Page 11 - AsiaElec Week 02 2021

AsiaElec NEWS IN BRIEF AsiaElec

GAS-FIRED GENERATION

GRA approves K-Electric

licence for construction
and operation of pipeline

for transmission of natural

gas/LNG.

Pakistan’s Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority
(OGRA) has approved K-Electric’s application
for a license to construct and operate a gas
pipeline, that will supply re-gasified liquefied
natural gas (RLNG) for the upcoming
RLNG-based 900 MW BQPS-III power plant
and supplementing fuel requirement of the
power plants located at its Bin Qasim power
complex.
This is a very positive development for KE
as the grant of the license by OGRA is a first
ever license obtained by KE in the oil & gas
sector and is a key step in ensuring that the
upcoming BQPS III power plant receives the Asian renewables per cent by 2030 from 10 per cent in 2020.
right amount of gas, at the right pressure. This Subsidised power tariffs could see
milestone will go a long way in helping bridge Chinese companies and financiers, the biggest Vietnam’s wind-power generating capacity
the supply-demand gap in Karachi in the backers of coal power plants globally, are surge from 0.5GW in 2019 to 4GW by 2025,
years to come. stepping up their investments in Southeast although a proposed 17 per cent tariff cut and
In the notification issued on January 6, Asia’s renewable power sector, thanks to the power grid bottlenecks could dampen growth
2021, OGRA grants a licence to K-Electric falling costs of clean energy and climate- from 2022, industry body Global Wind
Limited to undertake regulated activity friendly policy in the region, according to Energy Council said.
related to construction and operation of 14 project advisers, the South Chian Morning While Chinese investors and financiers are
inch diameter x 2.4-km natural gas pipeline Post reported. paying more attention to renewable energy,
along with ancillary/connected facilities “There is an increasing shift in focus since they will not stop investing in fossil fuel
for purpose of transmission of natural gas/ 2018 to invest in renewable projects,” said projects
RLNG from tie-in point, SSGC custody Singapore-based Kim Hock Ang, a principal in the region, said Lucas Zhang Liutong,
transfer station located at Bin Qasim to KE in law firm Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow’s director of consultancy WaterRock Energy
Bin Qasim power complex.” K-Electric had finance and projects team. “I see Chinese Economics.
submitted an application for the same on May sponsors setting up subsidiaries focusing
18, 2020, so as to ensure the pipeline would solely on [them].”
be built in time for the commissioning of the Supported by China’s solar equipment
first unit of BQPSIII. It is pertinent to note manufacturers, which have built the biggest BATTERIES
that in the interest of expediting the process, supply chain in the world, Chinese investors
the power utility has agreed to undertake are in a particularly strong position in terms Huge battery to be built at
the construction of the pipeline from the of cost-competitiveness in project tenders.
nearest SSGC custody transfer station, on a “Chinese bidders have had overwhelming NSW coal power plant
self-finance basis. The EPC contractor and success in recent Myanmar solar tenders,” he
the owner engineer for this pipeline project said. “They have also been active in Vietnam, Origin Energy has unveiled plans to build
are already on-board, the detail design of is Cambodia and Laos.” a 700MW capacity battery at its coal-fired
already completed and the pipeline material Vietnam’s policies allowing full foreign power plant in Eraring, south of Newcastle, in
has already been procured. Now, with the ownership of renewable projects also played the New South Wales Hunter region.
issuance of License by OGRA, K-Electric has a role in attracting Chinese companies, he Origin has ledged a Connection Enquiry
immediately started construction of pipeline added. Malaysia and the Philippines have has also been lodged with NSW transmission
for its timely availability for commissioning of foreign ownership restrictions. network service provider TransGrid to
900 MW power plant. State-owned power plant builder connect the battery to the national grid via the
K-ELECTRIC PowerChina financed a 0.5 gigawatt solar farm Eraring substation.
in southern Vietnam which was the largest in Origin Executive General Manager,
Southeast Asia when it was completed in mid Energy Supply and Operations, Greg Jarvis,
FINANCING 2019. said deploying a battery at Eraring supports
Vietnam, whose power demand grew at an Origin’s decarbonisation objectives and recent
Chinese financiers step into average annual rate of 10 per cent in the five NSW energy policy announcements.
years to 2019, aims to lift the proportion of
“We recognise we have an important role
renewables in its power capacity mix to 15-20 to play in positioning Origin’s electricity

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