CEO WillEm van TWEmbEkE rEvEals aggrEssivE plans TO COnquEr indOnEsia, philippinEs,

india, mOngOlia and viETnam

OpINIONChina resumes nuclear power plant operations

pAge 08

FeATUReHow can India unlock its Waste-to-Energy potential?

pAge 20

FeATUReMassive blackouts wake India from stupor

pAge 12

FeATUReAsia needs $74b for renewable energy projects

pAge 06

ISSUE 52 | DISPLAY TO 31 October 2012 | www.asian-power.com | A Charlton Media Group publication US$360P.A.

MICA(P) 248/07/2011

IpR-gdF sUez eyes expANsION

ASIAN POWER 3

MOsT ReAd

China hard-pressed to meet energy conservation goalIt will take an investment of some RMB2.4 trillion for China to achieve energy conservation targets intended to make it a green manufacturer.

The Chinese cabinet said China needs this massive investment if it is to meet its energy conservation targets under a five-year plan ending 2015. The investment will cut China’s energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16% by 2015 and save an equivalent of 670 million tonnes of coal.

Corporate Japan backs renewable energyForty five of 109 major Japanese companies said renewable energy can adequately replace nuclear power as sources of electricity in Japan.

A study by Kyodo News said that 35 firms pointed to solar or wind as feasible alternatives while 10 said thermal power can fill the void left by nuclear energy, the use of which has largely been curtailed.

Only three companies surveyed said there was no substitute for nuclear power. Thirteen firms think nuclear power should provide 15% of the country’s energy by 2030 while 11 said it should provide 20%.

Laos hydropower plant to join Vietnam’s gridThe 260-MW Xekaman 3 hydropower plant in Laos will start operations in

September and annually provide around 980 million kWh to Vietnam’s power grid in Danang City.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Vietnam Energy Institution, said operation of the plant would help ease power shortage in Central Vietnam.

China’s clean energy use rises by 31% in July Clean energy provided 107 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in July, up 31% from a year ago.

From January to July, China’s clean energy sources such as solar and wind generated 505.5 billion kWh of electricity, said the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. This represented 18% of total on-grid power and was a 1.9 percentage point improvement year-on- year.

Indonesia to build hydropower plant at old Jatigede dam projectThe government of Indonesia will build a 110-megawatt hydropower plant as it revives the Jatigede dam project in West Java.

The project was stalled in the 1980s due to unresolved social problems.

Tarapur contributes 33% of India’s total atomic power generation The Tarapur Atomic Power Station generated a total of 2,780 mus from April to June, accounting for 33% of India’s total atomic power generated in the period.

In June 2012 alone, the units of TAPS generated about 1,000 mus of power.However, the contribution of TAPS to the national

atomic power generation has declined over the last few years.

Thailand’s spCg completes solar power farmsSPCG Plc announced its completion of 30 megawatts of sun-powered capacity.

Four projects of 7.46 megawatts each were finished this month and will start commercial operations on Jan 31, said CEO Wandee Khunchornyakong.

The farms have signed contracts to sell their power to the Provincial Electricity Authority of Thailand, according to a statement released.

Bangladesh’s Midland to get $21M loan for 51MW gas-fired project

Midland Power

Company Ltd will receive a $21 million loan for its 51-megawatt gas-fired power plant at Ashuganj of Narayanganj.

An agreement was signed between the two sides recently to facilitate the implementation of the independent power plant at a total cost of $32 million.

The British bank is the sole arranger and lender of the financing facility.

safety concerns delay Korea’s nuke projectsSouth Korea’s plans for new nuclear reactors have been delayed due to safety concerns.

According to the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., completion of two reactors in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been pushed back by at least 10 months due to a delay in government approval for their construction. One reactor was originally scheduled to begin operation in 2016, the other in 2017.

Thailand’s electricity authority to build coal-fired power plant in southThe Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will build an 800MW coal-fired power plant worth initially Bt60 billion in Krabi. This will be EGAT’s first plant in the South.

The Krabi plant is being built on the site of an existing coal-fired plant, so EGAT believes it can make the communities in the area understand the need for the project.

asian power is a bi-monthly news magazine published by Charlton media group pte ltd registered in singapore. its circulation is to leaders in the asian power industry and is available on a controlled circulation and paid basis.

FIRsT

News from asian-power.com

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ART DIRECTOR

MEDIA ASSISTANT

ADVERTISING CONTACTS

Tim CharltonJae Rodny Fernandezdaniela gujilde

Tim Charltontim@charltonmediamail.comLaarni salazar-Navida lanie@charltonmediamail.comLoren Laylayloren@charltonmediamail.com

CONTACT THe pUBLIsHeRCharlton media group, #06-09 E, maxwell house 20 maxwell road singapore 069113www.charltonmedia.com, +65 3158 1238All editorial is copyright and may not be reproduced without consent. Contributions are invited but Asian Power can accept no responsibility for loss.

MICA(P) 248/07/2011

Laos hydropower plant

4 ASIAN POWER

FIRsT

Japan needs $637B to end nuclear power dependence

This estimate was presented at a meeting to discuss future energy policy that was attended by nation-

al policy minister Motohisa Furukawa and other key members of the Cabinet.

The government also estimated that households would see their monthly en-ergy bills, including gas and other sources, nearly double if the phaseout goal is to be reached by 2030, rising to as high as ¥32,243 on average, compared with ¥16,900 in 2010.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has asked his Cabinet to outline the challenges if Japan decides to go completely nuclear-free.

If reliance on nuclear power is reduced to 15 percent in 2030, the government said, ¥40 trillion in investments would probably be needed to increase output from renew-able energy sources to 300 billion kwh. In that case, the average monthly household energy bill would probably rise to as high as ¥29,290, the government said.

The government also pointed out that even if nuclear power is taken off the board, disposing of the spent nuclear fuel stored in Aomori Prefecture and at the nation’s nu-

clear plants will remain a pressing question.Before the Fukushima disaster, the na-

tional policy goal was to reprocess all spent nuclear fuel and reuse the extracted pluto-nium and uranium as reactor fuel. If the government ends atomic power genera-tion, there would be no point in pursuing fuel recycling.

Aomori has been calling on the govern-ment to maintain the fuel-recycling policy.

Japan needs to invest at least ¥50 trillion in renewable energy by 2030 in order to phase out nuclear power.

morgan stanley invests in hydropower in ChinaUS financial services giant Morgan Stanley has invested US$300 million in Zhaoheng Hydropower Co Ltd, the largest foreign investment yet in China’s renewable energy sector.

Morgan Stanley said its infrastructure arm, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, led a private-equity consortium in making the investment. Morgan Stanley and its partners, Chinese private-equity firm Fountainvest Partners and Asia-based private-equity firm Olympus Capital, have invested a total of US$300 million in Zhaoheng.

China leads push for energy clubChina is advocating an “energy club” with former Soviet Union states to open new sources of energy for its ravenous economy.

This semi-official group is expected to be a multilateral platform for energy cooperation. National Energy Administration official Wei Xiaowei said an energy club will allow Shanghai Cooperation Organization members and observers to expand and support energy cooperation.

indonesia enforces renewable energy price hikeIndonesia will raise the price of electricity from three types of renewable energies to encourage the country’s overall renewable energy production.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Rudi Rubiandini announced that State electricity firm PLN must now pay more for electricity produced by geothermal, biomass and hydro power plants.

bangladesh mega project to benefit 1.8 milion peopleBangladesh’s Rural Electrification Board will put up a Tk 54.13 billion mega project to bring 1.8 million more rural people under electricity coverage by 2015.

The huge expansion plan comes as part of the government’s roadmap to extend electricity services to all villages by 2021 to improve rural livelihood, they said.

Households would see their monthly energy bills, including gas and other sources, nearly double if the phaseout goal is to be reached by 2030.

ASIAN POWER 5

MWM12009-Anzeigenkampagne 2012_Anz_EN_Erfinder_220x290mm_6.0_RZ.indd 1 09.08.12 10:37

6 ASIAN POWER

FeATURe: ReNeWABLe eNeRgy

According to the World Energy Outlook Report 2011, Asia’s electricity demand is expected

to rise by another 150% by 2035 and ac-count for 60% of the global electricity demand growth. Increased population, industrialization and urbanization, es-pecially in developing countries, lead to electricity usage that is faster than energy production.

Countries across Asia are building up investments in clean energy to ease demands of fossil fuel and address the impending energy crunch. Thailand’s Ministry of Energy has pledged to in-crease the share of alternative energy to US$47 million or 20% of its final energy demand in 2022. The government of the Philippines is planning to invest nearly US$40.6 billion for the development of renewable energy sources while Singa-

pore aims to make its renewable energy sector contribute $1.36 billion to the island state’s gross domestic product by 2015.

At the sideline of Clean Energy Expo Asia 2012 held recently in Thailand, Asian Power spoke with Milo Sjardin, Head of Analysis-Asia, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, to get his thoughts about the future of clean energy.

How much of Asia’s energy needs are currently support-ed by renewable energy?Globally, it’s 9% in terms of capacity and 6% in terms of generation. This excludes large high drill. Actually, in India, the figure is slightly higher at around 12% and China is at around 7% of capacity. These two countries are the largest en-ergy consumers in the region, and so,

Asia’s electricity demand is expected to rise by another 150% by 2035 and account for 60% of the global electricity demand growth.

the energy needs currently supported by renewable energy is more or less within the 7-12% range.

Japan is very much behind actually, because they’ve put a lot of emphasis on nuclear as well as coal and gas. They’ve got some catching up to do. China has al-ways invested significant amounts into the wind sector over the last two years, and still is the biggest wind market in the world. It’s adding 60% of the world’s new wind capacity and now, they’re shifting towards solar energy. At least next year, China will become the biggest solar market as well.

What will Asia’s energy mix be over the next 10 years?Energy is so diverse, that it’s going to depend very much on the country that you’re talking about. In terms of the end generation, it is very clear that renew-able will continue to be more and more important. Nuclear and coal is by far, the biggest contributors as well as hydro and gas power generation. But solar has the largest chance to change the energy mix in a large degree just because it can be deployed so quickly.

