Jimah East power station

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Jimah East power station is an operating power station of at least 2000-megawatts (MW) in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is also known as Project 3B.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Jimah East power station Port Dickson, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 2.590259, 101.724593 (exact)

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

Loading map...


Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2: 2.590259, 101.724593

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 operating coal - bituminous 1000 ultra-supercritical 2019 2044 (planned)
Unit 2 operating coal - bituminous 1000 ultra-supercritical 2019 2044 (planned)

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 Jimah East Power Sdn Bhd [100.0%]
Unit 2 Jimah East Power Sdn Bhd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Coal source(s): imported

Background

In April 2013, the Energy Commission (EC) shortlisted five consortia to tender for the 2,000 MW Project 3B coal-fired power plant, to be developed at the respective consortium's proposed site. The five shortlisted consortia were 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Formis Resources Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), Malakoff Corp Bhd and YTL Power International Bhd. 1MDB had proposed the plant to be located at Jimah, Negri Sembilan, while Malakoff had proposed Pulau Carey, Selangor. Both Formis and YTL Power had proposed Tanjung Tohor, Johor. TNB had proposed Tanjung Hantu - Segari, Perak.[1]

In March 2013, it was announced that 1Malaysia Development Bhd and partner Mitsui Co Ltd had been selected to build the project, offering a levelised tariff of 25.33 sen a kWh. The project would use IHI ultra-supercritical technology steam generator and two units of Toshiba turbo generator.[2] The plant would be built in Mukim Jimah, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan near the existing Jimah power station.[2][3]

The selection followed an intense period of lobbying for the project by the two front runners, YTL Power and 1MDB.[3]

In February 2015, 1MDB said it expected to withdraw from the 3B power project due to lack of funding, thereby allowing Malaysia's largest power group Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to take over the project.[4] Due to the transfer, Project 3B was postponed from the originally proposed October 2018 start date to June 2019.[5]

In August 2016, it was reported that construction had begun on the project.[6]

In March 2017, it was reported the plant was on-track for completion in December 2019.[7]

Construction was 75% complete as of April 2018.[8]

In May 2019, it was reported that Unit 1 would be commissioned in June 2019, and Unit 2 would be commissioned in December 2019.[9]

Unit 1 was commissioned on August 21, 2019.[10] Unit 2 was commissioned on December 27, 2019.[11]

Planned Retirement

In August 2022, TNB announced that they would be retiring selected coal plants earlier than planned and would be replacing the generation with renewable energy alternatives. The President and CEO of the firm stated: "TNB is very much in the driver’s seat when it comes to delivering the nation’s energy transition, and this responsibility is the impetus for TNB to accelerate our ESG initiatives". Subject to approval, the power stations initially targeted for early retirement were Jimah East power station, Sultan Aziz power station and Manjung power station.[12]

In May 2023, it was reported that TNB had committed to retiring the coal plant in 2044.[13]

Possible co-firing in the plant's future

A May 2023 news article reported that feasibility studies were underway to assess options for co-firing ammonia and biomass with coal at the power plant.[13]

In October 2023, co-firing feasibility studies for hydrogen, ammonia, and biomass were "ongoing".[14]

Ownership

Jimah East Power (JEP) is the sponsor of the project. TNB held a 70% stake in JEP while Mitsui & Co Ltd owned the remaining 30% through 3B Power. In July 2015, TNB said Chugoku Electric Power Co Inc, one of Japan’s biggest regional power utilities, might take up half of Mitsui's interest in 3B Power,[15] a deal announced in January 2016.[16]

In October 2021, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) was recognized as the "Clean Coal Technology Utilization for Large Power Generation" category winner at the ASEAN Energy Awards.[17] The month prior, TNB announced that the Jimah East power station would be the company's final coal endeavor.[18]

Financing

In November 2015, a financing agreement for this project was closed. HSBC, CIMB Group, and Maybank agreed to arrange US$2,065 million in bonds. Mitsui & Co and Tenaga Nasional agreed to provide US$610.53 million in equity. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, PwC, and HSBC acted as financial advisers.[19]

Environmental Degradation and Local Opposition

A December 2021 narrative article discussed the environmental, social, and public health risks around coal-fired power production in Malaysia. One quote reads: "For Noh [a fishmonger in Chuah, Negeri Sembilan], the commissioning of the nearby Jimah Power Station in 2005 has made life much worse for him and the other fishers. Then a second plant, Jimah East Power Station, fired up in 2019. Since the power plants, fishing yields have crashed. When Noh started his trade in 1997, he worked with about 20 fishers. The yields then were high, with each fisher catching up to RM400 worth of fish a day, he recalls. But they can hardly haul up one-fourth of that now. The fishing community pulls in lighter and lighter nets, even empty ones. “We can no longer find prawns here,” says Noh." The article also mentions that the nearby seabed is now blackened and that crabs could no longer be found in the area either.[20]

In 2023, it was reported that Jimah East Power Plant officials had offered monetary compensation to each local fishing boat in the amount of RM20,000, but the community of fisherpeople found the compensation a meager exchange for the damage inflicted on their homes, health, and livelihoods.[21] One local fisher said that the money was "nothing compared to the destruction of nature and depletion of fishing resources we live with in Kampung Chuah."[21]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. "Energy Commission shortlists 5 for 2,000MW power plant," The Star, April 19, 2013
  2. 2.0 2.1 "IMDB clinch Project 3B coal fired plant," The Sun Daily, March 3, 2014
  3. 3.0 3.1 Gurmeet Kaur, "Intense lobbying has stalled decision-making for the 2,000MW coal-fired power plant under Project 3B," The Star Online, February 8, 2014
  4. "Malaysia's 1MDB calls off $2.4 bln sukuk for power project-sources," Reuters, February 7, 2015
  5. "Project 3B plant ops date delayed due to transfer from 1MDB to TNB," The Star, June 30, 2015
  6. "Construction kicks off on RM12b Jimah East Power Project in Malaysia," Asia Power, August 2, 2016
  7. "TNB's Jimah project on track for completion by December 2019," The Star, March 27, 2017
  8. TNB completes 75% of works in Jimah East Power plant, The Malaysian Reserve, April 4, 2018
  9. TNB peruntuk perbelanjaan modal lebih rendah, BH Online, May 14, 2019
  10. Chong Jin Hun, "TNB Jimah East's First Power Plant Starts Commercial Operations," The Edge Markets, August 22, 2019
  11. TNB’s Jimah East Power plant now fully operational, The Malaysian Reserve, December 31, 2019
  12. TNB to retire selected coal plants earlier than scheduled, The Malaysian Reserve, August 2, 2022
  13. 13.0 13.1 Malaysia’s potential in RE transition, The Malaysian Reserve, May 31, 2023
  14. TNB quickens move into renewable energy, The Star, October 26, 2023
  15. "New shareholder may emerge in Project 3B under by TNB and Mitsui," The Star, July 9, 2015
  16. "Partial Sale of Equity in 2,000MW Ultra Super Critical Coal-fired Power Project in Malaysia," Mitsui, January 20, 2016
  17. "TNB Jimah Plant Wins ASEAN Energy Award For Clean Coal Technology," Business Today, October 10, 2021
  18. "TNB's ambitious green energy plans," The Star, September 11, 2021
  19. "Preview of Jimah East Coal Fired Power Plant (2000MW) | Transaction | IJGlobal". ijglobal.com. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  20. "Coal Can Be Costly—Who's Paying?", Macaranga, December 22, 2021
  21. 21.0 21.1 "Too Little And Very Late!” Screamed Kampung Chuah Against Environment Damage", Maritime Fairtrade, March 16, 2023

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.