan later this year.
He said: “We are planning to blend renew- AGIG, which was formed in 2017 from the
able gas into our networks, with these low car- merger of AGN, Dampier to Bunbury Pipeline
bon initiatives being strongly supported by our (DBP) and Multinet Gas Networks’ (MGN) dis-
customers.” tribution, transmission and storage assets, is one
AGIG aims to feed green hydrogen into the of the country’s largest gas providers.™
network from its pilot Hydrogen Park South

Bangladesh LNG power project

secures Japanese loans

P JAPANESE companies intend to loan JPY69bn public sector Nippon Export and Investment
($644mn) to a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) Insurance will guarantee private-sector loans as
fired power project in Bangladesh. well as JERA’s stake in the project.
The 750-MW thermal power plant (TPP) The South Asian country is a major gas pro-
will be located 40 km from Dhaka City and is ducer, extracting 28.7bn cubic metres in 2019,
slated to come online in 2022. The plant will sell according to BP’s Statistical Review of World
its electricity to state-owned Bangladesh Power Energy. This was an 8% increase from the 26.6
Development Board (BPDB) under a 22-year bcm produced in 2018. However, the country
contract. began struggling with shortages several years
Japan’s largest LNG trader, JERA, bought a ago as a result of soaring residential and power
49% stake in the project from India’s Reliance sector demand. These shortages have led to roll-
Power last year. Reliance owns the remaining ing blackouts, which have dragged on economic
51% of the project. growth.
Japan Bank for International Coopera- Bangladesh is seeking to boost imports of the
tion (JBIC) will be responsible for JPY28.5bn fuel and has been expanding not just its import
($265.9mn) of the project loan. The Asian capacity but also its transmission network.
Development Bank (ADB) and Japanese banks State-run Gas Transmission Company
Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and Ltd (GTCL) completed the 181 km Chatto-
MUFG Bank will also provide credit. Japan’s gram-Feni-Bakhrabad gas transmission pipeline

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 29 22•July•2020