Doniambo power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Doniambo power station is an operating power station of at least 160-megawatts (MW) in Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia, France with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Doniambo power station Nouméa, Sud, New Caledonia, France -22.249875, 166.440822 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit C-1, Unit C-2: -22.249875, 166.440822
  • Unit 1: -22.25895589, 166.4731909

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology CHP Start year Retired year
Unit 1 operating[1] heavy fuel oil[1] 160[1] not found not found not found
Unit C-1 cancelled coal - unknown 90 unknown
Unit C-2 cancelled coal - unknown 90 unknown

CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent Operator
Unit 1 Société Le Nickel[1] Eramet SA; Nisshin Steel Holdings Co Ltd Enercal[1]
Unit C-1 Société Doniambo Energie [100.0%]
Unit C-2 Société Doniambo Energie [100.0%]

Background on coal proposal

Eramet, the French mining company which holds a 56% share in Société Le Nickel (SLN), New Caledonia's oldest nickel company, planned to build the Doniambo power station in 2009. The coal power station was intended to replace an old, uneconomic, and highly polluting 4 x 40 MW heavy fuel oil plant at the site.[2][3][4]

In 2015, a public consultation process was underway for a coal project.[5] Permitting documents noted that the power station would consist of two 90 MW units, and would be power station "C" set to replace the aging "B" plant. Despite serious documented concerns about the project, the plant received approval from a South Province commission on October 26, 2015.[6]

However, around the same time in October 2015, it was reported that plans for the coal power station appeared to be on hold, with Eramet reallocating funds to pay share dividends.[2]

Alternatives (and Nouvelle-Calédonie Energie)

By 2019, Nouvelle-Calédonie Energie (NCE) was exploring alternatives for the site, so Eramet's coal power station proposal is considered cancelled.[7]

NCE's shareholding is distributed as follows: Agence Calédonienne de l’Energie (New Caledonia Energy Agency) (50%), Enercal (40%), and SLN (subsidiary of Eramet) (10%).[8]

In December 2019, the Director of NCE stated that the company was expecting to kick off permitting, tenders, and financing for liquified natural gas (LNG) at the site that year, with the start of work scheduled for 2022 and testing by 2023-2024.[9][10]

The group "Ensemble pour la planète" (EPLP; Together For The Planet) voiced opposition against the decision and launched its own independent study the same month.[11]

In February 2020, Government spokesperson Christopher Gyges said solar power generation had increased in recent times so plans for a plant using any fossil fuel only should be discarded.[12]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20230610110320/https://www.nouvellecaledonieenergie.nc/en/energy-in-new-caledonia/. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Plans for a new power plant put on hold, The Economist, October 26, 2015
  3. Nouvelle Caledonie Energie, accessed July 21, 2021
  4. Doniambo Oil Power Plant, Industry About, accessed July 21, 2021
  5. Exploitation d'une centrale thermique au charbon par la Société Doniambo Énergie, Province Sud, Consultation publique, August 31, 2015
  6. Rapport de l'Enquête Publique Relative A l'Autorisation d'Exploiter la Centrale C du site de Doniambo, Enquete - Installations Classées pour la Protection de l'Environnement (ICPE), registered October 29, 2015
  7. Le projet de nouvelle centrale entre deux solutions, France Info, August 30, 2019
  8. Who are we?, Nouvelle-Calédonie Energie, accessed July 21, 2021
  9. Centrale Pays : Le Gaz Naturel Liquéfié A Été Retenu, Made In, January 3, 2020
  10. Energy: Our Actions To Cut Our Co2 Emissions, Eramet, accessed July 21, 2021
  11. Ensemble Pour La Planète (Nouvelle-Calédonie), Facebook post, December 21, 2019
  12. New Caledonia rethinks key power project, RNZ Pacific, February 27, 2020

Additional data

To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.