POWER May 2017 - 14

power plant to provide emergency backup
power; new ministerial powers to direct
the market to operate in the interests of
South Australians; incentives for increased
gas production using gas produced in the
state; and the creation of an energy security
target.
Energy Minister Frydenberg, predictably,
issued a sharp statement about the
plan: " Going it alone created South Australia's
problems and going it alone won't
fix South Australia's problems, " he said.
" In fact, the measures announced today
will only increase electricity prices for
South Australians. It has the potential to
increase prices for Victorians, for people
in New South Wales, and in Tasmania. "
One of World's Largest
Geothermal Units Begins
Operations in Indonesia
The first of three 110-MW units at the $1
billion Sarulla geothermal power plant in
Indonesia's North Sumatra province commenced
commercial operation this March.
When the next two units come online as
anticipated by 2018, the plant will be one
of the largest geothermal power plants in
the world.
The unique project operated by Sarulla
Operations combines flash and binary
technologies to increase efficiency and
features a 100% reinjection of the exploited
geothermal fluid (Figure 6).
Construction on the project began in
2014, essentially seeking to develop two
geothermal
resources, Namora-I-Langit
and Silangkitang. Toshiba Corp. supplied
the geothermal steam turbines and generators
for the flash systems, while Ormat
Technologies provided the conceptual design
of the geothermal combined cycle
unit power plant. Ormat also supplied its
Ormat Energy Converters, which serve as
the condensing units for the steam turbines
and utilize the separated brine for
maximum resource exploitation and maximum
power output, Ormat said in a statement.
Hyundai
Engineering and Construction
Co. was the engineering, procurement,
and construction contractor. Power generated
from the first unit will be sold to
Perusahaan Listrik Negara, Indonesia's
government-owned electricity company,
over a period of 30 years.
The project has a number of high-profile
owners, including the Itochu Corp. (25%),
Kyushu Electric Power Co. (25%), PT Medco
Power Indonesia (19%), and INPEX Corp.
(18%). Ormat International holds the remaining
shares in the operation company.
14
It also has a long list of financial backers:
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation
loaned $492 million, and other
financiers included the Asian Development
Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, ING
Bank, Societe Generale, Sumitomo Mitsui
Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank, and
National Australia Bank.
POWER Digest
UK Gives First Consent for Hinkley
Point C EPRs. The UK's Office for Nuclear
Regulation (ONR) on March 27 gave its
approval to allow a consortium to begin
placing structural concrete for a series of
underground reinforced concrete structures
at the Hinkley Point C site. The consent
is the first of many the project will
need from the agency, which said it will
continue to regulate activities at the site
at " hold points " to ensure it has full regulatory
control over the various construction
and commissioning stages through
the start of operation. The first consent,
though, is an important milestone for the
controversial $28 billion nuclear project
in Somerset, England. The project-the
nation's first new nuclear plant in nearly
20 years-will comprise two AREVA-designed
EPRs. The plant is majority-owned
by France's EDF Energy; China General
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Nuclear has a 33.5% stake in the project.
UK Green Lights Westinghouse's
AP1000 Reactor Design. On March 30,
the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation, the
Environment Agency, and Natural Resources
Wales deemed Westinghouse's AP1000
nuclear reactor design suitable for construction
in the UK. The much-awaited approval
came a day after the U.S. company
that is owned by Japan's Toshiba Corp.
sought bankruptcy protection in the U.S.
Westinghouse in 2007 initiated the generic
design assessment that is required for
new builds in the UK. The UK regulatory
agencies granted Westinghouse interim
design acceptance confirmation in 2011,
but they required the company to resolve
51 issues before they could close the assessment.
In early 2015, Westinghouse's
parent company Toshiba bought a majority
stake (60%) in NuGeneration, a company
that has announced plans to build
three AP1000 units at Moorside in West
Cumbria. France's Engie owns the remaining
40%. While Toshiba and Westinghouse
have reported steep losses stemming from
delays at its four AP1000 reactors that are
under construction in Georgia and South
Carolina, the companies said the bankruptcy
filing wouldn't affect projects outside
the U.S. These include four AP1000
reactors under construction in China, the
POWER | May 2017
6. Graining ground. When completed in 2018, the $1 billion Sarulla geothermal power
plant in Indonesia's North Sumatra province will have a capacity of 330 MW. The plant comprises
a backpressure steam turbine and Ormat Energy Converters, which are heated by the
low-pressure steam exiting the steam turbine. The technology allows nearly 100% reinjection of
the geothermal fluid back into the reservoir. Courtesy: Toshiba

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POWER May 2017

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