Australia declares third offshore wind zone

Spanish Market: Electricity
06/03/24

Australia's federal government has declared an area in the Southern Ocean off Victoria state as the country's third offshore wind zone, although its potential power generation capacity has been significantly reduced following public consultation last year.

The declared zone can host up to 2.9GW of offshore wind capacity, down from a maximum of 14GW as originally proposed. It spans 1,030km² around 20km offshore Port Fairy, while the original area would run from offshore Warrnambool in western Victoria all the way to Port MacDonnell in South Australia (SA). The declared zone no longer includes an area off SA.

Australia's climate change and energy ministry said it decided to declare a much smaller area for offshore wind following feedback from a public consultation process over June-August last year, when it received 3,285 submissions. The smaller zone avoids important environmental areas and major commercial fishing grounds, while addressing concerns regarding visual impacts.

Companies will now be officially able to submit feasibility licence applications for offshore wind projects in the new zone. Applications need to be lodged until 2 July this year. Construction work can only begin after the feasibility stage is completed and developers have gained subsequent environmental and management plan approvals, the ministry noted.

Apart from registering consistently strong winds and being close to existing connections to the grid, the new declared zone is close to areas of high electricity demand, including Alcoa's 358,000 t/yr Portland aluminium smelter.

Australia declared its first offshore wind zone in the end of 2022, in an area spanning 15,000km² in the Bass Strait off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria that can receive up to 10GW of capacity. But the federal government early this year rejected Victoria's preferred seaport terminal project based on environmental concerns, which could affect projects.

A second zone of 1,854km² and a potential 5.2GW of capacity was declared in July last year off the Hunter region in New South Wales (NSW). The federal government has also carried out public consultations for two other proposed areas — off Illawarra in NSW with a potential 4.2GW and in the Bass Strait off the coast of northern Tasmania with up to 28GW of potential capacity. It is currently consulting on a sixth and final zone, off the Bunbury region in Western Australia, which could encompass 7,674km² and host as much as 20GW of capacity.

Australia has no operational offshore wind farms, with the first units expected to come on line only in the early 2030s. The country has passed the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021, allowing offshore wind projects for the first time, which could help it to both its renewable energy targets and boost hydrogen projects.

By Juan Weik

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05/11/24

Latin America mulls nuclear power revival

New York, 5 November (Argus) — Nuclear power is gaining traction in Latin America as countries see small modular reactors (SMRs) as options for remote regions that are not connected to power grids. "The advent of SMRs are behind Latin America's new interest in nuclear energy, because they do not need to be large and do not require large investments," said Modesto Montoya, a nuclear physicist and former president of the Peruvian Institute for Nuclear Energy. Nuclear power is not a prevalent source of electricity in Latin America, producing around 2pc of the region's power consumption. There are seven nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 5.07GW in operation in the region, located in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Argentina has a 32MW SMR plant under construction. But the role of nuclear could increase in the region. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico are providing technical advice to countries that are considering including the technology in their power systems. Earlier this month, El Salvador approved a nuclear energy law and signed a memorandum with the Argentinian government for scientific and technology cooperation for nuclear power. Daniel Alvarez, director of the Agency for Implementation of the Nuclear Energy Program in El Salvador, told Argus that the country was "following the book to develop nuclear power. We want to convert El Salvador into a nuclear country." The country needs to replace fossil fuels as half of the country's power capacity is fueled by bunker fuel. It has 204MW of geothermal capacity installed and, while solar energy is possible, the country's size limits the amount of physical space to add large solar plants. The government's plan is to have a research reactor and 400 people trained to manage a nuclear plant within seven years. The next step would be the construction of SMR. "We have to include alternatives for power generation and SMRs are a very good option. We want to include them in our transition to 2050,"Alvarez said. SMRs are also seen as a solution to the energy problem in the northern jungle city of Iquitos, in Peru, energy and mines minister Romulo Mucho said. It is one of the world's largest cities that is not accessible by road and not connected to the national grid, relying primarily on fuel oil for power generation. Peru has had experience with nuclear technology since 1988, when it opened the nuclear research facility, RASCO. Neighboring Bolivia has been working on a small nuclear program since the previous decade with Russia's Rosatom. It has a center for nuclear medicine and is finishing a small research reactor. Ronald Veizaga, deputy minister of electricity and renewable energies, said Bolivia began the program to improve medical treatment for cancer, but has changed gears. "Critics claim SMRs are expensive, but it is more expensive to have blackouts affecting your population and industry," he said. Traditional nuclear Paraguay is considering a more ambitious path, looking at a traditional nuclear plant. "We need to make political decisions if we want to explore a SMR or a large-scale plant to generate 1GW or more," said Jorge Molina, executive secretary of Paraguay's Radiology and Nuclear Authority. Paraguay could work with Argentina and Brazil to create a regional platform. "Our idea is part of regional integration. Our neighbors are already helping us develop our regulations," he said. But the construction of nuclear plants comes with challenges including high costs, time, labor and materials. Brazil began work on the 1.4GW Angra 3 nuclear plant in 1984 but works have been halted and resumed several times since then. The plant is roughly 67pc complete and has been in limbo since 2015. The country's Bndes development bank recently concluded that abandoning the construction of the project would be less costly than completing it. By Lucien Chauvin Countries with installed nuclear capacity in Latin America GW Country Capacity Argentina 1.64 Brazil 1.88 Mexico 1.55 — Ons, Cammesa, Cenace Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan’s 53MW Chokai Minami biomass plant comes on line

