What are the political parties’ stand on the use of coal in Singapore and the implications on our carbon emissions target and our clean and green image?

Tuas Power’s coal plant

Read the chronology of the clean coal and biomass cogeneration plant by Tuas Power.

Tuas Power’s new coal and biomass plant at Jurong Island would start operations mid next year, and the company has signed a contract with Indonesia’s PT Bayan Resources to supply 13.36 million tonnes of sub-bituminous coal over the next 15 years from Kalimantan, and has also struck a deal with South Korea’s Samtam Co Ltd to supply coal. Tuas Power is also concluding a deal for the palm kernel, which makes up the 20% biomass component of the plant feedstock (the other 80% is coal).

If a calculation is done only for the coal supplied by PT Bayan Resources, and excluding the coal from Samtam Co Ltd and the palm biomass, the combustion of 13.36 million tonnes of sub-bituminous coal would emit about 24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s calculation tool).

Assuming the use of coal is spread out evenly over 15 years, the potential carbon emissions from the use of coal would be 1.6 million tonnes per year. In 2008, the total carbon emissions generated from Singapore is 36 million tonnes. Therefore, the use of coal by Tuas Power could contribute to 4.4% of Singapore’s total carbon emissions. For a comparison, the contribution by the consumers/households sector is about 9% in 2005.

When Tuas Power was asked: “When is the timeline, if any, to apply carbon capture technology, and where would the carbon be stored?”. Their reply was: “We have no plans to apply this technology in Singapore at this point in time. Carbon capture storage technology is still being developed, and we may explore the viability of its application in the future.”

16% below business as usual by 2020

In Dec 2009, the government has announced its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 16% below business as usual levels in 2020 (only when a global agreement is reached), which means the government would have to reduce about 12 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2020.

If the coal plant by Tuas Power operates for 8 years from 2012 to 2020, the potential carbon emissions is 12.8 million tonnes (not including the coal from Samtam Co Ltd and the palm biomass). Therefore, whatever measures to reduce emissions by 12 million tonnes by 2020 could be negated by the increase in emissions from the coal plant.

Economic Strategies Committee’s recommendation

The Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) submitted the report of its key recommendations to the Prime Minister in Feb 2010. In its report, the ESC highlighted several key strategies, one of which is for Singapore to become a Smart Energy Economy. One recommendation is that Singapore should explore coal and electricity imports to diversify both the fuel types and fuel source countries in our energy portfolio.

EDB study on coal gasification plant

EDB called for a tender on 8 Apr 2011 to conduct a feasibility study to provide recommendations for the Jurong Island version 2.0 Steering Committee. The study would evaluate the benefits and costs of a coal gasification plant to provide alternative feedstock for the supply of hydrogen and carbon monoxide for the energy and chemical industries on Jurong Island, including different scenarios for providing power and steam, and for having lower carbon footprint and being carbon-capture ready.

Questions

1. Has the government assessed the environmental impacts of using coal or conducted a life cycle assessment study of coal? How does it compare with natural gas?

2. Would the government require new power plants using coal to conduct an environmental impact assessment before construction?

3. Would approved coal plants be carbon-capture ready and where would the carbon dioxide be stored?

4. Would the use of coal lead to more carbon emissions as compared to using natural gas, and undermine the government’s own efforts to reduce emissions by 16% from 2020 business as usual levels?

5. Is the government funding research on carbon capture and storage or other technologies to reduce emissions from coal?

6. Would the use of coal tarnish Singapore’s reputation as a clean and green city, or contradict Singapore’s vision to be a clean energy hub?

7. Would the use of coal reduce the demand for LNG and challenge the viability of the government’s new LNG terminal?

We would like to thank all of you for supporting The Green Corridor through the Facebook page since Nov last year. It’s now 3 months to the closure and return of the railway lands on 1 Jul. Time is running out as we wait for the government’s reply on the proposal.

Today, we are stepping up our efforts and launching a new campaign website for The Green Corridor at http://www.thegreencorridor.org/. The website serves to:

1. Gather support for The Green Corridor and unite supporters (broadening the support base to include non-Facebook users, businesses and organisations)

2. Show the government that there is public interest and support for The Green Corridor (sending monthly updates to key government agencies on number of supporters and news)

3. Archive stories, photos and videos on the railway and The Green Corridor (allowing the community of supporters to share their experiences and vision)

You can help us to gather more support for The Green Corridor. We hope to reach 10,000 supporters by 1 Jul. Visit the website now at http://www.thegreencorridor.org/ and find out the various ways to show your support, spread the message, and share your stories.

Thanks.

Cheers
Eugene

The Green Corridor is not a dream but a responsibility to nature, our heritage and our children.

The fourth episode in Portugal features:

• Bike paths around the Tejo River in Lisbon displaying the poetry of Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa
• Designer Pedro Campos Costa and his glue-free cardboard creation, which acts as a seating unit, a shelving unit and is a remarkable work of art
• Stone House in Portugal, which is wedged between four large boulders in the mountains of Fafe, Portugal

Click here to view the embedded video.

The third episode in Spain features:

• The Beach Garbage Hotel in Madrid’s city center, made entirely of waste
• The Forum’s photovoltaic pergola, one of the most popular symbols of Barcelona’s new urban architecture and an emblem of the city’s commitment to renewable energies and sustainability
• Eco-Architect Enric Ruiz Geli and how he incorporates green engineering into his modern buildings such as the Media-TIC building
• The Robotic Fish

Click here to view the embedded video.

The second episode features:

• The spectacular living wall on the Musée du Quai Branly
• French eco-artist Mathilde Roussel-Giraudy
• Paris’s FedEx bike powered fleet

Click here to view the embedded video.

