Blow Emissions Away & Cut Coal Out

Singapore-based The Blue Circle is working with Vestas, the world’s biggest wind energy supplier, to help turn Southeast Asia away from its current dependence on coal and other harmful fossil fuels. The way the region is going, it could well become the world’s leading CO2 emitter by 2035, highlighting the urgent need to integrate more renewable power into its energy mix. Wind power could also be a solution for southern Vietnam’s energy shortage, as well as its coal and diesel dependence, in an area badly impacted by damaging floods in August. Read more

The Blue Circle And Vestas Joins Hands On Wind Power Developlment In Southeast Asia

EQ International magazine 18 September 2015

A collaboration agreement to develop a project pipeline of up to 688 MW across Southeast Asia was signed between The Blue Circle, a Singapore-based renewable energy project developer, and global wind power giant Vestas Wind Systems in Singapore recently.

According to the five-year plan set out in the collaboration agreement, the two parties will have their initial focus on Thailand and then explore further wind power opportunities in Vietnam and Indonesia.”

This agreement shows Vestas’ commitment to help make wind power happen in Southeast Asia following the rest of the world’s six-fold increase of wind installed capacity during the last 10 years. We are thrilled by this collaboration agreement with the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturer which is going to bring its latest on-shore turbine technology for low wind speed sites to Southeast Asia with us,” says Olivier Duguet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Blue Circle Pte Ltd.

“Having Armstrong Asset Management as shareholders, EREN Renewables as development partners and Vestas Wind Systems as preferred technology providers will build a strong ecosystem of world and Southeast Asia leaders for our teams in Singapore and across the region to build success upon.” adds Olivier Duguet.”

Vestas is honored to be chosen as preferred technology partner by The Blue Circle for their projects being developed in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.  We look forward to working with our partners in the coming years to unlock these wind power opportunities. We will support the development of this project pipeline in Southeast Asia, making use of our global experience in delivering wind energy in 74 countries around the world and leveraging our strong technical expertise”, said Anders Runevad, Group Chief Executive Officer & President of Vestas Wind Systems A/S.

Out of 318 Gigawatts of world wind power installed capacity counted by the REN21* at the end of 2014, only 0.5 Gigawatt was installed in Southeast Asia, very far from the 92 Gigawatts installed in China or the 20 Gigawatts installed in India. However, several countries have issued positive regulations or tariffs for renewable energy and wind these past two years, notably  Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines and Vietnam.

The cut in the ASEAN US$51b annual fossil fuel subsidies at the beginning of the year by major economies in the region (i.e. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) is also going in the right direction and adding to the potential positive momentum behind renewable power.

As pointed out by the International Energy Agency**, Southeast Asia energy demand, with its 600 million inhabitants, is expected to increase by 80% between today and 2035, a rise equivalent to the current demand of Japan. If its current emphasis on coal power is confirmed, Southeast Asia might become the world’s leading CO2 emitter by 2035, highlighting the urgent need to integrate more renewable power into the region’s energy mix.

Source:  http://eqmaglive.com/EQ-ARTICLE-35095-The-Blue-Circle-and-Vestas-joins-hands-on-wind-power-developlment-in-Southeast-Asia.html#.Vf5A4d-qqko

Also Vestas, The Blue Circle and REM, http://newsbase.com/publications/rem-renewable-energy

20 August 2015

Call for Wind Power to Solve

Vietnam’s Summer Energy Shortage

“If multiplied by the wind sites’ potential along Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces coastline, wind power could well be a solution for southern Vietnam’s energy shortage, as well as its coal and diesel dependence. We can easily foresee between 500 and 700 megawatts installed in the next 4 years if the financing conditions improve.”

This is the view of Olivier Duguet, CEO of The Blue Circle, Singapore-based developer of wind projects in Southeast Asia.

On 5 August, EVN (Electricity of Vietnam), Vietnam’s monopolistic utility, requested Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) to boost domestic thermal coal production to avoid electricity disruption in Southern Vietnam (1).

Actually, the coal reserves at Duyen Hai 1 and Vinh Tan 2, the two largest thermal power plants in South Vietnam, are running as low as 10 days of consumption. According to Truong Duy Nghia, Chairman of the Vietnam Thermal Science and Technology Society, “the South will suffer an electricity shortage if the two plants don’t have coal to run”.

While the power demand in Vietnam could reach 473 million kWh a day in August, lower than the peak demand of 536.8 million kWh reached in 3 July, EVN announced the suspension of gas supply for Ca Mau 1 and Ca Mau 2 power stations for scheduled maintenance from 16 to 26 August (2).

The two gas fired power plants have a total combined capacity of 1,500 megawatts and their temporary shut-down will force EVN to boost the 3,600 megawatts O Mon diesel thermal power plants production to specifically supply South Vietnam.

Electricity demand in Vietnam is forecasted to increase by 11.4% per year for the period 2016-2020 and the peak demand to reach 800 million kWh in 2030. The Master plan VII sets renewable energy target at 5.6% of total primary energy consumption by 2020 and 9.4% by 2030. Within renewables, the Government’s target for wind power is 1,000 megawatts installed by 2020 and 6,200 megawatts by 2030.

The power situation will be very tense in South Vietnam until the end of August following potential pollution of the UNESCO World Heritage site Ha Long Bay from floodwater runoff of open pit coal mines earlier in the month.

Thousands of tons were swept away by torrential rains in the Quang Ninh province, impacting also the coal-fired power plant in this Northern province. Coal has also been linked in April with population protests against air pollution by the power station in Vinh Tan Commune in Southern Binh Thuan province, leading to the Province Chairman expressing official concern (3).

Far from environmental disaster and power disruption, wind energy could be a useful complement to balance the grid, lower fossil fuel consumption, as well as CO2 emissions.

On its two  sites under development in Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces, The Blue Circle has two wind measuring mast installed. Given the wind speeds recorded between 7 July and 7 August on these two met masts, the Singapore-based wind engineering team has assessed that an installed wind power project would have produced 18,200 MWh during the last month, according to the two sites’ expected sizes and conditions.

Although the summer months usually experience lower wind speeds in Southern Vietnam, the actual location of The Blue Circle wind projects – very well exposed to Southeast winds – would produce enough electricity to power a city of 200,000 inhabitants, based on International Energy Agency 2011 Vietnam electricity consumption per capita estimates (4).

References:

(1)             http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/138554/evn-complains-about-coal-shortage–puts-high-hopes-on-red-river-coal-basin.html

(2)              http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/42498/EVN-asks-oil-fueled-power-plants-to-spike-output.html

(3)              http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/41969/Vinh-Tan-2-power-plant-pollutes-air-again.html

(4)              According to International Energy Agency 2011 Vietnam electricity consumption per capita estimates, www.iea.org

About The Blue Circle

The Blue Circle is a developer of wind and solar energy projects in Southeast Asia. The Singapore based company looks to bridge the gap in project development in the region by bringing international project development experience, financial expertise and capabilities together with local market understanding. Its growth strategy is twofold: through the development of its own projects and through partnership with local developers. By being vertically integrated and having its own wind engineering team, The Blue Circle can identify green field sites, pursue project development milestones up until financing and operating of the generating assets.

Source: www.thebluecircle.sg