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Indonesia: Mighty Earth petitions Samsung to stop partnership with Korindo group; concerns raised about company’s environment and human rights record

By on Friday, November 15, 2024

“Samsung under fire for partnership with forest-burning Korindo,” 25 August 2017

An online petition asking Samsung to drop its partnership with a Korean-Indonesian conglomerate over concerns of rainforest destruction on the island of New Guinea has garnered over 73,000 signatures.

Samsung recently announced a joint venture with Korindo, in the logistics sector…Korindo’s palm oil operation has come under fire for devastating pristine rainforest in Indonesia’s easternmost Tanah Papua region, pushing endemic animals like the tree kangaroo to the brink of extinction, infringing on the rights of local communities and contributing to the Southeast Asian haze, all of which was documented in a 2016 report by Mighty Earth…

While Samsung is not cooperating with Korindo’s plantations arm, it does have a direct stake in the oil palm sector via its joint venture with the Ganda Group, which is controversial for its stake in a company that bulldozed people’s homes in Sumatra in 2011 to make way for its plantation.

Timeline


  • FSC’s expulsion of Korindo is further evidence of unsustainabile practices, says NGO that exposed abuses and SLAPPs by the company

    19 Jul 2021
    Article

  • FSC’s statement on disassociation from Korindo Group

    15 Jul 2021
    Article

  • Indonesia & S. Korea: Palm oil giant Korindo stripped of sustainability status following allegations of environmental harm

    15 Jul 2021
    Article

    A Korean palm oil giant has been rejected from the world’s leading green certification body in the wake of a BBC investigation.


  • Indonesia: Palm oil giant Korindo accused anew of illegally burning Papuan rainforest; company denies allegation

    13 Nov 2020
    Article

  • Indonesia: Korindo sends cease-and-desist letter vs. FSC’s report on its operations; company asserts intent to clarify certain points in report

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Korindo: Korean palm oil giant stripped of sustainability status

By on Friday, November 15, 2024
Greenpeace Environmental activists fear for the Papua rainforest - among the most biodiverse places in the world
Environmental activists fear for the Papua rainforest – among the most biodiverse places in the world

A Korean palm oil giant has been rejected from the world’s leading green certification body in the wake of a BBC investigation.

The BBC had earlier found evidence that the Korindo group had been buying up swathes of Asia’s largest remaining rainforests in the remote Indonesian province of Papua.

A visual analysis suggested that fires had then been deliberately set to these forests, a clear violation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The regulator’s tree logo – found on paper products throughout the UK and Europe – is meant to tell consumers the product is sourced from ethical and sustainable companies.

At the time of the BBC’s investigation late last year, the FSC said they would not expel Korindo but were working with the Korean company to address social and environmental problems.

But now the green body says the relationship has “become untenable” and Korindo’s trademark licenses with FSC will be terminated from October.

“We were not able to verify improvements in Korindo’s social and environmental performance,” Kim Carstensen, FSC international director general said.

He said the decision would “give us clarity and a breath of fresh air while Korindo continues its efforts to improve.”

Korindo groups chief sustainability officer Kwangyul Peck said in a statement that the company was “very shocked by the FSC decision.”

He insists they were following all the steps of “an agreed roadmap of improvements” and said despite their expulsion from the FSC “they remain committed to sustainability and human rights.”

‘A violation of traditional and human rights’

Korindo controls more land in Papua than any other conglomerate. The company has cleared nearly 60,000 hectares of forests inside its government-granted concessions – an area the size of Chicago or Seoul.

A 2018 report by the FSC into the allegations against Korindo was never published, after legal threats from the company, but the BBC obtained a copy.

The report found “evidence beyond reasonable doubt” that Korindo’s palm oil operation destroyed 30,000 hectares of high conservation forest in breach of FSC regulations and that the company was, “on the balance of probability … supporting the violation of traditional and human rights for its own benefit.”

A visual investigation by the Forensic Architecture group at Goldsmiths University in London and Greenpeace International, published in conjunction with the BBC, also found evidence that indicated deliberate burning.

2:44
Watch how the Forensic Architecture Group established what was happening in Papua

Kiki Taufik, head of the Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaign said the FSC decision was “better late than never” saying they had “finally come to their senses”.

But he said the Indonesian government continues to “grant companies like Korindo forest concessions, allowing them to violate the rights of indigenous people.”

“It is crucial that buyers and certification bodies don’t keep helping them create a facade of sustainability and transparency,” he said.

After the BBC’s investigation last year, the Indonesian parliament had launched an inquiry into Korindo’s conduct – though the findings have not been made public.

Mighty earth The rich rainforest in Papua is among the most biodiverse places on earthMighty earth
The rich rainforest in Papua, among the most biodiverse places on earth, is threatened by deforestation

The Korindo group strongly denies starting any fires or involvement in any human rights violations, saying it follows the law. They also insisted they paid fair compensation to tribes.

Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of palm oil – found in everything from shampoo to biscuits – and Papua is its newest frontier.

The rich forests in the remote province of Papua had until recently escaped relatively untouched, but the government has rapidly opened the area up to investors, vowing to bring prosperity to one of the poorest regions in the country.

Vast areas of forest have been cleared to make way for row upon row of oil palm trees.

Indonesia’s palm oil exports were worth about $19bn (£14bn) last year, according to data from Gapki, the nation’s palm oil association.

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Indonesia & S. Korea: Palm oil giant Korindo stripped of sustainability status following allegations of environmental harm

By on Friday, November 15, 2024

“Korindo: Korean palm oil giant stripped of sustainability status”, 15 July 2021

A Korean palm oil giant has been rejected from the world’s leading green certification body in the wake of a BBC investigation. The BBC had earlier found evidence that the Korindo group had been buying up swathes of Asia’s largest remaining rainforests in the remote Indonesian province of Papua.

A visual analysis suggested that fires had then been deliberately set to these forests, a clear violation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The regulator’s tree logo – found on paper products throughout the UK and Europe – is meant to tell consumers the product is sourced from ethical and sustainable companies.

At the time of the BBC’s investigation late last year, the FSC said they would not expel Korindo but were working with the Korean company to address social and environmental problems.

But now the green body says the relationship has “become untenable” and Korindo’s trademark licenses with FSC will be terminated from October. “We were not able to verify improvements in Korindo’s social and environmental performance,” Kim Carstensen, FSC international director general said.

Korindo groups chief sustainability officer Kwangyul Peck said in a statement that the company was “very shocked by the FSC decision.” He insists they were following all the steps of “an agreed roadmap of improvements” and said despite their expulsion from the FSC “they remain committed to sustainability and human rights.”…

A 2018 report by the FSC into the allegations against Korindo was never published, after legal threats from the company, but the BBC obtained a copy. The report found “evidence beyond reasonable doubt” that Korindo’s palm oil operation destroyed 30,000 hectares of high conservation forest in breach of FSC regulations and that the company was, “on the balance of probability … supporting the violation of traditional and human rights for its own benefit.”…

Kiki Taufik, head of the Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaign said the FSC decision was “better late than never” saying they had “finally come to their senses”. But he said the Indonesian government continues to “grant companies like Korindo forest concessions, allowing them to violate the rights of indigenous people.” “It is crucial that buyers and certification bodies don’t keep helping them create a facade of sustainability and transparency,”…

The Korindo group strongly denies starting any fires or involvement in any human rights violations, saying it follows the law. They also insisted they paid fair compensation to tribes…

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The Consultant: Why did a palm oil conglomerate pay $22m to an unnamed ‘expert’ in Papua?

By on Friday, November 15, 2024
  • In a year-long investigation with The Gecko Project, the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism-Newstapa and Al Jazeera, Mongabay traced a $22 million “consultancy” payment connected to a major land deal in Indonesia’s Papua province.
  • It took us from South Korea and Singapore to the heart of the largest rainforest left in Asia, to find out how the payment helped make the Korindo Group one of the largest oil palm producers in the region.
  • Photography by Albertus Vembrianto.

Part 1: ‘Maybe they didn’t expect us to find it’

In April 2019, an Indonesian delegate stepped onto the stage at a conference hosted by Interpol, the international police organization, at its Singapore headquarters. Among the audience were dozens of law enforcement agents from across the world, there to learn about how white-collar crimes and corruption underpinned the ongoing destruction of the world’s rainforests.

Interpol’s interest in forest crime had been stimulated by the billions of dollars the World Bank had calculated developing countries were losing in tax revenues to the global trade in illicit timber every year. There was a growing recognition among enforcement agencies that the crime scene was not only in rainforests. It was also in the dark recesses of the global financial system, through which bribes were paid and profits laundered.