Empowered by Mercedes-Benz, Eco-Trek producers will be en route with the Mercedes F-CELL World Drive 2011 and circle the globe in 125 days in three of Mercedes-Benz’s emission free B Class Fuel Cell vehicles.

In partnership with CCM News, AsiaIsGreen will be showing weekly Eco-Trek episodes. The premiere episode features the first leg of the F-CELL World Drive from Stuttgart, Germany to Paris, France, and includes:

• Launch of Mercedes Fuel Cell World Drive
• The first fuel cell aircraft, the Antares
• The first electric unicycle
• German artist Ralf Schmerberg, who created a fridge igloo out of 322 old refrigerators to show the importance of energy conservation

Watch the first episode of Eco-Trek below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: CCM News. Image: Eco-Trek video screenshot

Greenpeace’s Unfriend Coal campaign wants Facebook to:

• Increase the use of clean energy to make Facebook coal free
• Develop a plan to make Facebook coal free by 2021
• Educate users about how Facebook powers its services and its carbon footprint
• Advocate for clean energy at a local, national and international level

Facebook announced last year that it is building a new energy efficient data centre to serve the hundreds of millions of its users, but the company plans to run it on electricity from burning coal, which is the most carbon intensive fossil fuel and also very pollutive. Greenpeace believes that Facebook can move away from coal and switch to clean energy, and influence the rest of the IT sector to do likewise.

Asia has 112 million Facebook users, which is about one-fifth of Facebook’s total users. While we use Facebook to connect with our friends or for marketing non-profits and businesses, let us also encourage Facebook to be an environmentally and socially responsible company.

You can show support for Greenpeace’s campaign and encourage Facebook to unfriend coal by Earth Day, simply by liking the Unfriend Coal Facebook page, and sharing the page with your friends.

It seems that Facebook is paying attention to the campaign and is willing to take action, from this recent video interview at the World Economic Forum between Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace, and Randi Zuckerberg, Marketing Director of Facebook and sister of CEO Mark Zuckerberg (watch the 27-min video below to learn about the campaign, and also hear Kumi’s thoughts at Davos and how Greenpeace uses social media).

All Facebook needs now is a nudge from its own users, including Asians who love Facebook.

Source and images credit: Greenpeace

Venue: Nanjing International Expo Center, China

CEW 2011 Introduction

An grand occasion in clean energy field, the Third Clean Energy World Expo will be held at China Nanjing International Expo Center on April 12 to14th, 2011. Boasting 6 International Summits, 400 exhibitors and 20,000 square meters exhibition area, CEW 2011 aims to provide an effective communicative platform for government officials, scholars, developers, product manufacturers, and investors, and to promote fast and healthy development of clean energy in China and the world as a whole.

Co-organizers

• China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization
• China Aerodynamic Research Society
• Solar Energy Industry Association in Zhejiang Province
• Solar Energy Industry Association in Shandong Province
• Energy Research Society in Jiangsu Province

Endorsers

• Nanjing Municipal Government, China Renewable Energy Society
• China New Energy Chamber of Industry and Commerce
• China Renewable Energy Industries Association

Exhibit range

Solar Theme Pavilion: photovoltaic, solar thermal, etc.

Wind Theme Pavilion: wind turbine, wind turbine equipment and components, offshore wind power equipment and technology, etc.

Biomass Theme Pavilion: biomass gasification combustion boiler, solid particle fuel compression molding equipment, gas power generation and power machinery, biomass fuel, biogas technology, etc.

Nuclear Theme Pavilion: the nuclear island and conventional island ,nuclear power equipment, electrical system, operation and maintenance facilities,etc.

For more information, please visit the expo official website: www.ceweek.com.cn

CEW Organizing Committee

Exhibitor contact person:
Jessica Fan : 86 21 51013720
Fax: 86 21 51013219
Email: Jessica.fan@hnzmedia.com

Media Contact person：Grace Zhang, Mary Chen
Tel: 021-51013672 021-51013776
Fax: 021-51013219
Email：grace.zhang@hnzmedia.com mary.chen@hnzmedia.com

Smart grid technology really takes off in Asia in 2010 as a number of governments have launched initiatives to develop the technology and infrastructure needed to upgrade their antiquated electrical grid systems.

However, drivers and roadmaps behind those initiatives are quite diversified. China, India and Russia etc are pursuing a sound, secure and energy-efficient electrical T&D networks to meet the surging electricity demand of tommorrow, while Japan, South Korea and Australia etc are investing in IT and demand side to make electricity networks smarter, greener and customer-centric.

How to align their efforts in line for future cross-boarder cooperation? ?How to differentiate your market entry strategy to fit into each individual market in Asia? How to maximize your ROI while striving to be a trend setter?

SMARTricity Asia Congress is a high-level strategic platform for Asian governments, power generators, operator, utilities and distribution companies to address most critical issues in adopting smart technologies to achieve energy T&D efficiency and reliability in Asia.

Visit the event website for details and registration.

Expected 200+ Attendees will come from government officials, power groups, PV system integrators, PV cell and module manufacturers, PV products testing and certification service providers, PV components manufacturers and related PV materials and equipments manufacturers.

The forum will focus on:

• Discussion on grid integration of photovoltaic system and smart grid construction
• Unveiling & implementation of Chinese on-grid photovoltaic feed-in tariff
• Key grid integration technology in BIPV projects
• Analysis of China’s newest subsidy policy on grid integration of solar energy
• Difficulties in developing large scale grid-connected photovoltaic power plants in China

For more info, please visit www.pvgridintegration.com or email Fanny Wang at marketing@jfpsgroup.com.cn.