Over the next 10 years, that can come to surprise a lot of projections that are currently being made especially for Ja-

Is Asia ready for renewable energy?$74 billion is needed to develop renewable energy projects until 2025

ASIAN POWER 7

FeATURe: ReNeWABLe eNeRgy

Thailand is also a good example of a country that places the right incentives and ensures that there are various existing project developments.

pan and China, where the push towards integrating solar energy in the mix is in a very large and significant proportion. For other countries around Southeast Asia and India, the trend is also there, but there is a lot more that needs to be done in the policy front to generate and deploy the renewable much quicker.

What key policies do you think should the region adopt to further escalate deployment of solar energy?In terms of suggested policies, it ac-tually depends on the country. What clearly works to ensure very fast de-ployment of solar power is a feed-in tariff level that is comfortable enough to get a decent return. It doesn’t need to be extremely high. Japan’s is very high and will prevent large cost production within the large solar sector. But other countries such as Thailand, still has a good level of incentive in place such that it becomes economically valuable to invest in solar projects both on a util-ity level and a commercial level, and what that also requires is assurance of a level playing field with fossil fuels.

You’re talking about off grid situ-ations that few subsidies are given to fossil such that the opportunity or the economic variability of renewables is being regarded on a level that is um-pired with cost of fossil fuels not cost of fuels including substances which tend to be a lot lower. And most importantly, for a lot, investors is the access to the market. So there’s that country that al-lows outside project developers, finan-ciers, people in the market, developers and other lines to connect to the grid.

Are we allowed to connect to the grid within niche and conditions? But that is the key to ensure that deployment happens. Those ingredients are based in China, so China has a good level of what the utility companies need for re-newable projects and therefore need to ensure that they buy renewable power. The grid needs to ensure that con-nections are provided for renewable projects. Thailand is also a good exam-ple of a country that places the right incentives and ensures that there are various existing project developments. Therefore, these countries will receive a lot more investments in the future for their renewable energy sectors as com-pared to some other countries, such as Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.

What do you think is the most com-fortable feed-in tariff level?Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet that can cut across the world. We track the cost level of wind turbines or wind projects, solar generation, and solar projects very closely, and what is es-sential in the feed-in tariff is set as such that, at current equipment prices, any project investor can claim say a return of ten percent, or it needs to be at least higher than the cost of capital. So if you look around the world right now, I can say that our latest figures for the wind projects cost, depending on the wind conditions anywhere, between $60 to $110 in megawatts per hour and solar power costs for as low as $150 in mega-watts per hour. Frankly, the feed-in tariff needs to be set in such a level that they can get an easier return on renewable

energy projects. Maybe now we’re start-ing to realize that feed-in tariff needs to be reduced every time and must be aligned with the cost of the projects.

What other factors are slowing down or hindering clean energy adoption and production in the region?I think the most important is the struc-ture of the power sector. If the structure of the power sector within a particular country easily gets a good connection to the grid, we can ensure that the study is made out of the cost for our project to connect a grid, and the duration it will take. These are few of the key factors on top of the feed-in tariff or whatever in-centive is used to ensure that the global energy deployment has to happen as quickly as possible.

How much clean energy investment does the region need to develop renew-able energy projects to meet increased energy demands?That depends on what you think is going to be necessary. What we are seeing, for example, across Southeast Asia in order to meet the target that is set by the gov-ernment is that, it needs about $74 bil-lion worth of investments until 2025. Let me put it this way, we do our own projec-tion as to what we think is going to hap-pen with everything in place, around the world’s every economic viable genera-tion technology. And we have to bear in mind that wind is already competitive with fossil fuels as well as solar power in some regions of the world. Then, we become significantly involved at the development in the next few years compared to the electricity price. So, if we take the actual statistics and look at what we think is going to happen with the renewable sector over the next five to ten years, then we foresee continuing investment in China and India, and that can be to a level of $70 billion dollars per year in two countries alone.

Can Asia ever produce enough cheap renewable energy to support its rapid economic growth?In principle, yes. But it will be a long tran-sition. It’s not going to happen in a night and over the next few decades. We will see transformation of the power sector, most especially with Japan, almost tak-ing into account an increase investment in economic viable generation. That economic viable generation includes windmill farms and a lot of new solar farms so it can produce enough new energy to support economic growth. It’s going to take some time and it usually happens gradually over a few decades.

8 ASIAN POWER

It is expected that the Chinese government will soon resume its expansion of the country’s nuclear power sec-tor with many nuclear plans reaching the final approval

stages. The China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA) has said that all new nuclear power approvals will move much more slowly than before the Fukushima nuclear power crisis in Japan last year. 

Following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and prompted a global review of atomic energy plants, China sus-pended all its new nuclear power projects. In the years lead-ing up to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, China had approved eight to 10 reactors each year between 2008 and 2010. 

At the time, the CNEA said that the delay in approving new nuclear power project construction had severely affected China’s nuclear industry. As would be expected all prelimi-nary work on new sites ceased while the manufacturing of key components has been delayed as new orders slumped. 

China to resume nuclear power plant operations Before the nuclear crisis in Japan, China had spent around RMB ¥30 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) in upgrading its nuclear industry, including the related manufacturing sector. Since the Fukushima disaster no new nuclear power projects have been approved or have started construction. The CNEA now says by the end of this year, two new reactors, one in Hongy-anhe, Liaoning province and one in Ningde, Fujian province, will go into operation.  

At the end of 2011, China had 11.3 GW of nuclear power capacity with another 26 reactors with 29 GW capacity under construction. The government passed the National Nuclear Contingency Plan in April, 2012 which is a clear indication that it is getting closer to resuming new nuclear power project approval. The CNEA has predicted that China will have 70 GW of installed nuclear power capacity by 2020, with anoth-er 30 GW under construction. 

Before the Japanese nuclear disaster, China had planned to increase its nuclear power generation capacity by about 10 GW annually to 80 GW by 2020. Practical constraints on its nuclear power growth include staff training, at all operational levels, which usually takes four to eight years. It is reported that China has around 1,000 nuclear experts and engineers now but it will need some 4,000 by 2020.

China’s nuclear power industry is still relatively immature compared with other electric power resources in the country so specialist training is of paramount importance. The Fuku-shima nuclear disaster has increased safety levels throughout its established nuclear plants and those which will be built and commissioned soon.

This has meant that staff training has taken on a new di-mension and importance in China for both experienced operators and those who are being taken on for the future. Industry reports say that growth in the world’s nuclear power industry will mainly come from Asia, especially from China,

China had planned to increase its nuclear power generation capacity by about 10 gW annually to 80 gW by 2020

which will build 40% of the world’s new reactors.

A nuclear powered IPO in China The news is that China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) is preparing to launch the first initial public offering (IPO) of shares by a Chinese nuclear power generator. China’s Minis-try of Environmental Protection has approved the listing on the Shanghai stock market of CNNC. Currently, the IPO plan is awaiting final approval by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which oversees the mainland’s stock markets.In a report from the ministry, CNNC did not specify how much money it intended to raise but indicated that the pro-ceeds would help finance five nuclear power projects now under construction. It estimates the combined construction cost at RMB ¥173.5 billion yuan (US$28 billion). The nucle-ar power plants are located in Zhejiang, Fujian and Hainan provinces.

CNNC has controlling stakes in four operating nuclear power projects, with eight reactors and total generating ca-pacity of 6.43 GW. Nuclear projects under construction and those that have government approval to conduct precon-struction preparation work amount to a further 19.71GW. The Chinese nuclear company is also planning to expand the export of its nuclear reactor-building expertise to Argentina, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The wholly state-owned CNNC has more than 100 busi-ness units and research institutes, employing a total of 100,000 people. Of those, 36,000 are technical professionals. It was China’s largest operator of nuclear power projects until it was overtaken in operating capacity last year by Shenzhen- based state-owned developer China Guangdong Nuclear Power.

It would seem that despite current signs showing the economy and corporate earnings in decline there is growing evidence that China is determined to keep developing nu-clear energy for the future.

JOHN gOss

China resumes nuclear power plant operations

john.goss@ceejay.com.hk

OpINION

alstom ad

GRID

Alstom Grid is one of the world leaders in electrical grids. We help our customers meet growing energy demand, fight climate change and manage increasingly complex grids.

Our market-oriented R&D teams develop tailored and competitive environmentally-friendly solutions focused on improving reliability, efficiency and stability.

Alstom is building strong and smart grids.

www.alstom.com

ALSTOM GRID

THE REFERENCE INGRID PERFORMANCE

10 ASIAN POWER

CeO INTeRVIeW

ipr-gdF suEZ eyes aggressive regional expansionWillem van Twembeke, CEO of IPR-GDF Suez Asia, shares how the independent power producer plans to strike forward and prevail risks that could stymie its brisk expansion strategy.

“We are eyeing business development opportunities in countries where growing populations and economic growth are drivingthe need for more power. Our primefocus is today on Indonesia, India,Philippines, Mongolia and Vietnam.”

It has been more than a year since GDF Suez acquired International Power plc. What are the major achievements resulting from this acquisition, particularly with your projects in Asia?In February 2011, International Power merged with the International Energy division of GDF SUEZ, significantly increasing the Group’s international presence and making it the largest IPP in the world.

Following the merger, we established a single regional head office in Bangkok, fully staffed and integrated within six months.

We recently opened a new development office in Indonesia, and we have local representatives in India and Vietnam. At first, GDF SUEZ owned 70% of the new group, but by June 2012, International Power became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GDF SUEZ group. This transaction enabled the Group to take full advantage of the synergies generated by the combination of GDF SUEZ and International Power in 2011.

What are the major difficulties in growing the business here in Asia and how did you manage these difficulties?The regulatory frameworks and legislation are different across the region and are changing constantly. This represents a true challenge for the legal department in the negotiations for long-term power purchase agreements. Overall, the economic crisis and global uncertainty have induced difficulties in securing credit lines for both our partners and off-takers. The government`s subsidising power tariffs in some countries can also hinder the investment in power generation as it could affect expected returns in a capital-intensive industry.

