De organisatie van olie-exporterende landen OPEC heeft vrijdag gewaarschuwd dat een wereldwijde economische groeivertraging zal leiden tot een verdere verzwakking van de olievraag. De olievoorraden zouden hierdoor scherp kunnen oplopen.

“Met de huidige OPEC-productie ruim boven de verwachte vraag naar ruwe olie van de OPEC, bestaat de mogelijkheid van een scherpe stijging van de olievoorraden”, aldus de organisatie in haar maandelijkse rapport.

OPEC herhaalde dat de vraag naar OPEC-olie, die ongeveer 40% van de wereldwijde dagelijkse olieconsumptie vertegenwoordigt, naar verwachting zal dalen met ongeveer 700.000 vaten per dag volgend jaar ten opzichte van dit jaar.

De vraag naar olie in de Verenigde Staten is flink afgenomen vanwege de vertragende economie en hoge olieprijzen, waarbij de transportsector en de industrie de grootste daling in de vraag lieten zien.

Filipijnen: investeringsmogelijkheden in duurzame energie

Investments on renewable energy projects in the Philippines are foreseen. These investments – worth some 850 million US dollar – are in anticipation of the (passage) of the Renewable Energy Bill. The pending investments on these projects involve the tapping of the country’s geothermal and wind resources. The proposed geothermal energy projects consist of a 20 MW project in Nasulo, Dumaguete, 50 MW in South Cotabato, 50 MW in the Bicol area, 20 MW in Mabini, Batangas, 40 MW in Compostela Valley and a 40 MW project in Biliran. On wind energy projects the proposed plans include the 80 MW and 40 MW projects in Ilocos Norte. A 10 MW solar energy project in Mindanao, worth 50 million US dollar is also pending. The time looks ripe for renewable energy, because as renewable energy could accelerate electrification in off-grid areas, promote sustainable growth, and improve the country’s energy security. The energy mix in 2007 has already become 57.2 percent energy self-sufficient as of end 2007, with geothermal as the biggest indigenous energy source, accounting for 21.5 percent. Natural Gas accounted for 4.5 percent in mix. The country remains largely dependent on imported oil as well as imported coal, which accounted for the 31.8 percent and 11 percent, respectively, of the country’s energy mix in 2007. Natural gas and coal are dominant fuel sources for power generation in the country, with 60 percent. The renewables contribute 31 percent and oil nine percent to the power generation. The Philippines is the second largest producer of geothermal energy in the world.

Zuid-Afrika: marktverkenning energie

De energiesector is voor de Zuid-Afrikaanse economie van groot belang. Door onder andere de grote voorraden steenkool heeft het land de laagste elektriciteitsprijzen ter wereld. Deze prijzen zijn echter niet lang meer te handhaven. Dit is een van de redenen dat Zuid-Afrika een duurzame energiemix wil ontwikkelen, zodat het land niet meer alleen van steenkool afhankelijk is. Door de huidige elektriciteitscrisis in Zuid-Afrika komt er steeds meer aandacht vanuit de politiek en zijn er veel veranderingen in het nationaal beleid. De Zuid-Afrikaanse overheid zal de komende jaren veel investeren in deze sector, waardoor er kansen liggen voor Nederlandse bedrijven zowel in de markt van fossiele brandstoffen (kolen, gas en kernenergie) als in de duurzame energiesector (wind-, zonne- en hydro-energie).

De marktverkenning gaat in op:

• ontwikkelingen op nationaal beleid;
• ontwikkelingen in de Zuid-Afrikaanse energiesector;
• investeringsmogelijkheden;
• marktentree en marktbenadering.

Slowakije: partners gezocht voor energieproject

Het Slowaakse bedrijf SES in Tlmače zoekt een partner voor het project ‘Steel and coal’. Dit project valt onder het programma ‘Research and Development of Subcritical Circulating Fulidized Bed Technology for power plant unit of 350 MWe’.
Het doel van dit project is het verminderen van de negatieve effecten die het verbranden van kool op het milieu heeft. Er zijn twee alternatieven voor het terugdringen van de uitstoot van giftige gassen:

• het opvangen van stoom en gasuitstoot van energiecentrales en het hergebruik hiervan in het productieproces;
• opvang en opslag van koolstofdioxide.

De deadline voor het indienen van een offerte is 15 september 2008.

SES is een Slowaakse ingenieursbureau met meer dan 57 jaar ervaring. Het behoort tot de voornaamste leveranciers van boilers voor zowel energie- als verbrandingscentrales wereldwijd.

