IN BRIEF

Cambodia Takes Steps To Improve Power Supply To The National Grid And Reduce Co2 Emissions

The government of Cambodia has approved five renewable power projects totalling 520 MW, as part of an initiative to increase power supply to the Cambodian national grid and reduce CO2 emissions.

One of the five projects is a combination of the 70 MW Stung Russey Chrum Kandal hydropower project and the 100 MW Stung Veay Thmar Kambot hydropower project in the Koh Kong province (south-western Cambodia).

Vietnam Warns Of Heat Wave

Vietnam’s state electricity company has warned that the national power system will come under strain in June/ July due to anticipated heatwaves, days after the country recorded its highest ever temperature.

The temperatures surpassed 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in central Vietnam over the weekend, according to national forecasters, breaking a previous high set in 2019.

State utility EVN said in a statement that demand for electricity in the next three months, as temperatures peak in northern Vietnam, could outstrip supply.

It also warned of low water levels that could have a severe impact on the country’s hydroelectric dams.

The other four projects are solar parks, comprising a 150 MW project in Pursat province (east), an 80 MW project in the Prey Veng province (southwest), a 60 MW project in the Kampong Chhnang province (centre) and a 60 MW project in the Svay Rieng province (south-west).

Through its “Power Development Plan 2022-2040” (PDP), In December 2022 Cambodia, announced that the country is seeking to achieve 3,155 MW of solar capacity and 3,000 MW of hydropower capacity by 2040. This represents nearly an eightfold increase in solar capacity and more than a twofold increase for hydro capacity. The PDP also sets goals for 2030, with solar capacity increasing from 357 MW at the end of 2021 (around 12% of the country’s capacity in 2021 and about 430 MW in 2022) to 1,000 MW and hydropower capacity rising from 1,330 MW in late 2021 (44% of the capacity) to 1,560 MW in 2030. The PDP also reiterated that Cambodia will be carbon neutral by 2050.

Six Floating Solar Contracts Have Just Been Awarded By The Pdoe

The Philippines’ Department of Energy has issued six solar energy operating contracts to Suna Asia Energy and its partner Blueleaf Energy to develop a total of 610.5MW of large-scale floating solar projects.

The department said the solar facilities will be located on the water surface of the Laguna Lake which covers the cities of Calamba, Sta. Rosa and Cabuya and the towns of Bay and Victoria.

The contacts have a 25-year operating period each and the DOE has so far awarded a total of 237 solar energy contracts with an installed capacity of 1,282MW and a potential capacity of 21,452MW.

“Floating solar is a rather new [renewable energy] option, but it has huge potential globally,” says Thomas Reindl, deputy chief executive of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (Seris).

Covering just 10% of all man-made reservoirs in the world with floating solar would result in an installed capacity of 20 Terawatts (TW) – 20 times more than the global solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity today, according to an analysis by Seris.

The rise of floating solar technology is among the latest trends in the revolutionary expansion of solar PV electricity in recent years. Globally, solar PV capacity has increased almost 12-fold in the past decade, from 72GW in 2011 to 843GW in 2021.

$18BN HYDROELECTRIC SCHEME TO BREAK GROUND IN BORNEO

Indonesian power company Kayan Hydro Energy (KHE) has begun work on a 9GW hydroelectric complex in Borneo.

The company has partnered with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation to help develop the $17.8bn programme.

KHE is a joint venture between Malaysian stateowned utility Sarawak Energy and Kayan Patria Pratama Group.

The aim is to build five dams ranging from 90 to 160m high, each with up to six turbines, on a remote site on the Kayan River in North Kalimantan Province.

Current projections indicate that a 900MW plant will be in full commercial operation operation by 2026. The last dam is due to be completed by 2035.

The work will be carried out by the Power Construction Corp of China, a subsidiary of PowerChina.

A memorandum of understanding on this contract was signed between the major companies back in 2018.