Your projects in Asia include Paiton Energy in Indonesia, Glow Energy in Thailand, and Senoko in Singapore. Have there been any significant developments at these plants in the last six months?

The expansion of our portfolio has made good progress, with almost all of our new projects commencing operation during the past six months, totaling 2.3 GW. In March this year,

Willem van Twembeke - CEO IPR-GDF SUEZ Asia

Paiton 3, the first super-critical 830 MW coal-fired plant in Indonesia, started commercial operation one month ahead of schedule. Three months later, GHECO-One, a 660-MW highly efficient coal fired power plant started commercial operation in Thailand.

The COD of the first solar plant of Glow Energy was also completed in August, and shows the development capabilities of the company in the area of renewables. In Singapore, the transformation of three oil-fired units into two technologically advanced and environmentally friendly gas-fired combined cycle units (total 860 MW) reached completion in August. By the end of this year we also expect the completion of Glow TNP 2 which is a 110 MW gas-fired power plant located near Bangkok.

Glow Energy in Thailand is one of your major assets in Asia. How was the power plant’s operation affected by the flood during the last quarter of 2011?“The Power Plants were not physically affected at all, since the floods never got near their sites. Indirectly there was a small impact on the business side, as the production of some of Glow’s important customers decreased and consequently, their demand of electricity and steam.”

What are your target markets for expansion in Asia? How do you plan to manage and sustain these projects?Evidently, we are eyeing business development opportunities in countries where growing popu-lations and economic growth are driving the need for more power. Our prime focus today is on Indonesia, India, Philippines, Mongolia and Vietnam. We believe that local knowledge is essential to be successful in the expansion of our portfolio. But at the same time, we can benefit from being part of a worldwide organization. In other words, the local-global combination will place us well to capture some of the growth opportunities in Asia.

Your company is the leading independent power generator in Asia, what are your competitive advantages vis-à-vis other power and energy plants?Being part of the wider GDF SUEZ group puts us in a good position to expand our portfolio successfully. We can create synergy amongst the Group`s activities along the entire energy value chain (generation, engineering, LNG, retail, etc) and our solid financial position ensures excellent access to competitively priced finance. Our portfolio management focuses on a diversified, flexible energy mix and a geographical presence across the region. We maintain high operational and safety standards which means we can provide outstanding availability at our plants and a safe environment on the production sites. Our strong in-house development capabilities and in-depth know-how allow us to pursue new development opportunities. Based on a solid track record, we have positioned ourselves as a respected local and international partner within the IPP consortia. This is demonstrated, for example, by our three geothermal projects (total 680 MW gross capacity) under development in Indonesia, and our selection as preferred bidder for CHP 5 in Mongolia, the first IPP project to be launched in the country.

ASIAN POWER 11

CeO INTeRVIeWvendor view

Measuring partial Discharge in GIS As customers increasingly push to adopt condition-based maintenance for Gas-Insulated Substations (GIS), new opportunities are arising for periodic or permanent measurement of partial discharge.

Traditionally, high voltage substations are air in-sulated, but the clearances required between phases were huge. This results in rather large

installations, making them difficult to house in ur-ban environments where space is at a premium. To overcome this constraint, a parallel technology was developed, the Gas-Insulated Substation (GIS), us-ing a gas, for example sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), at high pressure. SF6 has excellent dielectric properties and is used as the insulating medium between the phases and earth. As a consequence, a GIS is much more compact. In fact, gas-insulated substations can be down to one-tenth the size of their air-insu-lated cousins, depending on the voltage level. The use of gas insulation in the power system network has developed rapidly thanks to its compact nature, low maintenance requirement and reliable opera-tion. But the reliability of the GIS equipment can be undermined by the presence of free particles that originate mainly from the mechanical vibrations, from moving parts in the system such as breakers or disconnectors, or even from the manufacturing process. According to David Gautschi, Alstom Grid electrical engineer, “They are rare, but can locally generate high electric fields exceeding the struc-ture’s design limits and initiate partial discharges (PD) forming free electrons and ions in the insula-tion. Repeated partial discharges are capable of trig-gering a progressive carbonisation of spacers that can slowly build up over the years until they produce a flashover, or failure of the switchgear insulation structure resulting in the entire installation, or parts of it, being shut down.” Repairs – often involving the manufacture of specific parts – can take several weeks to complete.

Measuring partial discharges When partial discharges occur (resulting in voltage drops of less than a nanosecond), they generate electromagnetic waves that propagate through the switchgear. These waves can be measured by means of different technologies operating in a variety of frequency ranges. Detecting partial dis-charges in lower frequency ranges can be carried out by taking measurements with acoustic sensors. Says David Gautschi, “In the medium frequency range, between a few kHz and a few MHz, meas-urements are usually made by means of a coupling capacitor. The disadvantage of using this device is that it is large and not suitable for online monitor-ing. However, partial discharges in pressurised gas can be measured in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) range between 100 MHz and 2 GHz. The added ad-vantage here is that this allows the whole substation to be permanently monitored and the location of PD activity can also be pinpointed.” Demand for this level of monitoring is particularly high in the Middle East, though less pronounced in Europe, where utili-

ties are more hesitant to make the additional outlay required.

UHF range measurements Different types of equipment are available to carry out measurements in the UHF range. Alstom Grid has developed its own solution, called PDwatch. The centre of competence for the PDwatch product is located in the BHT unit in Aix-les-Bains, France. The PDwatch system can be used either for periodic measurement (PDwatch portable) or for permanent (online) condition monitoring. The second method has the obvious advantage of tracking all partial discharge activity over time and therefore offering a better basis on which to decide when maintenance is required rather than relying only on spot checks using a portable system. “The benefit of measure-ments in the UHF range is the effective avoidance of external noise,” explains Jean-François Penning, PDwatch project manager. The frequency range can be chosen to measure in a band with low ex-ternal noise. The suppression of external noises, for example in the GSM mobile phone range, can be achieved in the following way: the measurements made by the sensors fitted in the GIS are compared with the results of those installed in other compart-ments or those of an additional external antenna. Once the partial discharge activity has been meas-ured, the next task – and the more complicated one – is to interpret the partial discharge patterns and classify them into degrees of severity. “Part of the complexity is that partial discharge patterns will vary according to the switchgear design,” notes David Gautschi. “So it is essential to have access to the manufacturer’s database to make sure that partial

discharge information will be accurately interpreted. Alstom Grid is going to make its databases available to customers.”

PDwatch Online partial discharge monitoring The PDwatch Online UHF monitoring system records and displays the UHF signals generated by partial discharges in a gas insulated substation. It is permanently fitted into the substation and can be interrogated remotely at any time. This makes it possible to detect and eliminate emerging dielectric faults before a flashover can occur. Used with suit-able sensors, this system can detect critical defects such as particles, coronas, free potentials and insu-lator voids. It can also be programmed to generate alarms at specified absolute value and time thresh-olds. “The latest system is very advanced,” points out David Gautschi, “and uses fast algorithms to provide very high accuracy.”

PDwatch portable UHF detector PDwatch Portable is designed to measure cam-paigns in substations at the commissioning stage or periodically in the course of the substation’s life. It is a two-in-one device, offering frequency spectrum analysis and time analysis. By using this equipment at regular intervals, developing dielectric faults can also be detected and eliminated before complete breakdown occurs. The portable UHF detector and its laptop PC are fitted into a travelling case and sup-plied with all necessary cables and accessories.

PDwatch ManagerThis software tool enables event records to be man-aged while at the same time facilitating defect rec-ognition. It can be used locally on the central unit’s human-machine interface (HMI) PC or run from a remote PC via the Internet. It includes a constantly updated library of partial discharges that helps to identify PD patterns. It has the added advantage of saving users a considerable amount of time by gen-erating test reports automatically.

“The PDwatch Portable offers frequency spectrum and time analysis.”

12 ASIAN POWER

The failure of the Northern, Eastern and North-Eastern grids was a Guinness World Book of Records

event: the largest population ever to be hit by a power outage. However, this is not a record to be proud of. There is still much conjecture as to the reasons behind the mammoth problem which lasted for 48 hours, with even more conjectures as to how many people were actually affected.

According to Craig Froome, educator at Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, some reports have claimed that over 620 million people – half of India’s population – were left without power, whilst other more conservative reports have put the number around 300 million. Whichever way you look at it, the disruption was extreme and at a level never experienced before. It is also important to remember that, with the numbers being quoted, many within India still do not have access to grid provided electricity supply, said Froome.

The factors to be blamedThe root cause of the failure is currently being attributed to the drawing of excess power by certain states including Haryana and Uttar Pradesh especially during summer season. Reports indicate that these states exceeded their allocated quotas which led to a lowering of grid frequency levels significantly below 50 Hz causing grid tripping and automatic shutdown of power plants. Other reasons contributing to the debacle could be lack of automation, poor grid discipline and lacking redundancy in transmission infrastructure.

SN Power Executive Vice President for Asia Erik Knive pointed that the most probable root causes are lack of generation capacity and inefficient transmission and distribution system. “Our per capita consumption is only 770 KWh per year. If we compare this with China, 4,600 KWh per capita per year , it is safe to say that our energy demands will continue to increase rapidly.”

As a power economy, India is one of the least resilient countries in electricity markets.

Froome meanwhile noted that another area of concern is the ageing network infrastructure, with power losses within the transmission and distribution system estimated at 30%. “As a power economy, recent research has indicated that India is one of the least resilient countries in electricity markets. Problems with meeting peak demand make it an unlikely host to energy intensive industries which seek high levels of reliability.”

This was echoed by Larsen & Toubro assistant marketing manager Rahul Desai noting that in the last one year, there were only a handful of generation projects that were sanctioned against the requirement, resulting in a huge gap between the demand and supply.

The challengeThe supply to the grids were restored back to normalcy almost within a day’s time, thanks to the immense pressure on the government and the image that was created by the media – both local and international-putting the country’s and the government’s reputation at stake, said Desai.

The government appointed a new federal power minister to lead efforts. In addition, CEOs of key federal organizations such as the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and Power System Operator have been named for a task force that is required to submit a report on the situation within

Massive blackouts wake India from stuporAfter the power grid failed and left millions of Indians in the dark for two straight days, analysts believe India will be pressured to address long neglected supply and distribution woes.

