Lorong Halus power station and Pulau Ubin micro-grid

Power to rise from the east with new station
Government releasing land for power station at Lorong Halus in strategic move
Ronnie Lim, Business Times 18 Nov 09;

(SINGAPORE) The government is releasing a new land site to develop a power station in Lorong Halus, Tampines - the first in the eastern part of Singapore. It also plans to develop an electricity futures market here, Energy Market Authority (EMA) CEO Lawrence Wong disclosed yesterday.

These are among several new mid to long-term opportunities announced for the energy industry here, although details are still sketchy at this point.

A more immediate prospect will be a tender that EMA will call soon for the development of a micro-grid making use of clean and renewable energy for Pulau Ubin.

The island, which is not connected to the main power grid because of its modest energy demand, currently relies just on diesel generators.

'There is a lot of interest from both local and foreign companies for this (test-bed Ubin project),' Mr Wong said at the Singapore Electricity Roundtable yesterday.

BT had earlier reported on the government's plans for power stations in the east. The move is said to be strategic given that the current stations are mainly located in the west, or on Jurong Island where land is limited. The only exception is Senoko Power, which is located in the north.

EMA said that the new Lorong Halus station in the north-east of Singapore will cater to growing electricity demand there as new industrial clusters develop, and will also help reduce transmission losses (if electricity was otherwise provided from a western station). It is currently working out the sales process for the site.

While there is sufficient generation capacity right now given the on-going expansions or investments by the three biggest gencos here, new power capacity will be needed in the mid-term or around 2020, as electricity demand here resumes a growth path after the recent economic downturn, Mr Wong said yesterday.

Both Senoko Power and PowerSeraya are in the midst of 're-powering' projects to boost their capacity, while Tuas Power has just embarked on building a $2 billion clean coal/biomass cogeneration plant on Jurong Island. India's GMR is also planning to build an 800-megawatt (MW) cogeneration plant there.

Roy Adair, president and CEO of Senoko Power, said that 'green shoots' have reappeared, with 2009 electricity demand growth here now expected to recover to around 0.5-2 per cent from 2008, after demand has fallen by as much as 5 per cent earlier this year.

Between now and 2018, electricity demand is expected to grow by 2.5-3 per cent per annum, EMA said in its just-released Statement of Opportunities report. It added, however, that this does not take into account structural changes in the economy or energy efficiency efforts.

Mr Wong said that another initiative to be launched here shortly will be the use of electric vehicles to be linked to a smart energy grid.

'If 10 per cent of Singapore's vehicles are electric-powered, their demand will be equivalent to that of six Ang Mo Kio's,' he said at the roundtable, referring to electricity consumption in the housing estate.

The advantage of such plug-in electric vehicles is that the batteries can also store electricity which can be sold back to the power grid when they are not in use, he added.

EMA to call for proposals to develop Pulau Ubin micro-grid
Rachel Kelly, Channel NewsAsia 18 Nov 09;

SINGAPORE: The Energy Market Authority of Singapore (EMA) is seeking proposals to design, build, and operate an intelligent micro-grid, with clean and renewable energy technologies on Pulau Ubin.

The expression of interest (EOI) is expected to be launched on Friday.

The announcement was made at the opening of this year's Clean Energy Expo, as part of the International Energy Week.

Rustic Pulau Ubin now counts on diesel to power its lights and electrical needs, but things will soon change. The micro-grid will leverage on renewable energy solutions to provide power to Pulau Ubin's population.

Earlier this year, the EMA engaged consultants to study the feasibility of introducing clean and renewable energy sources on Pulau Ubin to replace diesel generators.

The plan is to have the EMA and the interested party develop five inter-connected grids serving Pulau Ubin's north, south, east, west and jetty regions.

The first phase covering the jetty area is expected to start in 2010. Each grid is estimated to take about two years to complete.

David Tan, deputy chief executive, Energy Planning & Development, EMA said: "The whole purpose of the project is to supply electricity to the community on the island itself, as well as to testbed clean technology.

"The expression of interest will actually close within a month. Thereafter, we will work with the potential candidates who will develop the micro-grid."

The micro-grids will rely on renewable energy such as solar, biofuel, and micro wind turbines. Experts said the technology for such micro-grid projects could be exported and implemented in other parts of the region.

Woochong Um, director, Regional & Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank said: "When we talk about energy in the Asia Pacific, we talk about countries like India and China which is producing a lot of energy for mass use all over the place, especially for an urban setting.

"But we also have to be conscious of the over 1 billion people who do not have access to the modern form of energy.

"They are resorting to biomass, cutting trees, which has a massive impact on the environment as well as the health, and livelihood of these people. Such projects are part of that access to people, for people who do not have access."

Meanwhile, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the sustainable energy associations of Singapore and Indonesia. The MOU will pave the way for joint ventures in carbon and solar projects between members of both associations.

- CNA/sc

Sun, wind to power Ubin
Grace Chua, Straits Times 18 Nov 09;

PULAU Ubin could be powered by the sun, wind and even waste in the next one to two years, as Singapore moves to test a combination of clean energy technologies for adoption on the mainland.

The Energy Market Authority is calling on companies to propose plans for an intelligent system that can harness and regulate different power sources such as solar, wind and biofuels, while keeping power supply stable.

The Ubin grid is the latest addition to the government's push into clean energy. Last year, the EMA launched a $25 million fund for energy research, while in 2007, the National Research Foundation set aside $170 million to develop clean energy as a key growth sector.

Pulau Ubin, with its 100 inhabitants, small businesses, restaurants and training camps like Outward Bound Singapore, is viewed as the ideal test-bed for the so-called microgrid and its suppliers of clean energy.

The islanders do not draw energy from the national power grid, as it is too expensive to lay cables from mainland Singapore for such a low demand. Instead, people and businesses le and businesses there have their own diesel generators.

Once the micro-grid is up, clean energy companies can then enter the picture to provide their power sources for the island.

Ubin to be test-bed for clean energy
Power grid will harness electricity from variety of renewable sources
Grace Chua, Straits Times 19 Nov 09;

PULAU Ubin could be powered by the sun, wind and even waste in a year or two, when it becomes a test-bed for clean-energy technologies.

An intelligent power grid will be set up on the island - to harness electricity from a variety of renewable power sources, and then regulate the flow of the power generated. A smart grid gets around the uncertainty of relying on one source of energy, which can make power supply patchy if, say, the wind dies down.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is calling for clean-energy companies to propose plans for such a grid.

If the experiment on the rustic island succeeds, the technology can later be applied to the generation and distribution of power on mainland Singapore.

Smart grids being tested in Germany and the United States hold the promise of a steady electricity supply at lower cost and with less waste.

Clean-energy technologies include the conversion of sunlight into electricity, and the use of the sun's heat to boil water and thus producing steam to drive turbines. Biofuels in the form of algae and waste are another energy source.

Conventional methods of generating power, on the other hand, pollute the environment and add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere when non-renewable supplies of coal or petroleum are burnt.

Clean energy is not new here, but its use has been ad hoc, restricted to random buildings and 'green' vehicles. The Ubin grid will thus be the first to pull and redistribute electricity for a confined area.

The Government signalled its push for clean energy with last year's launch of a $25 million fund for energy research. This was after the National Research Foundation set aside $170 million in 2007 to make clean energy a key growth sector.

Pulau Ubin - with its 100 inhabitants, small businesses, restaurants and the outdoor training camp Outward Bound Singapore - is viewed as an ideal 'lab' for a dry run of the micro-grid.

The islanders now rely on their own diesel power generators. They do not draw on the national power grid because it costs too much to lay cables from the mainland for so few people.

Mr David Tan of the EMA's energy planning and development division said the energy authority would fund part of the multimillion-dollar project. The companies running and using the test-bed will bear the rest of the cost.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the three-day Clean Energy Expo conference, he said companies will be given four weeks from tomorrow to come up with proposals.

Mr Edwin Khew, who chairs the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, welcomed news about the microgrid, saying: 'Different clean-energy technologies are available, but what happens when you integrate them? So you need a smart grid to manage them.'

Pulau Ubin bicycle shop owner Koh Bee Choo, 40, who now spends $700 a month on diesel and maintenance for her generator, wondered how much it would cost to get electricity from the grid.

The EMA's Mr Tan replied that clean energy would be 'at least cost-competitive for residents', though the residents could opt to keep their generators.

Meanwhile, Mr Robert Teo of the National Parks Board which manages Ubin, said NParks would need to see a development plan to assess the impact of the grid on Ubin's plants and animals, including those on its Chek Jawa intertidal flats.