05/11/24

Japan’s 53MW Chokai Minami biomass plant comes on line

Tokyo, 5 November (Argus) — A joint venture led by Japanese utility Tohoku Electric Power has started commercial operations at the 53MW Chokai Minami biomass-fired power plant in Japan's Yamagata prefecture. Operations started on 2 November. The plant burns a combined 200,000 t/yr of imported wood pellets and palm kernel shells (PKS) to generate around 330 GWh/yr of electricity, which will be sold under the country's feed in tariff (FiT) scheme, the joint-venture company announced on 5 November. The plant is operated by Chokai Minami Biomass Power, which is 75pc owned by Tohoku Electric Power, 15pc by renewable energy developer Olympia and 10pc by a subsidiary of Japanese gas supplier Shizuoka Gas. Chokai Minami is Tohoku's first biomass-only combustion project. The company has also invested in the 50MW Niigata Higashikou biomass plant, which is planning to start operations in mid-November, later than October as initially scheduled. Tohoku has two other planned biomass projects, the 2MW Yokote and the 2MW Yuzawa plants. These facilities are scheduled to come on line in June 2026 and October 2026 respectively. By Takeshi Maeda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trump unlikely to fully end US clean energy policies

04/11/24

Trump unlikely to fully end US clean energy policies

Houston, 4 November (Argus) — Although former US president Donald Trump has promised to end climate policies enacted during the administration of President Joe Biden, the political complications of reversing course make a full change of direction unlikely should Trump return to the White House. Trump has frequently criticized Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), promising to terminate the " Green New Scam " and rescind all unspent funds in the Biden administration's climate policy suite, if he is elected to a second term. But fulfilling that pledge may be difficult for many reasons, not least of which is whether Republicans have control of both chambers of Congress after Tuesday's election, including the unlikely outcome of a 60-seat majority needed to bypass a Senate filibuster. Beyond the math, Republican districts are benefiting from IRA funding, with some lawmakers from Trump's party already opposing the turmoil that could arise from an about-face on tax policy. "There's no way they're going to be able to replace and repeal the IRA, in large part because so many of the dollars are flowing to [Republican] states," said David Shepheard, a partner at consultant Baringa who specializes in energy and resources. "I think the pieces of the IRA that are most at risk are the [electric vehicle] tax credits, potentially some of the stimulative pieces around offshore wind." The IRA established a host of federal incentives to support clean electricity growth and the associated domestic supply chain. Those include technology-agnostic production and investment tax credits for electricity generators based on their emissions intensities. But the law went well beyond the power sector and also established credits for hydrogen production, electric vehicles and the manufacture of components needed by clean electricity systems. Project developers are counting on a policy trajectory that does not match Trump's rhetoric, which would allow some incentives to stay on the books. Companies expect market forces, such as corporate demand, and state mandates to continue to drive growth for solar and onshore wind and energy storage, rather than national politics. But there is more trepidation around offshore wind, a less mature sector for which the federal government is effectively the landlord for project sites. "There is no doubt that the trajectory of the US offshore wind industry will be impacted by the November election," Liz Burdock, chief executive of offshore wind industry group Oceantic Network, said. "Its outcome will influence how we maintain our momentum." Uncertainty around the US presidential election has dampened private investment in the sector this year, according to Oceantic. At the same time, companies say the industry has come a long way since 2016, with a handful of projects now operating, while recent macroeconomic challenges are subsiding. Furthermore, demand for offshore wind would continue at the state level, and these factors could make the industry more resilient to headwinds. Executive decisions Trump still could use the executive branch to "stonewall" sectors helped by the IRA in the absence of a repeal, including by influence the timing or distribution of IRA funds, according to Shepheard. He could shift regulators' priorities to new oil and gas development, which, along with other actions, could make resources such as combined-cycle natural gas plants more attractive than renewables. "The extent that renewables and other cleaner energy assets are competing with gas, that'll be the big change from a Trump administration," Shepheard said. At the same time, funding for onshore wind and solar is "relatively safe", and tax credits for hydrogen and carbon capture are on comparably firm ground because of support from the oil and gas industry, Shepheard said. Some companies have expressed cautious optimism that some elements of the IRA, such as the advanced manufacturing tax credit, will survive. The incentive is not only important for the solar supply chain but also offshore wind, as state-level solicitations often require developers to invest in local manufacturing. Republican states in the US southeast have already benefited from new factories springing up on the back of the credits. For example, Enel chose Oklahoma for a new new module plant , First Solar located a factory in Alabama and Qcells has expanded production in Georgia. Moreover, removing that carrot could leave the US solar industry reliant on Chinese companies, which could run afoul of Trump's protectionist trade instincts. Trump's campaign did not respond to multiple requests to elaborate on his policy plans. By Patrick Zemanek Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Latin America mulls nuclear power revival