FeATURe: INdIA pOWeR OUTAge

ASIAN POWER 13

15 days to the government.Senior Project Manager for Black &

Veatch, Suqing Wang, however said that the real challenge is over the medium to long term as India will need to focus on both restoring confidence and exploring ways to mitigate and avoid such future circumstances.

“The issue may bring the urgency of situation into focus. India has an opportunity to look toward a new-normal and find ways to implement best practices and global expertise. Before this outage, we were seeing the demand for technical knowledge, modern tools and project management skills increase. We expect this re-focus to continue,” he said.

The Indian power industry is faced with a series of challenges: Coal and gas shortages, delays in approval processes and the price at which power is sold – all of these contribute to limit the new capacity being added. Perhaps the largest factor however, said Knive, is the acceptance of having to pay a power price that justifies investing in new capacity.

“The government-owned distribution monopolies in the States are in poor financial health. Many have lost their ability to buy power because they are forced to sell below cost. While every farmer knows that he must sow in order to reap, this logic also applies to energy: You must build in order to supply. In order to build, you must invest and to invest you need to see a return on that investment.”

According to Knive, many states have not revised their tariffs for almost 10 years. The yearly losses of the state distribution companies, he said, are estimated at US$22 Billion per year. “Being essentially bankrupt, their ability to buy power is hampered and their ability to supply becomes erratic. Consumers are forced to operate diesel pumps and diesel generators, at a cost which is much higher than a genuine market-based electricity-price. In fact, their cost to run these generators by far exceeds any price they could expect to pay in an open power-market. By accepting “free” or “cheap” electricity from the power boards, they end up poorer.”

The need for reformsThis recent blackout underscores the need for reforms, and may become a catalyst to create a sense of urgency for the sector. In the next couple of years, Larsen & Toubro’s Desai believes that the Indian government will be under pressure to invest in capital and resolve some of the pending issues in the power sector. SN Power’s Knive proposed that the road to reforms needs to facilitate competition in all three areas of the business: generation, transmission

and distribution in order to increase productivity and contain electricity losses. He cautioned however that reforms in the power distribution segment may take a long time, since it involves 28 States, many of which are soon going for elections.

Some of the mechanisms he suggested to create competitive pricing include freeing up pricing, introducing time-of-day metering, peak power tariffs, creating a truly independent regulator, and privatising generation.

“Privatising government-owned assets may also improve efficiency and provide more energy. Cleaning up the balance sheets of state-owned distribution companies would enable them to fund electricity purchases and provide means to finance intra-state transmission and distribution infrastructure. This would also contribute greatly to grid stability.”

Thermal & Renewable Generation development director Keith McLeay, meanwhile said that it would be worth noting that India has been increasingly ramping up its generation capacity over last few years. “In 11th five year plan, which ended in 2012, it added around 55,000 MW generation capacity and is now targeting around 80,000 MW capacity in 12th five year plan. India is also going ahead with major investment in the transmission sector.” McLeay however cautioned that for some years to come, it will be a challenge for the Indian power sector to keep pace with the growing economy and to alleviate suppressed demand.

According to McLeay, ensuring that planning rules and incentives are in place to facilitate new infrastructure is required. “Making tariffs higher, if passed on to owners/investors, would encourage investment but since one of the main drivers for increasing the percentage of the

Indian government will be under pressure to make some capital investment and resolve some of the pending issues in the power sector.

population connected to the grid is poverty alleviation, there is a difficult circle to square here.” In the shorter term, McLeay said that perhaps gaining better control of the system to allow better load shedding and to limit the effects of disturbances and improve “fault ride through” could be of help, as the US had to do. This is not a substitute for the required major investment, however it’s often times stuck in political doldrums, he said.

“Acceptable, sustainable solutions are never immediate but some quick action is needed to accelerate investment.”

Global Change Institute’s Froome meanwhile said that the problems need to be addressed at a regional level and distributed generation may provide a solution to repairing what appears to be a broken network. “The time has passed to consider short-term fixes that will only bring about longer-term problems, it is time to frame a solution that will not only provide a more reliable electricity supply to those that have it, but also to those that don’t. Trying to plan for this on a national basis is not feasible and the success of existing private generation needs to be considered as the preferred model moving forward, but with leadership and ownership being provided by the State,” he said.

Froome believes that tying to create one grid to serve an entire country will not be the way forward in the future, with distributed networks utilising local energy resources providing a viable alternative. The problem, he said, is whether those distribution network providers with the ability to bring about change will consider establishing a number of smaller, more efficient networks rather than continue to patch up what has been proven as an ineffective and broken relic of a by-gone era.

FeATURe: INdIA pOWeR OUTAge

14 ASIAN POWER

vendor view

Making solar power affordable and reliableABB has been in the solar power business for more than 20 years. We offer a complete portfolio of high-efficiency solar technologies for different utility-scale applications and environments.

“The ABB-Novatec Solar CSP concept is centered on a patented and award-winning modular solar boiler and a unique solar field design based on linear Fresnel collectors. The technology uses direct steam generation and does not require heat exchangers and oil-filled absorber tube networks for heat transfer.”

ABB is your one-stop partner in solar power. Our turnkey engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions cover the entire

scope of supply for solar power plants – from fea-sibility studies and site analysis to site clearance and civil works, plant design and engineering, manufac-ture and procurement, erection and commissioning, and grid connection.

To each project we bring the following strengths and attributes:

− More than 125 years of experience in the power generation business

− More than 300 successfully completed projects as an EPC contractor

− Market and technology leadership in pow-er and automation technologies

− A unique expertise in solar-critical applica-tions like long-distance high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) power transfer, and the integration of renewable energy into mi-cro and remote grids

− A global footprint with operations in more than 100 countries

− An annual research and development spend more than $1.3 billion

− Bankability and a worldwide reputation for reliability

Most important of all, we have a proven track

record in delivering on time, on budget and at the contracted efficiency level.

Solar thermal power plantsABB offers the most efficient and cost-effective solar thermal/concentrating solar power (CSP) technol-ogy in the market. Working in cooperation with No-vatec Solar, a company in which ABB is a strategic shareholder, our turnkey CSP power plants require 30% less land, use 70% less material and consume 80% less water for cleaning compared to parabolic trough designs.

They are also significantly more efficient. With a power block efficiency rate of 38%, they produce more energy and have the potential to generate higher revenues than alternative CSP designs.

The ABB-Novatec Solar CSP concept is centered on a patented and award-winning modular solar boiler and a unique solar field design based on linear Fresnel collectors. The technology uses direct steam generation and does not require heat exchangers and oil-filled absorber tube networks for heat trans-fer. Instead this highly economical and proven con-cept utilizes compact, almost flat glass mirrors.

The uniquely efficient solar boiler produces direct superheated steam at a temperature of up to 500 degree Celsius and a pressure of 100 bar. The steam is connected direct to a steam turbine for power generation or used for industrial heat applications, desalination or solar cooling.

ABB solar thermal power plants are available as turnkey solutions from 50 MW to more than 250 MW, and are ideal for a wide range of applications: solar augmentation of fossil fuel power plants, en-hanced oil recovery, solar desalination, solar cooling, and to provide process steam or heat for mining and other industries.

Photovoltaic power plantsABB has long played a leading role in the growth and development of the photovoltaic power mar-ket, providing turnkey solutions that reduce the cost and risk of investing in and operating PV power plants.

Our capability includes extensive experience as an EPC contractor, rapid project execution within the shortest possible delivery times, a modular and scalable concept, optimized solutions that achieve the highest level of efficiency, and operations and maintenance support with remote monitoring from dedicated ABB control centers.

Over the past few years alone, ABB has delivered

CSP technology

PV technology

ASIAN POWER 15

vendor view

“ABB has delivered around 50 turnkey high-efficiency PV plants worldwide, with capacities ranging from roof-top industrial installations of around 1 MW to utility-scale plants of up to 100 MW or more.”

around 50 turnkey high-efficiency PV plants world-wide, with capacities ranging from roof-top indus-trial installations of around 1 MW to utility-scale plants of up to 100 MW or more.

Remote operations and maintenance ABB takes full responsibility for the operation, maintenance and management of all types of solar power plant.

We offer a fully proven operations and mainte-nance concept for the remote operation of PV pow-er plants. From central control rooms, we can moni-tor and control the plant via secure high-speed data transmission connections. This enables us to pick up the first sign of a potential problem and to rectify it by remote, or dispatch a service team if required.

For solar thermal power plants, ABB offers full on-site operation and maintenance services.

Integration with remote and micro power gridsSolar power plants are often located in remote ar-eas or integrated with conventional power plants or connected to remote micro grids serving local communities. Power surges and short-term lulls are

a constant threat to the stability of any power net-work relying on intermittent energy like solar and wind.

ABB has the tools, know-how and services for all types of renewable energy integration. These well-proven solutions are designed to integrate up to 100% of the renewable energy generated with the conventional power system, while sta-bilizing voltage and frequency at utility quality standards.

For more information, please visit us at Power-Gen Asia 2012, Booth B8 or go to www.abb.com/solar.

16 ASIAN POWER

HIROKAzU sUTO & WILLIAM ByUN

pV revisited - a rising sun?

In 2011, with a combination of weak markets and market oversupply, PV panel prices plunged by over 30% on av-erage, industry companies failed spectacularly (including

Solyndra’s twisting in the US Presidential election spotlight), European Feed-in Tariffs (FiT) were suddenly emasculated and ominously, over 6 GWp of inventory along with signifi-cant new production capacity built up to roil prices.

Solar PV still relies on FiTs to attain profitability and in ef-fect generate synthetic demand. The reductions in FiT pro-grams in Europe from the global recession at a time when significant new production, especially coupled with surges in aggressively cost-competitive production in East Asia, has hammered the production supply side thoroughly in its core market premise.

There has been some sprigs of hope of new FiT programs in parts of Asia and other emerging markets, but for the most part, due to small maximum caps on overall program MWs (some as low as 50 MW total!) and even individual project qualification sizes (1 MW project limits), or fragmented local or state-based programs, these new FiT programs were insuf-ficient to absorb the market overhang, much less provide a basis for new sector growth.

