Update on Tuas Power’s clean coal plant (part 2)

The Straits Times did not publish our reply letter so we sent the following email to NEA, EMA and Tuas Power:

I refer to the reply letters, “Clean coal: Assurance by Tuas Power” by Tuas Power and “Plant balances cost and green concerns” by the National Environment Agency and Energy Market Authority. It is reassuring that Tuas Power and the Government are committed to environmental sustainability.

In the reply from NEA and EMA, I find that the comparison of carbon emissions between the new plant and existing oil-fired plants is inappropriate. Singapore generates 80 per cent of its electricity by natural gas-fired plants, which are more efficient and less carbon
intensive than oil-fired plants. Since gas-fired plants are the main type of technology used in Singapore, new plants to be built should be using technologies that produce carbon emissions at a level that is equivalent to or better than the existing gas-fired plants, and not the oil-fired plants.

I would appreciate an answer from NEA, EMA or Tuas Power on the following question: What is the carbon emission per unit of electricity generation for Tuas Power’s new plant, and is it less or more than a gas-fired plant?

If Singapore is committed to do its part in global efforts to tackle climate change, we should be using fuel and technologies that reduce carbon emissions.

Thank you.

This is NEA and EMA’s reply: Read more

Update on Tuas Power’s clean coal plant

Tuas Power, National Environment Agency and Energy Market Authority replied to our letter on the new clean coal plant being one step forward and two steps backward in Singapore’s green efforts. This is our reply to The Straits Times:

I refer to the reply letters, “Clean coal: Assurance by Tuas Power” by Tuas Power and “Plant balances cost and green concerns” by the National Environment Agency and Energy Market Authority. It is reassuring that Tuas Power and the Government are committed to environmental sustainability. However, I find that the comparison of carbon emissions between the new plant and existing oil-fired plants is inappropriate.

Singapore generates 80 per cent of its electricity by natural gas-fired plants, which are more efficient and less carbon intensive than oil-fired plants. Since gas-fired plants are the main type of technology used in Singapore, new plants to be built should be using
technologies that produce carbon emissions at a level that is equivalent to or better than the existing gas-fired plants, and not the oil-fired plants.

Is the carbon emission per unit of electricity generation for Tuas Power’s new plant less or more than a gas-fired plant?

If Singapore is committed to do its part in global efforts to tackle climate change, we should be using fuel and technologies that reduce carbon emissions.

Tuas Power vs Senoko Power

Which power plant is greener? Tuas Power or Senoko Power?

Tuas Power is building a clean coal and biomass plant:

Mr Lim Kong Puay, chief executive of Tuas Power, said: “The efficient use of the cogeneration technology coupled with biomass and clean coal allows us to achieve savings, and this saving will be passed on to our industrial consumers.”

‘Overall, we are able to produce one unit of energy at a more competitive cost,’ said Tuas Power president and CEO Lim Kong Puay.

Senoko Power is converting its plants from oil-fired to gas-fired:

Senoko had considered using coal, which is a cheaper fuel, Mr Adair said, but was very conscious of its carbon footprint which is two-and-a-half times that of natural gas. On the other hand, the carbon footprint of gas is also only 60 per cent that of oil. The genco will be seeking carbon credits for the project, he added.

Generating your own electricity at home using cogeneration

Imagine generating your own electricity at home using natural gas. In Japan, Honda has introduced cogeneration units for homes. These units run on natural gas to generate electricity and also make use of the exhaust heat to provide hot water. The cogeneration unit is highly energy efficient and reduces carbon emissions.

Currently in Singapore, electricity is generated at the power plants and transmitted to homes, leading to some energy loss due to the transmission. If we could generate electricity at our own homes using the cogeneration units, it could reduce those energy loss. But we also have to consider the energy spent to transport natural gas to homes and compare it with the reduction in energy loss to assess whether it is energy efficient to make the switch.

Read more about Honda’s cogeneration units from the Honda website or from the Japan for Sustainability article below. 

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50,000 Honda Residential Cogeneration Units Installed in Japan

At a press conference on July 18, 2007, Mr. Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., stated that about 50,000 Honda compact residential-use cogeneration units have been installed in Japan since they were first put on the market in 2003. He also noted that the company started selling the cogenerators in the United States in March 2007. Honda has been stepping up its environmental efforts as one of three strategies for future growth. Promoting the cogeneration unit is part of its commitment to the environment.

Honda cogeneration units run on natural gas and generate electricity for home use while utilizing the exhaust heat from the gas engine to provide hot water. The unit has been marketed through gas utility companies in Japan under the brand name “ECOWILL.” According to data released by Honda the day before the press conference, the total energy efficiency of the unit is as high as 85.5 percent. Installation of the 50,000 ECOWILL units has potentially reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about 42,000 tons per year, equivalent to the amount that would be absorbed by three million trees.

In the U.S., the system is called “Freewatt,” includes the Honda cogeneration unit and exhaust-heat hot-water heater and is being sold by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Climate Energy, LLC.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability.