Gone with the Wind - Guangdong Advances Wind Sector

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000425 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EMB BEIJING FOR DOE USDOE FOR OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS USDOE FOR FOSSIL POLICY AND ENERGY STATE FOR EAP/CM, EB/TRA, AND EB STATE ALSO PASS USTR FOR CHINA OFFICE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG ECON EMIN SENV PGOV TRGY CH SUBJECT: Gone with the Wind - Guangdong Advances Wind Sector Development ¶1. (U) Summary: As Guangdong's power crunch worsens, and the province faces brownouts and blackouts in the years ahead, local officials are looking at new ways to generate energy, including the use of wind and the construction of China's largest off-shore wind farm. Scarce land resources and difficulty in acquiring equipment and technology could inhibit this effort, which would, in any case, be but a small fraction of Guangdong's overall energy mix, with coal continuing to remain the dominant source for power generation. End summary. -------------- -------------- Investing in Wind: Guangdong's Wind Farms Mushroom -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) With an average annual electricity consumption rate of 14.5% between 2000 and 2006, Guangdong province is looking hard for ways to solve its growing power crunch. While coal continues to dominate the region's power generation, rising prices, transportation challenges and mounting air pollution have pushed government and enterprise alike to seek alternative solutions. ¶3. (U) Guangdong is nationally ranked fifth in wind power generation, behind Inner Mongolia (3 million kwh),Hebei (3 million kwh),Jilin (500,000 kwh) and Liaoning (500,000 kwh). In 2006, Guangdong had an installed wind power capacity of 211,140 kwh, which is already edging toward 300,000kwh. There are currently three operating wind farm sites in Guangdong province - Nan'ao, Huilai, and Shanwei cities. Guangdong has begun construction on additional wind farms in Zhuhai (24,600 kwh capacity),Xuwen (120,000 kwh capacity),and Taishan (200,000 kwh capacity) cities, which will dramatically increase the province's wind generating capacity. The first phase of the Taishan Chuan Dao project, a venture by the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Company (CGNPC),is expected to be complete by year's end. A facility spread across two islands, Phase I of the project has a 48,500 kwh capacity, tapping area wind resources with a total potential output of 180,500 kwh. The entire project will be connected to the larger power grid via undersea transmission cables. ¶4. (U) Guangdong is also set to construct China's largest off-shore wind farm. A joint effort between the Guangdong Baolihua New Energy Stock Co. and the Lufeng municipal government, the facility will cover 240 kilometers of sea area. With a projected wind power capacity of 1.25 million kwh and the planned construction of an 8 million kwh supercritical power plant, which will have heightened energy-efficiency compared to standard subcritical plants, the wind farm by itself will far surpass Guangdong's initial 2006 wind capacity goal of 700,000 kilowatts (note: this goal was raised to 880,000 kwh in the later half of 2006). Greenpeace estimates that by 2020, Guangdong will have a wind power capacity of 20 million kwh. In addition, wind farms are planned for Yangdong, Yangxi and Hailing, which are located in Yangjiang municipality. Together, the farms will add generating capacity equal to 1 million kwh. -------------- Major Challenges - Finding Land, ... -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Wind power development faces a variety of challenges, one of which is land resources and acquisition. Most of south China's wind resources are located along the coastline, often rough terrain with the seasonal threat of typhoons and other severe weather. Also, coastal areas in Guangdong are densely populated and wind power development there must compete with other development priorities including other power plants. In addition, linking wind farms to larger power grids can be difficult. CGNPC's Niu pointed out that because wind farms are often located far away from the power grid's reach, construction of transmission lines can stall project completion. ¶6. (SBU) Niu also claims that power grid companies are unhappy about increasing reliance on wind power because its supply is unstable. According to Niu, Guangdong has several high elevation-areas, where, even if the wind is strong, the area's low air density weakens and slows wind capacity. In addition, wind power is a seasonal source of energy, with the highest generation occurring during winter GUANGZHOU 00000425 002 OF 002 month, leaving a decreased capacity from April to October. On average, nuclear power plants run up to 8,000 hours a year and wind power plants run 3,000 hours a year. However, due to Guangdong's varied terrain and seasonality of wind generation, plants in Guangdong run 1,500 to 2,000 hours. -------------- ...and Getting Turbines -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Xie Biao, General Manager of the Guangdong Yudean Shibeishan Wind Power Development Company, also cites the shortage of turbine supplies as an obstacle to wind power development. In the past, foreign turbines manufacturers, such as Danish-owned Vestas, dominated the market. According to Lin Shaokun, Vice Chief Financial Officer of China Resources Wind Power Development Company, developers are currently shifting toward domestically produced turbines as Chinese manufacturing capacity has grown with lower prices. Lin explained, however, that for large megawatt-level turbines, developers still prefer imported ones because they are more reliable. Regardless, CGNPC's Niu emphasized that turbine supply was falling short of demand in all categories due to the recent 'mushrooming' of wind farms. -------------- Government Support -------------- ¶8. (SBU) According to Lin Minghui, Chief of the Shantou Development and Reform Commission's Energy Section, the Guangdong government has remained highly supportive of wind power development through both policy and investment. Between 2005 and 2010, the provincial government is expected to invest USD 726 million in developing the wind power sector. In addition, the provincial government raised the wind power tariff as a financial incentive for wind power generating companies. According to Article 20 of the Renewable Energy Law of the PRC, power grids that purchase alternative energy sources at a higher cost that conventional energy, such as coal-fired, are able to pass the cost along to the consumer at the retail level. In January, the set wind power feed-in tariff was raised from RMB 0.528 to RMB 0.689 per kilowatt-hour, which is higher than the average coal-power feed-in tariff of RMB 0.42 kwh. In addition, wind power companies receive subsidies of RMB 0.01 per kwh if the wind farm is located more than 50 kilometers from the power grid and a RMB 0.02 per kwh subsidy if the farm is more than 100 kilometers from the grid. -------------- How Viable is Wind Power in Guangdong? -------------- ¶9. (SBU) While Guangdong is rapidly increasing the development of its capacity, wind power remains a tiny portion of the overall energy mix. According to Niu Zhiping, Guangdong's current wind power capacity of less than 300,000 kwh accounts for less than 1% of the province's power supply. In Guangdong's Shantou city, one of the first areas in the country to develop wind power and the site of the Nan'ao wind farm, wind power only accounts for approximately 10% of the city's power consumption. According to Liao Xiaoping, Deputy Director General of the Shantou Development and Reform Commission, coal will remain the dominant power source in the foreseeable future. GOLDBERG