Tokyo Power switches on new biomass plant in Mahiyanganaya

Friday, 11 April 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Tokyo Cement Group switched on its second biomass power plant on 5 April to supply the largely rural region of Mahiyanganaya with 5MW of clean and constant energy. This Rs. 2.4 billion plant by Tokyo Power, the energy arm of the nation’s leading cement and concrete manufacturer, Tokyo Cement Group, is an initiative to build on their expertise in sustainable biomass power.

Tokyo Power launched the Mahiyanganaya plant after successfully pioneering the first plant of its kind in Sri Lanka that provides 10MW of clean energy to their factory in Trincomalee. This 5MW Dendro power plant is expected to contribute approximately 40 million kWh annually to the national grid using sustainable green energy sources, notably Gliricidia, a fast growing tree legume, which is available in abundance in the dry zone of our nation. The fuel is to be obtained from plantations of Gliricidia sepium, or from farmers in the region who grow these trees through Tokyo Cement’s out-grower agricultural programs.

The expected generation capacity of 40 million kWh per year or 3.33 million kWh per month should enable the supply of electricity to reach an additional 30,000 rural households, thereby allowing the farmers that grow and supply Gliricidia, to directly benefit from their involvement in supplying biomass for the community’s energy consumption. “Our success with our initial biomass plant in Trincomalee, gives us confidence that this plant will not only supply clean, stable energy to an under-served region but will also help stabilise the electrical grid, by supporting the CEB. Consistent, stable power generation will allow for small and medium scale industries in the region to perform better without the fear of outages,” stated E. Kugapriya, General Manager, Tokyo Power.

Biomass energy and the environment Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions are a common side-effect of power generation in Sri Lanka. To generate One megawatt/hour (mWh) of energy in Sri Lanka we emit an average of 600kg of CO2 emissions, mostly due to a reliance on thermal plants that require coal or diesel for fuel. These carbon emissions in addition to other toxic gases form a barrier in the upper atmosphere that prevents the release of radiation from the Earth’s surface, thus causing global temperatures to rise resulting in unnatural changes in weather and climatic parameters such as the frequent occurrence of rains, floods, droughts and cyclones. The primary cause identified for this phenomenon is the combustion of hydrocarbons such as fossil fuels, natural gases and coal for the derivation of energy for human activity. This calls for the use of alternative sources of energy, preferably those that do not utilize fossil fuels but use renewable sources instead.

So, the 1kWh of energy required to power an air-conditioning unit for one hour, will traditionally contribute 600g of Carbon emission pollutants into the atmosphere. However, the Tokyo Power biomass plants do not discharge any carbon emissions during production of energy. This Tokyo Power Dendro Plant in Mahiyanganaya will generate 40million kWh annually to light up 30,000 rural homes with clean energy, whilst preventing 28,122 Metric Tons of greenhouse gasses being emitted into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of taking 5,920 passenger vehicles off the road, or if we were to drive 10,775,846,000 kilometres less every year. It is the equivalent of NOT consuming 11,978,640 litres of gasoline, or NOT burning 13,701,421Kgs of coal. It is the equivalent 10,800tons of waste NOT being sent to landfills. The environmental impact of such carbon emissions could only by sequestered by planting 721,082 tree seedlings grown for 10years, or the equivalent of 23,051 acres of a forest per year. Economic sustainability through gliricidia growing Tokyo Cement aims to engage 20,000 farming families and promote gliricidia growing across 2500 acres of Mahiyanganaya, to empower rural communities and develop sustainable land use systems, thereby securing the wellbeing of resource-lacking farming communities. The fuel requirement of gliricidia is to be obtained from the dry zone of Sri Lanka, especially the Uva, Central, North Central and Eastern provinces where they are capable of thriving in dry zones. Growing a large population of the tree legume, will not only fix CO2 through the process of photosynthesis but will also enrich soils through biological nitrogen fixation. The foliage of the trees will also provide good fodder to livestock, especially cattle and goats in the region, an industry currently being developed in the region for milk production. Tokyo Cement, well aware of unemployment and economic issues within the rural regions has developed this Green Energy project to simultaneously promote employment, local economies and uplift incomes for the farming populations through Gliricidia growing programs. Tokyo Power evaluated how a traditional thermal power plant requires hundreds of millions of rupees to flow out of the country as foreign exchange to buy expensive thermal oil or coal. They decided that those finances would have a greater positive impact if they were directed towards developing local economies.

“Through the Gliricidia growing programs, we have forged many strong bonds with local farming communities. We decided early on that we wanted them to take ownership of this project that not only leads to the electrification of their homes, but will also stimulate their local economy. We’ve projected that this Tokyo Power Dendro plant, will contribute Rs. 24 million per month in direct cash flow to farmers in the region. Thereby making this a truly self-sustaining initiative,” stated Salinda Kandapola, Agricultural Outsourcing Manager at Tokyo Cement Group.