Coupled with this grim supply side outlook is the still un-resolved landscape profile on the demand side – whether PV solar is a more “micro” retail-oriented distributed play or whether it should aim to expand more for a grid-scaled baseload approach. The retail play helps to build upon a broader-more stable potential revenues platform. On the other hand, grid-scaled strategies help in the mobilization of scaled projects financings and scale. In other words, where is the market – is it in persuading late-night TV customer mar-kets or in unleashing national industrial policy lobbyists to massage subsidies?

The sun also rises…However, 2011 may also have given rise to what may be one of the most transformative events in the sector going for-ward. The after-effects of the Japan Nuclear Crisis of 2011 are only now beginning to reveal significant transformations of the Japanese electric power sector. From the resulting nuclear disaster at Fukushima and the shutdown of all (over 57 GWe) of Japan’s nuclear capacity, within a year, 30% of the country’s entire grid capacity in effect, disappeared.

Filling that gap has meant huge jumps in imported coal and fuel as well as a significant spike in carbon emissions, just when Japan was also to roll out its domestic program to re-place the Kyoto Protocol.

Japan’s new solar FiT program became effective from July 2012 with a very robust 42 yen per KwH rate along with tax and other concessions on a 20-year PPA. The utilities are re-quired to purchase production but may raise public tariffs by 15%, thereby spreading the impact across society. While Japan already had roughly 5GWe of capacity before the new FiT, there has been a dramatic surge surrounding July 1 when the new FiT took effect, with over 100 new projects with 1.1 GWe of capacity now under application to be started by 2014

Japan’s new solar FiT program became effective from July 2012 with a very robust 42 yen per KwH rate along with tax and other concessions on a 20 year ppA.

at the latest.Telling too, the push has been broad-brushed – along

with the utilities and local governments as well as existing solar players such as Sharp, have been a range of corporate Japanese entities from trading firms like Mitsui, Sumitomo, etc., to landowners such as Kintetsu Railways, to consumer electronics firms such as BicCamera and Yodobashi Camera. Softbank has been the biggest developer thus far, aggressively pushing solar PV from individual rooftops to large idle plots for grid feed-in.

The new Japanese FiT market alone is a huge one which could help boost the solar sector dramatically. However, more importantly for the solar sector, Japan’s new FiT program and its unfolding reality provide an industry anchor program to help jump-start other countries into embracing solar much as Germany’s initial push did in Europe. Japan’s program provides enough size to help establish operational and logis-tical systems from a business and corporate perspective, or-chestration and refinement of financing protocols specific to scaled solar, and demand pull on the direction of technologi-cal innovations, and most importantly, these developments are being done broadly for both small consumer markets and for larger grid markets. Each of these developments alone is significant; together, they could provide the underlying basis for an expansion and replication of such solar model across other emerging markets with constraints on grid expansion.

Expecting the worst of times, there were predictions of the need to retrench and retreat or be drawn into desperate and destructive price battles while simply hunkering down for the so-called ‘better days’ ahead. However, Japan’s new FiT pro-gram may be the right catalyst to push the industry now to a sounder and broader expansion. While FiTs are not in them-selves new, the scale and broadness of development spawned by Japan’s FiT program may mark these times as the best of solar times yet.

OpINION

ASIAN POWER 17

The Black Point Power Station gas supply projectCastle Peak Power Company Limited, Hong Kong (CAPCO) A joint venture between ExxonMobil Energy Ltd. and CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd.

Black Point Power Station (BPPS) was the first natural gas-fired power generation facility in Hong Kong. Its eight single-shaft units

were put into service in phases from 1996 to 2006, and with 2,500MW of installed capacity, it is one of the largest gas-fired combined cycle stations in the world.

The facilities at Black Point were originally designed to burn gas from one dedicated source, the Yacheng 13-1 gas field in the South China Sea. That supply is now rapidly depleting, and the Station must be prepared for a transition to new sources of gas.

In 2008, the Hong Kong and Central governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide Hong Kong with natural gas from different new sources.

The first source to go live is the Second West-East Natural Gas Pipeline. Spanning nearly 9,000 kilometres, it is the world’s longest natural gas pipeline passing through 14 different provinces and regions of China. The natural gas from Turkmenistan in Central Asia is then brought all the way through China to the Pearl River Delta, reaching Shenzhen, and then be sent along a branch line to BPPS in Hong Kong.

The multiple new gas supplies will have different qualities from the current source and, similar to issues faced in other parts of the world, the gas

qualities may vary more widely from what the installed equipment is designed for use. In order to make the transition, the Station required major enhancements to enable it to manage a diverse portfolio of future gas sources.

The Project’s objective is to upgrade the Station with new gas receiving and gas conditioning systems. The enhancements give the operators flexibility to utilize multiple gas sources concurrently even when each source may have a substantially different and variable gas quality.

A new Gas Receiving Station (GRS) has been built to provide a second inlet for gas at BPPS. It adjusts the temperature and pressure of the secondary gas stream to match the primary gas inlet.

This facility has a large turndown ratio, which

maximizes the operator’s ability to select the desired proportions of gas to be received from each inlet. Gas from the new GRS is then conveyed via a second, parallel distribution system to the eight power generation units.

Each power generation unit is being retrofitted with a dynamic Fuel Quality Management System (FQMS). The FQMS reads incoming gas quality data and uses a heater to correct the combustion properties of the gas in real time just upstream of the gas turbine.

In conjunction with new turbine hardware and control system upgrades, this modification enables each generation unit at the Station to regulate and moderate the dynamic changes in its gas specification that otherwise might push it outside normal operating range.

Finally, two of the Station’s eight generation units are being upgraded with facilities that will allow operators to blend gas from both the old and new GRS and send the mixed stream to the gas turbine. Along with the FQMS to manage the combustion properties, this modification allows the Station even finer control over gas source utilization.

When work is completed in 2013, the Gas Supply Project will have enabled BPPS to operate with a broad portfolio of concurrent gas supplies, each of which may have different and variable quality specifications.

It will be successfully putting into operation a unique combination of technologies that allows the Station to source a wide range of gases and presents a new benchmark in operational flexibility for managing multiple gas sources at a gas-fired power station.

“Black Point Power Station (BPPS) was the first natural gas-fired power generation facility in Hong Kong. Its eight single-shaft units were put into service in phases from 1996 to 2006, and with 2,500MW of installed capacity.”

vendor view

The new Gas Receiving Station

Black Point Power Station (BPPS)

18 ASIAN POWER

FReNK WITHOOs

OpINION

What will become of Japan’s energy mix in 2030?

All options have an increase of renewables in range of 25% to 35% and a thermal power component of between 35% and 50%.

Japan energy policy, as promulgated by the National government in June 2002 in the Basic Act on Energy Policy, is based on the following three measures on

energy supply and demand: (1)Securing stable supply; (2)Environmental suitability; and (3) Utilization of mar-ket mechanisms, which should be coordinated with the first two basic policies.

Following this act, in October 2003 the cabinet en-dorsed a national Basic Energy Plan, which outlines the fundamental direction of Japan’s energy supply and de-mand policies until 2030. As per the law, this plan needs to be reviewed at least once every three years.

Revising the National Basic Energy PlanThe latest revision was in 2010, where the importance of nuclear power in the energy mix was forecasted to in-crease from 26% (FY2010) to 45% (2030). In the same plan, renewables would be increased from 11% to 20%, while the thermal power share would be reduced from 57% to 23%.

Logic behind this was obviously to reduce the import from primary energy supplies. Further, the plan entailed a reduction of CO2 emissions from energy by 30%.

In the wake of the 2011 nuclear disaster, the discussion started to establish a new energy plan for Japan. The in-crease of nuclear power, as previously forecasted, is not a possibility anymore.

Basically the energy mix options being discussed are: (1) zero nuclear; (2) 15% nuclear; (3) 20-25% nuclear. All options have an increase of renewables in range of 25% to 35% and a thermal power component of between 35% and 50%. Newly introduced is an energy-saving compo-nent, which in all options is assumed 20%.

The Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will make the final decision, which, according to METI, is expected at the “end of the summer” this year.

Reducing Nuclear PowerAny option will have a big impact in the utility indus-

try. The reduction of nuclear will weigh heavily on most utility finances. Since the utilities are publicly listed, the impact will be felt by all shareholders.

Interesting to note here is that, for instance Osaka city council is the largest shareholder of Kansai electric utility and on many occasions, the city council supported the zero nuclear option.

However even the biggest shareholder could not or maybe did not actually want, considering the financial impact on Kansai, to stop the restart of two units at Oi nuclear plant, owned by Kansai Electric.

Besides shareholders, the cities hosting the nuclear plants are also receiving, among others financial support from the utilities. In some cases the local city budget is for more than half dependent on the nuclear plant.

Increasing the renewablesThe increase in renewables will require more invest-

ments in the power grid in order for it to be able to han-dle these fluctuating loads in an efficient manner.

From a financial point of view the owners of the grid, the utilities, will not be able to make such investments. In such a case it is needed to step away from the vertical integration model used in Japan and separate generation from the transmission and distribution grid.

From a technical point of view it will require upgrad-ing of existing transmission lines to be able to transmit the additional renewable power in an efficient way to the load centers.

The latest surveys show that more than 80% of the people in Japan support a phaseout of nuclear power, the zero option. The worry is that the longer the govern-ment waits on making the required changes, the longer the country will have to accept nuclear generation as a substantial component of the energy mix with all the po-tential risk of a new Fukushima disaster.

What will become of Japan’s energy mix in 2030?

WHEN IT’S YOUR JOB TO EMPOWER GREAT OUTCOMES.

They’re not concerned about maintaining their connection to a world of wonder. That’s

your responsibility.

With the power of DOW INSIDE you can count on reliability and long cable

life based on exceptional materials, dedicated R&D, deep industry knowledge, and

close working relationships with cable manufacturers and utilities alike. And, with the

DOW ENDURANCE™ family of products from Dow Electrical & Telecommunications

for MV, HV and EHV cables, you can now specify cables that exceed industry perfor-

mance standards and are built to last for decades of service.

