FAR EAST Ӏ REGIONAL REPORT
j capacity truck cranes. In 2017 XCMG opened a branch in Jakarta. The manufacturer’s market in Indonesia had doubled and they claimed to be market leader with their mobile cranes, tower cranes and various other products. The fact is that not only power generation in China but also Japan, India and most all SE Asian nations is heavily coal-dependent. So, moving production around the region may cut production costs in the short term but it won’t significantly cut emissions.
CHANGE IS DIFFICULT AND COSTLY Spiralling energy prices are also hitting some of the world’s richest and most successful countries. High prices on spot electricity futures on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) have resulted in the reduction of pipeline gas supplies from Indonesia causing Singaporean power utilities to look to switch to LNG. While most of the world has (or
is) finally reaching the conclusion that fossil fuels have to go, pockets of resistance remain as vested interests fight for their future. This is not the case in the US! While in 2020 40% of US electricity was generated by natural gas, 19% was still generated by coal-fired plants and 20% by nuclear, the coal share is rapidly declining. Encouragingly, the 2021 forecast of the US Energy Information Administration is for solar to take 39% of new capacity, followed by wind with 31%. Natural gas is seen as declining to just 16%. India has a relatively-long
history with nuclear power starting with two small boiling water reactors that became operable at Tarapur in 1969. Today India has 22 nuclear power plants in operation with another seven under construction. But India has been forward-looking in its purchases of large crawler cranes.
34 CRANES TODAY
In 1987 India’s Atomic Energy Authority purchased its first heavy lift cranes – two 650-tonne capacity Liebherr LR 1650s and subsequently acquired additional LR 1650s. In 2008 a 1,350-tonne Liebherr LR 11350 was acquired for use in the construction of the Kalpakkam Nuclear Plant while in 2011 Bharat purchased a 750-tonne Manitowoc 18000. Nevertheless, more than 50% of
India’s electricity is generated by coal-fired plants and almost 61% by all thermal plants. But India’s use of renewables is growing, especially in the on-shore wind farm sector. In 2016-17 the leading crane
rental company Amrik Singh purchased has six 650-tonne capacity Sany SCC 6500s while India’s largest crane rental company Sanghvi Movers recently received an order for the hire of mobile cranes of up to 800-tonnes capacity valued at Rs 20 Crore ($2.7 million). Sanghvi’s huge fleet includes large numbers of Terex- Demag and Sany crawler cranes. Despite the huge potential of India’s 7,600km coastline and
A coal fired
power station in Vijayawada, India. 50% of the country’s electricity is generated by coal-fired plants but renewables are on the rise
having established the National Offshore Wind Energy policy six years ago, little has happened. Similarly, India’s prime minister was a no-show at COP! While there are 252 operational
coal-fired plants in the US, there are 1,082 in China and 281 in India. Obviously, the proximity of substantial coal deposits has long been a decisive factor in the history of electric power generation. Also high on the list of countries with the most coal-fired power plants are Japan, Russia, Germany and Poland. In 2018 there were significant demonstrations against new commissioning of a new coal power plant ‘Datteln’ in North Rhine-Westphalia. Chancellor Angela Merkel took decisive action offering €4.35b ($4.85b) to compensate affected energy companies, eight coal fired plants were closed down; €14b was offered to affected states plus €26b for further cases. Clearly there’s a long way to go
post COP-26. No doubt the next Paris round will be an eye-opener as to just how many promises and pledges were kept…
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