POWER February 2016 - 11

The announcement is a setback for Europe's
burgeoning offshore wind sector,
where there were 3,072 grid-connected
turbines at 82 farms spanning 11 countries,
for a total of 10.4 GW of capacity
as of June 30, 2015. China, the leader in
offshore wind in Asia, had 718.9 MW of installed
capacity; Japan, 52 MW; and South
Korea, 5 MW by October 2015.
Overall, the sector will see a downturn
in 2016, predicted consulting firm
Douglas-Westwood. " Following a strong
year of offshore wind activity in 2015
(3.8 GW installed), capacity installed
will dip in 2016 to 1.5 GW. However, capacity
will return to an upward trend,
peaking at 9.2 GW in 2022, " it said in a
recent insight. The firm also noted that
capital costs for offshore wind have fallen
in recent years, owing to the larger
sizes of turbines installed and resulting
in less infrastructure (such as support
structures) required.
Nuclear Newcomers Face
Varying Hurdles
Nuclear ambitions fostered by some countries
were tested by a variety of events at
the end of 2015.
Work Continues on Turkey's Russian-Built
Akkuyu Plant. Reports that
Russia has halted construction of Turkey's
Akkuyu nuclear power plant, and
that Ankara has begun looking for new
contractors, are unfounded, officials
from the Akkuyu Nuclear Co. said in early
December. The reports came as Russia
broadened sanctions against Turkey
after that nation shot down a Russian
warplane in November under disputed
circumstances. On December 17, meanwhile,
Russian President Vladimir Putin
4. Four of a kind. In May 2010, Russia
and Turkey signed an agreement that a subsidiary
of Rosatom would build, own, and operate
a power plant at Akkuyu comprising four
1,200-MW VVER units. The first VVER-1200
pressurized water reactors are still under construction
at the Novovoronezh II plant in Russia
and expected to come online early in 2016.
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Hullernuc
said that Russia's decision to participate
in the construction of the nuclear
plant would be based purely on commercial
considerations. " We will not take a
single step that would damage our own
economic interests, " he told reporters in
an annual news conference in Russia.
Russia's Rosatom Overseas-renamed
Rosatom Energy International in December-is
building the $22 billion project
that is Turkey's first nuclear plant. The
plant will have four reactors (Figure 4)
with a total capacity of 4.8 GW and a
60-year service life. When completed, it
is expected to provide 17% of Turkey's
power needs.
Indonesia Scraps Nuclear Plans. Indonesia
in December scrapped an $8 billion
plan to operate four nuclear plants
with a total capacity of 6 GW by 2025.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister
Sudirman Said told reporters that the government
was not persuaded that nuclear
capacity was immediately necessary. " We
still have many alternatives and we do not
need to raise any controversies, " he said.
The decision was made public after the
National Energy Council released its latest
National Energy Plan in December. Last
revised in 2006, the new plan will see a
major boost in renewable power in lieu
of nuclear power, increasing renewables'
share from 5% to 23% by 2025.
The new plan will see coal's share also
fall slightly from 33% to 30%. Significantly,
the island nation plans to continue
relying on oil, which will account for
25% of power within a decade, compared
to a previous target of 20%. Natural gas
will have a 22% share in 2025.
Vietnam Delays Nuclear Plant. Power-hungry
Vietnam will slow down development
of its first nuclear power plant in
Ninh Thuan, planning to start construction
in 2020 to ensure safety and efficiency.
Hoang Anh Tuan, director general of the
Vietnam Atomic Energy Agency, told attendees
at a nuclear power seminar that
the nuclear newcomer was facing many
hurdles as it set out to build its first reactor,
including lack of experience and a
workforce shortage.
The country had planned to start building
Russian AES-2006 reactors at least for
the first two units of the four-unit plant
in Ninh Thuan province in 2014, with operations
anticipated in 2020. The country
also picked a Japanese consortium to
develop a second nuclear power plant at
the site, though details of that deal are
sparse. Russia is expected to finance at
least 85% of the $8.9 billion Ninh Thuan
1 plant.
February 2016 | POWER
www.powermag.com
HIGH
PERFORMANCE
Electric actuators for the
power plant industry
Reliable, powerful, precise
control. AUMA offer a large
portfolio of actuator and
gearbox type ranges.
� Automating all types of
industrial valves
� Standardised interface for
various site control systems
� Plant Asset Management
functions
� Service worldwide
Learn more about
our automation
solutions
www.auma-usa.com
CIRCLE 3 ON READER SERVICE CARD
11
http://www.auma-usa.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER February 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER February 2016