That’s the confidence you need when it’s your job to empower great outcomes.

The best cable in the world has the power of Dow Inside.

www.dowinside.com

®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company Dow Electrical & Telecommunications is a global business unit of The Dow Chemical Company and its subsidiaries.

Experience the Power of Dow Inside

HM1247e&t_nalaptop_asiapwr_ad.indd 1 8/15/12 11:08:12 AM

20 ASIAN POWER

ge-fl exibility.com

You will be with the FlexEffi ciency* Portfolio from GE. It’s built specifi cally to meet the demands of today’s fl uctuating grid. With breakthrough effi ciency. Unprecedented fl exibility. And world class reliability. No other power portfolio is built on such a proven foundation of innovation. In fact, from the gas and steam turbines to the generators and control systems, all of the components in the FlexEffi ciency Portfolio share a common FlexEffi ciency DNA. So you know you’re getting the very best of GE, in one very adaptable portfolio.

*Trademark of General Electric Company.

+ + + = FlexEfficiency Portfolio+plants steam

turbines generatorsgas turbines

control systems

adaptAre you properly equipped to

environment?to today’s energyto today’s energy

~

69085 GE Flex Eff 60 Port Chameleon for Asian Power Trim Size: 230 mm wide X 300 mm high Bleed size: 240 mm wide X 310 mm high

69085_GE_FlexEff_60Port_Chameleon_AsianPower.indd 1 9/20/12 10:49 AM

As India is experiencing rapid urbanisation, it faces a double challenge of managing ever-rising volumes of municipal solid waste (MSW) and securing elec-

tricity supply for its fast-growing urban population. Waste-to-energy (WtE) technology can help India address both of these needs while adding the benefit of avoided carbon dioxide emissions.

Estimated potential for WtE plants in India is 7,000 MW and roughly 58 million barrels of oil energy equivalent could be recovered from landfilled waste every year to be used for electricity generation or displacement of fossil fuels, via WtE or refuse-derived fuel. However, only 75 MW of capacity were installed by mid-2010. Realising full potential of waste-to-energy requires in-depth understanding of the MSW supply chain and waste management practices as well as innovative ways to lower technology and financing costs.

The gap between available feedstock and actual WtE in-stalled base must be bridged by using appropriate technology, in terms of capital cost, suitability for MSW in a given location and its status as commercially proven technology in order to achieve funding.

Until recently, India’s experience with WtE has been a try-ing one. Both an incineration plant in Delhi and an anaerobic digestion plant in Lucknow, at 3.5 MW and 5 MW capacity respectively, closed just a few months after opening due to mis-match between quality of waste inputs and technology design. Refuse-derived fuel plants in Vijayawada and Hyderabad at 6 MW capacity each dealt with lower-than-expected calorific value of waste by buying supplementary agricultural biomass which significantly raised operating costs.

These challenges underline the importance of a thorough waste resource assessment, which will inform the choice of technology, and flexible WtE technology which can accept more varied types of feedstock.

The government’s response aims to overcome these issues with several pilot plants for WtE. Subsidies to developers in-clude funds for resource assessment and plant performance evaluation as well as capital costs. As energy derived from MSW is renewable, WtE plants are eligible for Renewable Electricity Certificates in addition to revenues from electric-ity sales.

Mitigation of Market RiskWhile technology is an important concern for developers and financiers alike, market risk – and its effect on financing cost of waste-to-energy projects – cannot be overlooked. In standard project finance, securing power purchase agreements is a way of managing market risk, and more specifically, revenue risk. The Indian context adds another layer of complexity to de-velopment of WtE plants due to low credit worthiness of state electricity boards which buy electricity from conventional and

potential for Wte plants in India is 7,000 MW and roughly 58 million barrels of oil energy equivalent could be recovered from landfilled waste every year.

renewable energy producers. State electricity boards have weak payment history which

can undermine the stability of a power purchase agreement. For example, in 2001 all nineteen state electricity boards were unable to buy electricity from generators, largely due to tariffs set below the cost of supply and low level of tariff collection. And although the government promptly recapitalised bank-rupt electricity boards and began the process of electricity market liberalisation, credibility of off-takers remains a valid concern for developers and their lenders.

This is why managing market risk via alternative routes is so important in India. This can include signing power purchase agreements with industrial or commercial energy users, or enlisting support of multi-lateral institutions to improve credit worthiness of off-take contractors.

Having successfully promoted technologies such as ad-vanced plasma gasification, alongside technology providers, developers and investors in the European, Asian and North American WtE sectors, Clean World Capital maintains that key drivers of attracting private capital to Indian WtE are the use of commercially proven technologies and the ability to secure long-term feedstock and off-take contracts with cred-ible counterparties.

Clean World Capital Group is looking to transfer the tested financing models to India in order for the country to execute on the significant economic, social and environmental op-portunities of using its waste resources for energy production.

peR RegNARssON

India’s energy sector suffers double trouble

OpINION

ge-fl exibility.com

You will be with the FlexEffi ciency* Portfolio from GE. It’s built specifi cally to meet the demands of today’s fl uctuating grid. With breakthrough effi ciency. Unprecedented fl exibility. And world class reliability. No other power portfolio is built on such a proven foundation of innovation. In fact, from the gas and steam turbines to the generators and control systems, all of the components in the FlexEffi ciency Portfolio share a common FlexEffi ciency DNA. So you know you’re getting the very best of GE, in one very adaptable portfolio.

*Trademark of General Electric Company.

+ + + = FlexEfficiency Portfolio+plants steam

turbines generatorsgas turbines

control systems

adaptAre you properly equipped to

environment?to today’s energyto today’s energy

~

69085 GE Flex Eff 60 Port Chameleon for Asian Power Trim Size: 230 mm wide X 300 mm high Bleed size: 240 mm wide X 310 mm high

69085_GE_FlexEff_60Port_Chameleon_AsianPower.indd 1 9/20/12 10:49 AM

22 ASIAN POWER

FeATURe: INdIAN eLeCTRICITy MARKeT

Tariff meters and panel meters contributed nearly 90 percent and 10 percent.

Note: All figures are rounded; the base year is FY2010-11Source: Frost & Sullivan Analysis

Who wins in India’s surging electricity meters market?

Several sectors in India, especially industrial and infrastructural that include commercial and residential

corridors, are presently witnessing a sub-stantial rise in investments. Extensive power capacity augmentation and improvement of electrical grid networks are imperative to support this growth. The need to have an efficient and reliable power distribu-tion setup at both macro and micro levels is providing growth opportunities for the electricity meters market in India. Apart from billing purposes, electricity meters are also essential to monitor and manage energy consumption on the demand side.

Market OverviewAs per Frost & Sullivan’s analysis, in finan-cial year (FY) 2010-11 the overall electricity meters market was estimated at $460 mil-lion. Tariff meters and panel meters con-tributed nearly 90 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Transmission and distribution (T&D) utilities dominate the demand for tariff meters, whereas industrial end users mainly demand panel meters. With huge requirement from T&D utilities, prima-rily for installation at residential premises, single-phase electronic meters dominate the tariff meters segment with almost 65

percent demand in revenue terms. Also, huge investments planned by T&D utili-ties as part of the Restructured Accelerated Power Development Reforms Program (R-APDRP) are likely to provide an impetus to the demand for tri-vector meters.

In the panel meters segment, kWh me-ters generated 50 percent of the demand in terms of revenue in FY2010-11. But lately, multi-function meters have had increased uptake compared to kWh meters, due to their additional functionalities. However,

Frost & Sullivan predicts which segments will rake in the revenues and which utilities are poised to sustain growth in the long run.

Electricity Meters Market Projections (India)FY2010-11

higher price is a hindrance to their mass adoption. Dual-source meters find ap-plication in establishments that use diesel generators because of unreliable power supply from T&D utilities. The market for dual-source meters is expected to flourish owing to increased usage of back-up power.

Presently, HPL Electric & Power Pvt. Ltd. (HPL), Secure Meters Pvt. Ltd., Genus Power Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., L&T Ltd., and Landis+Gyr Ltd. dominate the Indian electricity meters market.

Frost & Sullivan estimates that long-standing market presence, coupled with a wide product portfolio, focus on tariff meters market, and extensive market pen-etration are the key success factors for these participants. Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd. leads the panel meters market with over 40 percent share. Some smaller par-ticipants are now providing stiff competi-tion to organized participants by gradually expanding their geographical coverage with low-cost products.

Distributors and panel builders/system integrators are significant intermediaries in the panel meters market, with over 90 percent of meters being routed through this channel. T&D utilities primarily pro-cure tariff meters directly from manufac-turers and in turn issue it to EPC contrac-tors for installation. EPC contractors and panel builders/system integrators are also a significant intermediary for tariff meters primarily in electrification projects for the industrial and infrastructural segments.

Going ForwardThe electricity meters market in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10-12 percent between FY2010-11 and FY2017-18, as shown on the chart. The growing econo-my, coupled with industrial development, is set to drive the demand for higher energy consumption. With the industry moving toward high-end products, a technology-focused approach is the way forward for participants in the long run.

Burgeoning energy costs have led to end users focusing on energy conservation and management. Unlike developed nations, anti-tamper features are integral to tariff meter specifications in Indian T&D utili-ties apart from accuracy. While Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) schemes are being put in place now, adoption of Automatic Metering Infrastructure (AMI) will be a continuous process.

Frost & Sullivan estimates that T&D util-ities and other players with a wide product portfolio, focus on competitive pricing, and well-entrenched distribution network are likely to be successful in the Indian elec-tricity meters market in the next few years.

ASIAN POWER 23

24 ASIAN POWER

eHTesHAM UddIN

OpINION

How wide area visibility can prevent cascading blackouts

system operators have access to information about any potential threat in advance and with enough time to react and save the disaster. WAMs comes here to rescue.

The trends of interconnections are gaining popu-larity in the Asian power market. Besides the great advantages of these interconnections, a

high risk is also associated with cascading effect of any local disturbance which may travel through the inter-connections and lead to a massive break down. This is why Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS) are now a necessity in Asian power markets.