01/11/24

Latin America mulls nuclear power revival

New York, 1 November (Argus) — Nuclear power is gaining traction in Latin America as countries see small modular reactors (SMRs) as options for remote regions that are not connected to power grids. "The advent of SMRs are behind Latin America's new interest in nuclear energy, because they do not need to be large and do not require large investments," said Modesto Montoya, a nuclear physicist and former president of the Peruvian Institute for Nuclear Energy. Nuclear power is not a prevalent source of electricity in Latin America, producing around 2pc of the region's power consumption. There are seven nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 5.07GW in operation in the region, located in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Argentina has a 32MW SMR plant under construction. But the role of nuclear could increase in the region. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico are providing technical advice to countries that are considering including the technology in their power systems. Earlier this month, El Salvador approved a nuclear energy law and signed a memorandum with the Argentinian government for scientific and technology cooperation for nuclear power. Daniel Alvarez, director of the Agency for Implementation of the Nuclear Energy Program in El Salvador, told Argus that the country was "following the book to develop nuclear power. We want to convert El Salvador into a nuclear country." The country needs to replace fossil fuels as half of the country's power capacity is fueled by bunker fuel. It has 204MW of geothermal capacity installed and, while solar energy is possible, the country's size limits the amount of physical space to add large solar plants. The government's plan is to have a research reactor and 400 people trained to manage a nuclear plant within seven years. The next step would be the construction of SMR. "We have to include alternatives for power generation and SMRs are a very good option. We want to include them in our transition to 2050,"Alvarez said. SMRs are also seen as a solution to the energy problem in the northern jungle city of Iquitos, in Peru, energy and mines minister Romulo Mucho said. It is one of the world's largest cities that is not accessible by road and not connected to the national grid, relying primarily on fuel oil for power generation. Peru has had experience with nuclear technology since 1988, when it opened the nuclear research facility, RASCO. Neighboring Bolivia has been working on a small nuclear program since the previous decade with Russia's Rosatom. It has a center for nuclear medicine and is finishing a small research reactor. Ronald Veizaga, deputy minister of electricity and renewable energies, said Bolivia began the program to improve medical treatment for cancer, but has changed gears. "Critics claim SMRs are expensive, but it is more expensive to have blackouts affecting your population and industry," he said. Traditional nuclear Paraguay is considering a more ambitious path, looking at a traditional nuclear plant. "We need to make political decisions if we want to explore a SMR or a large-scale plant to generate 1GW or more," said Jorge Molina, executive secretary of Paraguay's Radiology and Nuclear Authority. Paraguay could work with Argentina and Brazil to create a regional platform. "Our idea is part of regional integration. Our neighbors are already helping us develop our regulations," he said. But the construction of nuclear plants comes with challenges including high costs, time, labor and materials. Brazil began work on the 1.4GW Angra 3 nuclear plant in 1984 but works have been halted and resumed several times since then. The plant is roughly 67pc complete and has been in limbo since 2015. The country's Bndes development bank recently concluded that abandoning the construction of the project would be less costly than completing it. By Lucien Chauvin Countries with installed nuclear capacity in Latin America GW Country Capacity Argentina 1.64 Brazil 1.88 Mexico 1.55 — Ons, Cammesa, Cenace Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan's Hibikinada biomass unit to trial runs in Jan

01/11/24

Japan's Hibikinada biomass unit to trial runs in Jan

Tokyo, 1 November (Argus) — Japan's 112MW Hibikinada biomass plant, which is being converted from coal and biomass co-firing to biomass-only combustion, will trial run in January 2025. The plant in southern Japan's Fukuoka prefecture, which is held by housing and energy company Daiwa House Industry, will conduct test runs to examine if exhaust gas coming from biomass-only operations can meet environmental regulations and verify that the modified boiler can be stably operated. The construction for conversion started in April and nitrogen injection systems for preventing fires have already been installed. Daiwa will resume conversion works in mid-2025 after evaluating results from the first test runs, and complete it by April 2026. It aims to start biomass-only combustion operations around April 2026 to generate 980 GWh/yr of electricity. Of this, 30pc will be sold under Japan's feed in tariff (FiT) scheme while the company is considering other ways to sell the remaining 70pc, including long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and electricity capacity auctions. The plant started operations as a coal and biomass co-firing power plant in February 2019, burning 70pc of coal and 30pc of imported wood pellets. Daiwa bought the operating company in January 2023 and announced it will convert the project to biomass-only combustion in April 2023, then halted operations in April 2024 for conversion. It will burn up to around 450,000 t/yr of wood pellets after converting to biomass-only combustion. Daiwa is aiming to develop more than 2,500MW of renewable energy capacity around 2030, including solar, wind, hydro, and biomass-fired power generation. By Takeshi Maeda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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