Solar-Power Breakthrough

Researchers have found a cheap and easy way to store the energy made by solar power.

Petrobras launches first biofuel plant in Brazil

CANDEIAS, BRAZIL:  Petrobras on Tuesday launched the first of its three planned biofuel plants in Candeias, Bahia.  The plant will be capable of producing 57 million litres (15 million gallons) of biofuel a year.  In August, Petrobras will complete the tests and kick-off production at two other similar plants in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais and Quixadá, Ceará.

 

The three plants, costing a total 295 million reais (US$189 million), will draw biofuel out from a variety of feedstocks including vegetable oil, residual cooking oil, soybean, cotton oil, dende oil and cattle fat.  Vegetable oil supplies will be sourced from sunflower and castor seeds locally produced and planted in Bahia and Sergpie.  Residual oil and fat will be derived from food-frying processes, while poultry and fish viscus from urban collecting cooperatives and non-governmental organizations.  The balance raw materials have been and will be purchased from major agribusiness suppliers.

 

Fifty-eight percent of the raw material to be used in the plants will be purchased from family farmers.  About 55,000 farmers will benefit from the project.  The three plants are to be managed by a newly set-up subsidiary, Petrobras Biofuels.

Pakistan’s first biogas power plant starts production

JHANG, PAKISTAN:  Pakistan’s first renewable energy project to use sugar cane-waste biogas created from the production of ethanol recently began supporting the national grid.  The plant is powered by eight of GE Energy’s ecomaginationTM-certified Jenbacher biogas engines.

 

The commercial start-up of sugarcane milling company Shakarganj Mills Ltd.’s new biogas power plant in Jhang, Pakistan, comes as the country is working to overcome its current 3,500-MW energy shortage.  The new plant will generate enough power to support more than 50,000 homes.

 

The biogas used to fuel the Jenbacher gas engines is extracted from spent wash, a residual of Shakarganj Mills’ ethanol production operation that uses sugarcane molasses as a raw material.

 

As a renewable energy project, the plant is eligible for carbon credits because it enhances energy efficiency at the mill and displaces the national grid’s energy generated from fossil fuels.

 

By using the biogas instead of fossil fuels for power generation, the plant is expected to produce about 20,000 tons (18,182 tonnes) of certified emissions reductions annually under the Kyoto Protocol.  The project will be registered with the UNFCCC by Carbon Services Pakistan and First Climate AG.

 

GE supplied Shakarganj Mills Ltd. with eight JGS 320 GS B/L Jenbacher units for a cogeneration plant, designed to support the mill’s on-site power and heating requirements.  Electricity from the 8MW plant also is being delivered to the national grid through a 22-year power purchase agreement with the local grid operator.  The estimated 8 MW of heat from the engines’ exhaust gas and jacket water is used to support the company’s distillery process.

 

In addition to the gas engines, GE also provided the gas train, biogas compressor and biogas cooler for the gas dehumidification process.

 

GE’s Jenbacher local gas engine distributor Orient Energy Systems provided the remaining auxiliary equipment including the cooling tower, pumps, ventilation systems, and hot water-fired chiller for cooling the biogas.

 

The company also provided heat recovery from jacket water system, exhaust, local installation, commissioning and overall project consulting services. 

 

Orient Energy Systems is also providing operation and maintenance support for the plant, while Shakarganj Mills installed a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal system.

Sheringham Shoal wind farm approved

LONDON:  The UK’s fourth largest offshore wind farm won Government approval today.

 

Energy Secretary John Hutton has backed the 315 MW offshore wind farm Sheringham Shoal, which is planned off the coast of Norfolk.

 

Scira Offshore Energy is planning 108 turbines, enough to power around 178,000 homes.

 

Hutton said, “Companies want to build here because we have made the UK one of the most attractive places to invest in wind power.  By the end of 2009 a further 626 MW of offshore wind power will be plugged in to the grid, making us world leaders.

 

“Through the Planning Bill, we are also looking to speed up the planning process for developers and to improve consultations to make sure wind farms are built in the right places.”

 

The Secretary of State has also granted consent to a 75 MW onshore wind farm planned at Middlemoor near Alnwick in Northumberland.

 

The development by Npower Renewables will comprise of 18 turbines, enough to power about 27,600 homes – the equivalent of every home in both Alnwick and Berwick.

 

Both approvals for Middlemoor and Sheringham Shoal wind farms are conditional.

 

Technical solutions to mitigate the effects to the Air Defence Radar at RAF Brizlee Wood and Trimmingham respectively must be found within the five year period of the consent.