Complex configurations of interconnectors create a re-quirement of better visibility and disturbance analysis so that system operators have access to information about any potential threat in advance and have enough time to react and save the disaster. Here is where WAMS comes to the rescue.

How does WAMS work?WAMS can be used as standalone infrastructure that compliments the grid’s conventional SCADA system. Expressly designed WAMS can enhance the operator’s reach to monitor activities and happenings in neighbor-hoods of their control area and provide better visibility over the events taking place. Though the concept is too old, however with advancement in information technol-ogy, telecommunication field and advanced operational structure has paved the way for the better utilization of WAMS.

A basic ingredient to this concept is Phasors, a centu-ry-old tool for circuit analysis, usually introduced as a means of representing steady state sinusoidal waveforms of fundamental power frequency. Even when a power system is not quite in a steady state, Phasors are often useful in describing the behavior of the power system.

When the power system is undergoing electromechan-ical oscillations during power swings, the waveforms of voltages and currents are not in steady state and neither is the frequency at its nominal value. Under these condi-tions, as the variations of the voltages and currents are relatively slow, Phasors may still be used to describe the performance of the network.

The latest developments in PhasorsRecent developments in time synchronizing techniques, coupled with the computer-based measurement sys-tem, have provided a novel opportunity to measure the Phasor and phase angle differences in real time.

With a high quality of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), similar to RTUs, installed at different locations of widely spread interconnected control areas, these de-vices use a synchronization signal from Global Position-ing Systems (GPS) and provide the Phasor of voltage and currents measured at different location with a single time stamp.

Currently available WAMS operate at 6-60 measure-

ments per second, ideal to perform dynamic monitoring and analysis. This creates an early warning system for op-erators, and with the help of smart algorithms/software, can also generate alarms in advance and suggest defense mechanisms to protect or stop the cascading impact of any disturbance over the interconnected network.

Multifold improvements can be obtained in “Supervi-sion” and “State Estimation (SE)” processes. Similar im-provements in “Protection” and “System Control” can be seen as well.

As dynamic supervision is now possible with smart use of PMU’s data and artistically built maps and over-views, this provides an illusion of Real Time wide area visual perception.

Abu Dhabi being the hub of interconnections such as Gulf Interconnector that connects all Gulf States (Sau-di Arab, Qatar, Bahrain. Kuwait) and on the other side with the Emirates Grid that connects Dubai, Sharjah and Northern Emirates, it is advisable to look for such ca-pability to enhanced operational excellence and to avoid any cascaded blackouts, such as the one that recently occurred in India and in the past was faced by North America.

How wide area visibility can prevent cascading blackouts

ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE MOBILE SERVICE THAT MADE A $9 MILLION DEAL POSSIBLE.Each Caterpillar expert involved in developing and maintaining your Cat® power system shares your dedication to quality. Together with your local Cat Dealer, our deep knowledge and global experience enable us to configure a world-class system that delivers the right power for your project, on time and within budget. We install it properly to reduce risks or delays you can’t a ord. And we will be there to ensure that your system is operating with robust reliability and durability, as it should at all times.

For more information, visit www.catelectricpowerinfo.com/AP

CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

© 2011 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved.

Get the free mobile app at http://gettag.mobi

26 ASIAN POWER

FeATURe: INdIA’s eNeRgy seCTOR

Technological advancements are changing rather simplifying the way electricity is measured and

communicated to both producers and consumers. One such advancement gain-ing ground across the world is the use of Smart Metering technologies in the power sector.

Smart Meters are basically electricity meters that are capable both of measur-ing and recording energy consumption in short intervals. They allow two-way com-munication, between energy providers and consumers of electricity.

Smart meters are becoming the meter of choice in many countries (such as Italy, Sweden, Australia, Canada and UK), since they enable suppliers to provide accurate bills without manually reading the meter; help the management of supply and dis-tribution remotely and assist customers

reduce their consumption by providing accurate real-time data on their consump-tion, which can be accessed as frequently as required (although a half hourly interval is common).

Often these meters are supplied with a display unit so that consumers see in real time how much electricity they are using.

Benefit to utilitiesThe ability of smart meters to communi-cate with utilities provides the following measures to manage power better and re-duce losses:

(1) Load management – Smart meters can relay information back to distribution companies as to when the demand for power is maximum, so that suitable strate-gies such as time of day (TOD) tariffing can be adopted.

(2) Prevention of theft and pilferage –

The market for electricity meter has witnessed rapid expansion with growth of 32% between 2008-09 and 2010-2011.

Withmart” meters in place, a feedback can be sent back to the utility in case of theft and pilferage to reduce commercial losses.

(3) Monitoring the quality of supply – Smart meters can also provide customers a real-time analysis on the quality of power being supplied.

The case for IndiaIndia, with its growing economy and ever increasing demand for electricity, the use of smart metering technologies can poten-tially offer several benefits and help solve some of the most pressing challenges of its power sector.

The practice of accurate energy con-sumption accounting still remains elusive in the country.

However, with the focus of policy mak-ers on the reduction of AT&C (Aggregate Technical & Commercial) losses along with the availability of funds from the union government through various pro-grammes, the scenario could potentially change for the better to improve electricity metering in the country.

The market for electricity meter (static and electromagnetic) has witnessed rapid expansion with growth of 32% between 2008-09 and 2010-2011. This growth rate can be largely attributed to government mandates and policies, which are encour-

Government, consumers and utilities all stand to gain from the switch to smart meters, which has prompted widespread adoption. bY prima madan & vivEk dhariWal

smart Meter Use gaining ground in India

ASIAN POWER 27

FeATURe: INdIA’s eNeRgy seCTOR

aging metering of power consumption for all customers.

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) guidelines, which have mandated the use of static meters, have seen the Indian energy meter market shift largely to static meters from earlier electromechanical meters.

With a maturing status of metering in the country and growing government interest and support, adoption of smart metering technologies is emerging to be the most relevant next step.

By appropriately collating data, commu-nicating it both to utilities and consumers, smart meters would enable Indian utilities manage better and potentially help reduce peak power deficit (which reaches 12-15% in major cities), one of the biggest problems of the Indian power sector.

Reduction in commercial losses is one of the principal advantages of using smart metering, particularly of relevance for In-dia, which arguably has the highest Aggre-gate Technical and Commercial losses in the world at about 28%.

Smart meter implementation can also potentially save the costs of manual meter reading, and help utilities overcome prob-lems related to electricity theft, poor bill-ing and collection inefficiencies. One of the largest long-term benefit, also highlighted and observed in other countries, is its role in effective implementation of demand side management programmes and helping the country move towards improving energy efficiency. For instance, suitable rewarding tariff mechanisms for consumers that aid in reducing peak power demand can be implemented with these meters.

Initiatives undertaken so farRealizing the importance and need, certain government initiatives are leading the way for a move towards metering smartly in the country.

The India Smart Grid Task Force (IS-GTF) an inter-ministerial group initiated by Ministry of Power, Government of In-dia has been serving as a government focal point for all activities related to smart grid. Under the ISGTF, in March 2011, a Smart Meter Task Group was formed to discuss the development of cost-effective metering solutions that can be applied within the In-dian context.

The ISGTF plans to come up with 12 smart grid pilots in the country by next year, with specific inclusion of smart me-ters. These will be a stepping stone to a large-scale rollout in the following years based on the learning of the pilots.

The CEA is also developing specification for smart meters in India. The draft specifi-cations for single phase smart meters were recently completed by CEA.

In addition, The India Smart Grid Forum

has been formed as a non-profit voluntary association of public and private stakehold-ers with the prime objective of accelerating the development of smart grid technolo-gies, with a specific working group on me-tering amongst the eight working groups under the Forum.

Besides these national level initiatives, several state-level initiatives have also been adopted to improve metering in India. For instance, some of the advanced features such as automatic meter reading, time of day metering and prepaid metering are being planned for implementation by state utilities. For example, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (MSED-CL) plans to start prepaid metering for 10 cities in Maharashtra.

What Next?It is expected that implementation of smart meters will touch every aspect of the power sector value chain and will bring value to the entire country. Thereby it is crucial to approach it in a way which is all encom-passing and overcomes the currently posed barriers to smart meter implementation.

Some of the potential steps forward could include the following:

(1) Developing a robust policy and regulatory framework, a well-structured roadmap for smart meter implementation for creating an enabling environment for market players, utilities and consumers is currently needed. Such a roadmap must ensure absolute synchronization between policies at central and state-level.

(2) Developing an institutional structure to ensure effective implementation in a way which brings together all stakeholders and ensure appropriate allocation of responsi-bility. A premier body at centre level with state-level nodal agencies responsible for implementation would be required.

(3) Identifying the right meter specifica-tions best suited to Indian power sector is

extremely crucial for success of implemen-tation. For instance, inclusion of net meter-ing functionality is important to promote distributed renewable energy generation in the country.

(4) Building technological capacity and expertise currently, the smart meters manufactured in the country rely heavily on imported components.

(5) Development of domestic capacity to produce meter components can go a long way in reducing per meter costs for the country.

(6) Training the needed manpower and enhancing their skill set is crucial for suc-cessful implementation and to reap bene-fits out of the huge pool of data that would be generated.

(7) Designing of effective demand side management programmes based on me-ters in a way which ensures adoption of en-ergy efficiency measures across consumer segments is needed.

(8) Conducting pilots: It is widely felt that conducting pilots and testing the waters in terms of technology, consumer segments, etc. is important before a large-scale roll-out. Though smart meters do form part of the currently planned 12 smart grid pilots under the ISGTF, inclusion of right DSM components in these pilots is required.

ConclusionLastly, it will be most prudent for the country to study the experience of other countries, which have already made the smart move. Several European countries, Australia and USA provide case examples of successful large scale-rollouts as well as pilots of smart meters.

There is a need to understand the experi-ence of other countries, while tailoring it to specific circumstances of India and find a successful way forward to what promises to be a solution to some of the long-standing problems of the Indian power sector.

smart meters would enable Indian utilities manage better and potentially help reduce peak power deficit, one of the biggest problems of the Indian power sector.

