Energy Audit in Salt Industries in Laos (UNIDO project)

DETAILED ENERGY AUDITS IN SALT INDUSTRIES IN LAO PDR

Besides energy efficiency projects performed in the whole country, ENERTEAM has also carried out projects in our neighbouring countries as Thailand, Cambodia, Timor-Leste. Especially, at the end of 2016, we submitted our proposal to UNIDO for one international project on “Detailed Energy Audits in Salt Industries in LAO PDR” and finally we absolutely won this project and had executed all project’s activities from the beginning of 2017 within 3 months and completed at the end of March.

The project’s requirement was performed at 7 Salt Factories in the following cities/province of Laos.

Let’s find out how wonderful this project is.

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

To reduce Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in Laotian industries by promoting the production and usage of industrial grade solid bio-fuel for energy generation through the adoption of energy efficiency and conservation measures (e.g. efficient manufacturing processes, and energy conversion devices such as combustion stoves, boilers, etc.), and the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy (e.g. solar thermal, biomass gasification, high efficiency stoves/furnaces using pellets or briquettes.

Besides, the most meaningful target of this project is to encourage fuel switching for production (as normally the firewood collected from the forest is used for burning of stoves in production). It’s recommended to switch to rice husk, saw dust, small branches of trees in order to prevent using forest trees for production that affects human life.

2. WHAT DOES PROJECT PERFORMANCE FOCUS ON?

Detailed Energy Audit at each Salt Factory will concentrate in two main issues as follows.

– Process/Process Equipment:

• Determine the composition of brine which is processed in the salt industry
• Determine the energy used to produce salt
• Provide recommendation on how the salt production process could become more efficient, including reduction of energy consumption, reduction of emission and waste, improvement in productivity and product quality, etc.
• Finding the potential options for Demand Side Management in the audited factory
• Pre-feasibility analysis for each possible option: after identifying the possible option in above items, the pre-feasibility analysis will be conducted. 

– Utilities/Facilities and Energy Substitution:

Inspecting Utilities (energy supply side) equipment available on-site, including:

• Electric supply and distribution system , back-up system (generators)
• Lighting system
• Air compressor system 
• Ventilation system
• Other plant/ workshop
• Etc.

Finding suitable option for substitution of fossil fuel by renewable energy, more specifically solid biomass educe GHG emissions, reduce the energy costs, minimize health impacts, enhance the use of renewable energy and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels in the industry.

The project was successfully carried out at the end of March 2017. After finishing this project, we’ve been so happy because we could help all salt factories involved in this project have generally identified the current situation of energy consumption at sites as well as well know about proposed energy efficiency/saving measures for their improvement in future.

This is an impressive mission not only for ENERTEAM but also for teams in charge because we had chance to experience new special culture of our neighbouring country, good memories mission with real difficult travelling geographical condition between different and rural provinces/cities at Laos. Once again, We’d like to say thank you to UNIDO for funding this project as well as help us to have chance to well perform all project’s activities in Laos.