3 cogeneration plants to start operations by Oct
Business Times, Wednesday, 7 July, 2004
By ZAIDI ISHAM ISMAIL
THREE cogeneration plants worth a total of RM63 million will start operations in October this year with a total power output of 17.5 megawatts (MW), of which a portion can be supplied to the National Power Grid.
Cogeneration is an efficient way to simultaneously produce electricity and heat from a single primary source (gas or fuel). At present, most of the heat generated by generators or machines is merely wasted as it is released into the air.
Cogeneration technology captors and harnesses the heat from the machines and re-channels the energy to generate electricity or for heating purposes, eliminating the need for industries to buy expensive heaters.
In his speech at the Malaysian Cogeneration Week 2004 in Subang Jaya yesterday, Standard Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia Bhd (Sirim) president and chief executive Datuk Dr. Mohd Ariffin Aton said the plants belong to Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd, TSH Bio-Energy Sdn Bhd and Kilang Beras Titi Serong Sdn Bhd.
His speech was read by Sirim vice-president Robiah Ibrahim.
Guthire's RM9 million 2MW cogeneration plant using oil palm fibres and shells as fuel is located at the Sungei Dingin Palm Oil Mill in Karangan, Kedah.
TSH Bio-Energy Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of TSH Resources Bhd, is developing a 14MW cogeneration plant in Kunak Palm Oil Mill in Tawau, Sabah , using bare oil palm fruit bunches as fuel.
With an investment of RM47 million, the plant is capable of supplying 10MW to the local grid besides supplying 25 tonnes per hour of steam for use in palm oil processing.
Kilang Beras titi Serong Sdn Bhd's RM7 million 1.5MW rice husk-fired cogeneration plant, located at its rice mill in Parit Buntar, Perak, is able to generate enough power and heat for its rice-milling operations and drying needs.
"Next year, a 6MW cogeneration plant, owned by Bumi Biopower (Pantai Remis) Sdn Bhd, which uses oil palm shells as fuel supply, is expected to be ready to supply power to the local grid," said Mohd Ariffin.
Cogen is an initiation by the European Commission (EC), which is aimed at assisting the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) member countries and other countries in the world to develop their respective power sector, and is funded by allocation of 23 EUmillion (1 EUmillion = RM4.72)
Cogen is headquartered at the Asian Institute of Bangkok in Thailand . Sirim is the coordinating team for Malaysia .
The initiative is in its third phase, now dubbed the EC-Asean Cogeneration Programme (Cogen 3), which was launched in September 2002 and will end in December this year, Cogen Phase One and Two spanned between 1991 and 1998.
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