Kolkata electricity meters

28 ASIAN POWER

such a large projectis impossible to be implemented by an individual company

Thailand underpinned its credentials as a leader in the Asian power sector for renewable energy by intro-ducing a comprehensive package of adder rates for

renewable energy technologies in 2007, and currently offers incentives for biomass/biogas, solar (thermal and photo-voltaic), wind and mini/micro hydropower projects.

Adder rates are available for VSPPs (Very Small Power Pro-ducers, producing up to 10mW) and all adder rates except for hydropower are available for SPPs (Small Power Producers, producing from 10mW up to 90mW). The adder rates are payable in addition to the normal price of electricity paid to VSPPs and SPPs.

Adder rates for solar and wind projects apply for ten years and adder rates for other renewable energy projects apply for seven years.

Renewable technology Adder Rate (Baht/kW hour)*Biomass/biogas (>1 MW / up to1 MW) 0.30 / 0.50Hydro (50-200kW/<50kW) 0.80 / 1.50Waste (landfill, digestion/thermal) 2.50 / 3.50Wind (> 50kW /up to 50 kW) 3.50 / 4.50Solar (Thermal and photovoltaic) 6.50* 1 USD = 31.6 Baht, July 2012

Watch out for the solar bottleneckThe solar adder rates need to be viewed in the context of

Thailand’s renewable energy adder rates

Sanhua Group, a Chinese listed company, plans to in-vest RMB 600 million (US $95 million) to install 600 dish-turbine units in Inner Mongolia as the first phase

of a concentrated solar power (CSP) project. By the end of 2013, the first batch of the 100 dish-turbine units will be installed. After that, a combined heat and power system, including 500 dish-turbine units and two sets of 300 MW thermal power-generation systems will be built. Phase II includes plans to invest another RMB 60 billion to build a GW-scale solar thermal power base that is expected to attract other players in the value chain to cluster together in the base. Phase III plans to complete the installation of 10,000 dish-turbine units in total, reaching 1 GW of power-generation capacity.

This announcement is a progressive step after Sanhua’s recent activities to develop CSP. In 2011, the company in-vested $10.6 million to buy 30% of HelioFocus, a modular solar thermal systems developer, controlled by IC Green Energy, the renewable energy investment arm of Israel Cor-poration, and the largest shareholder in HelioFocus with 40% shares. It is reported that IC Green Energy will invest $2.3 million in HelioFocus alongside Sanhua’s investment. This can be regarded as a successful story of inducing a for-eign leading technology to commercialize in large scale in China.

Against a backdrop of rapid expansion of China’s PV industry in the past, large-scale solar thermal develop-

ment has stayed remarkably inactive in the country. How-ever, CSP has attracted the authority’s attention in recent years. In the “National Industrial Restructuring Catalog” launched in May 2011 by the National Development and Reform Commission. Solar-thermal power generation tops the list of encouraged sectors in the new energy cat-egory. During its 12th Five-Year Plan, China plans to in-crease solar power generation to 15 GW by 2015, which includes 3 GW from the CSP. As a megacity, Shanghai has been pushed to be a leader in solar thermal energy tech-nology and projects.

However, considering the current bleak solar market, the exact size of this CSP project that will be finalized is still suspicious. At the very least, such a large project is impos-sible to be implemented by an individual company. That might be the reason that Sanhua intends to incorporate up-stream and downstream partners to support its blueprint in the second phase of the project. However, the announced plan indicates the Inner Mongolia provincial government also has a desire to boost solar energy in the area, especial-ly after the failed deal with First Solar in 2009. So far, this project has been the largest announced single CSP project in China to contribute to the country’s 3 GW CSP target by 2015. Expect Chinese enterprises with in-house technology resources and robust balanced sheets to make a lot of noise in the next three years as they seek to deploy a solar energy offering in China other than solar PV.

1 gW Csp project emerges in inner Mongolia but challenges remain

Adder rates for solar and wind projects apply for ten years

zHUN MA

CHRIsTOpHeR OsBORNe

projects for which approvals have already been sought or granted. Solar adder rates were introduced in 2007 at a rate of 8 Baht per kW hour and while some projects are now es-tablished and operational at this rate, the solar adder rate was decreased to 6.5 Baht per kW hour in 2010.

The interest in solar projects has been so high that applica-tions exceeded Thailand’s solar energy targets several times over in terms of capacity. In 2010, EGAT (the Electricity Gen-erating Authority of Thailand, which deals with SPPs), PEA (the Provincial Electricity Authority which deals with VSPPs outside Bangkok) and MEA (the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, which deals with VSPPs in the Bangkok metropol-itan area) issued announcements that they would no longer accept applications for power purchase agreements for solar projects if adder rates are involved.

It is understood that the suspension is temporary, to enable EGAT, PEA and MEA to identify projects for which applica-tions have been lodged, but which are unlikely to proceed, before reopening the application process, and it is generally expected that the adder rate could be reduced when applica-tions resume.

As the 8.0 Baht and 6.5 Baht adder rates are presently only available to solar projects for which applications have already been made, new entrants to the Thai solar market who re-quire adder rates and do not wish to wait for applications to resume will need to acquire an interest in an existing solar project.

OpINION

Visit us at stand A64 of the PowerGen Asia to receive a complimentary copy of the latest Asian Power Magazine.

30 ASIAN POWER

ANdReW T. HOLdeN

The power installation market is heating up in southeast Asia.

A famous sporting coach once said, “The achieve-ments of an organization are the results of the com-bined effort of each individual.” Great leaders may

intuitively know that the success of their organization de-pends on the quality and the contributions of their personnel at the individual level, but how can they successfully accom-plish the goal of employing the best of the best in a global marketplace where competition for limited resources seems to be ever increasing?

The principlesDespite the increasing complexity of the power industry in Asia and the rest of the world, fundamental principles hold valid now more than ever. The efforts of leading global or-ganizations to find and keep personnel of the highest qual-ity can depend on how they practice three simple and basic principles: identify, recruit, and retain.

Great leaders know that to move forward, you must first-look inward. A challenge for leaders today is to determine the specific skills and experience that will be crucial for the success of their organization’s unique strategic goals in the in-creasingly dynamic and competitive marketplace.

The challenge of correctly identifying the relevant skills and experiences is paramount to achieving the organiza-tional strategic goals. As a leader, once you clearly determine what you want to accomplish, it becomes unmistakable who the right people are that will help you achieve it.

Keeping great people in the power industry

It’s no secret that the power installation market is heating up in Southeast Asia. As the countries of Southeast Asia progress from emerging to developed status, building

out electricity infrastructure is a key ambition of both gov-ernment and business leaders.

For many companies trying to capture this market, project delays are the biggest risk. Company thought lead-ers must recognize the uniqueness of the area.

Since Southeast Asia is not as developed as other markets (such as Europe, Japan and North America), first movers are not rewarded with the same kind of success. Compa-nies ought to show restraint, being careful not to take on too much overhead in anticipation of upcoming projects.

Of course, keeping a core group of field engineers is rec-ommended, but supplementing personnel with regional manpower allows companies the flexibility to ramp up or down as needed. Partnering with an established staffing firm can be a strategic move in this case, removing some or all of the risk.

Benefits of outsourcing Utilizing an adaptive labor model, companies are able to

ride out the inherent construction cycles. While outsourc-ing some personnel needs does slightly impact your cost leverage, the advantages of a flexible labor pool certainly outweigh the negatives.

Secondly, taking advantage of a “risk free trial” is another

unique benefit offered by many manpower supply firms. Employment probationary periods are common in Asia.

Most companies, however, don’t have a proven meth-odology for weeding out less experienced candidates, and realize too late that a poor hiring decision has been made.

Having quality workersRegional manpower supply partners are able to offer flex-

ibility, giving companies more time to decide if an employee is the right fit. Manpower supply firms pre-screen all ap-plicants, so only the best are presented for final selection. This process ensures that only quality workers are assigned to projects.

Finally, there is something refreshing about the honesty of using contracted personnel. The employees understand that they are hired for one project and will not be disap-pointed when the company releases them after their work is done.

Project delays are an unavoidable part of the power in-dustry, and the uncertainty of working in an emerging market like Southeast Asia can teach painful lessons. Ex-perienced and disciplined companies expect and plan for project delays and know not to over leverage themselves in anticipation of work.

This partnership will help you stay flexible and ensure the right people are on your side.

Manpower strategies for the AseAN power market

A challenge for leaders today is to determine the specific skills and experience that will be crucial for the success of their organization’s unique strategic goals

AsHLey KeLLy

The challenge created by a global demand for talented people also brings with it the inverse benefit of access to a larger pool of high talent individuals. This opportunity can be under utilized by organizations that refrain from expand-ing their internal recruitment resources to capitalize on this opportunity. The basic principal holds true today that good people are always in the highest of demand, even more so now in the global environment.

Retaining good talentsRetention of top talent is an area where organizations across industries have historically fallen short. Their attention can instead be focused on external issues to the organization or moving forward to upcoming challenges.

Often said and rarely done, regular and meaningful com-munication with your valued personnel can serve to rein-force in their minds strategic goals, re-energize their motiva-tion, and confirm their importance to the organization.

As has always been the case, remember that valuable indi-viduals will gravitate towards the organization that they are most engaged by most effectively.

So even in a highly dynamic, seemingly ever expanding, and increasingly competitive market the basic principles of business are more valid than ever. Know exactly where you want to go as an organization, find and hire the people that can help you get there, and don’t neglect to maintain the qual-ity people you worked so hard to find in the first place.

OpINION

ASIAN POWER 31

It is no surprise that Siemens has found an innovative solution for today’s power supply trends – SIPROTEC 5, the new generation of pro-tection devices. You’ll be amazed at how ­exibly you can con�gure each device to your individual needs. Engineering and operation of

Answers for infrastructure and cities.

SIPROTEC 5 are so e�cient that you can work with a single tool all the way from plant design to operation. For you, this means time savings, data security, and excellent transparency throughout the entire life cycle of your plant.

E500

01-E

720-

F213

-X-4

A00 A new benchmark for �exibility

and eciencySIPROTEC 5 entirely rede�nes engineering in protection.

www.siemens.com/siprotec5