The delegate, from an Indonesian nonprofit, walked the audience through a “suspicious” $22 million payment made by a conglomerate, which she declined to identify in her presentation. In corporate filings, the transaction had been described as a “consultancy fee,” paid to an unnamed “expert” who had helped obtain the rights to develop a vast oil palm plantation in the Indonesian province of Papua.

A river winds through the interior of Papua province, home to the world’s third-largest rainforest after the Amazon and Congo rainforests.

It was a curious payment. In Indonesia, permits for plantations have no significant official costs, the delegate noted, as dozens of suited enforcement agents watched from the auditorium. But the government officials who preside over the sector have a notorious propensity for corruption.

In fact, the delegate said, the payment bore the hallmarks of a common ruse deployed in major transnational corruption schemes, in which sham consultants are used to channel millions of dollars to officials in exchange for contracts or permits. Was this “consultant” simply an “intermediary for bribes paid to Indonesian public officials?”

“Maybe they didn’t expect us to find it,” the delegate, who asked to remain anonymous, later told us. “I think they were being careless.”

The company in question was the Korindo Group, a privately owned conglomerate that has been logging Indonesia’s rainforests since the 1970s. The payment was made at a critical juncture as Korindo rapidly grew its operations in Papua. Between 2009 and 2014, through this deal and several other concessions for which it obtained licenses directly from the government, Korindo acquired the rights to an area of land in the province twice the size of Seoul, the South Korean capital.

The Indonesian districts of Merauke and Boven Digoel, where Korindo’s plantations are located, are the size of small U.S. states. They lie on the island of New Guinea, which is divided politically between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

As other major palm oil producers, under pressure from environmentally conscious buyers, pledged to stop clearing rainforest, Korindo plotted a different course. Since 2013, it has cut down 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of rainforest in Papua, at the heart of one of the most important ecosystems left on the planet.

Korindo’s explanations for the payment have shifted over time. When we asked about it this year, the conglomerate said the payment was not a consultancy fee at all. It was part of a share purchase, Korindo said, from a man named Kim Nam Ku, who had sold Korindo a shell company holding permits for the plantation. Korindo told us that Kim chose to mischaracterize the payment as a consultancy fee, for reasons only he could explain.

A road cuts through one of Korindo’s oil palm plantations in Papua.

Over the past year, The Gecko Project and Mongabay — in collaboration with the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism-Newstapa and 101 East, Al Jazeera’s Asia-Pacific current affairs program — have investigated this payment and the role it played in Korindo’s expansion in Papua.

We reviewed corporate records, financial statements and permits dating back more than a decade to examine how Korindo had expanded its landbank. We traced the group’s complex ownership structure, from Indonesia, through Singapore, to multiple notorious tax havens, discovering how it deploys corporate secrecy techniques that prevent scrutiny of key aspects of its business.

A sign in one of Korindo’s oil palm concessions in Papua says hunting animals is prohibited. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for Mongabay and The Gecko Project.

We traveled to Papua on the trail of Kim Nam Ku, to find out what he had been up to in one of Indonesia’s remotest regions. Through interviews with his former colleagues, documents and a leaked cache of photos, we traced his career from the Papuan rainforests in the mid-2000s, through his role in an abortive attempt to establish a giant plantation project in Madagascar, to his multimillion-dollar dealings with Korindo.

Today, Korindo controls more land in Papua than any other conglomerate, and it has assumed many of the functions of the state in one of Indonesia’s most neglected and militarized areas. We estimated that since the turn of the century, it had exported products worth $320 million using timber harvested as it cleared the rainforest for plantations in the province. But indigenous Papuans we interviewed said Korindo had failed to keep its promise to improve their lives through jobs and development. We found infants suffering from malnutrition, while palm oil worth tens of millions of dollars is exported from their land each year.

Pius, left, lives in Ujung Kia, a village in southern Papua. Darius Nenop, right, is chief of the Mumanjar tribe, a sub-tribe of the Mandobo. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for Mongabay and The Gecko Project.

We asked 10 anti-corruption experts, including former U.S. officials with experience investigating transnational corruption schemes, to review the details of the payment and other information we uncovered. They said it was impossible to tell whether the payment had financed bribery without using powers available only to government agencies. But they considered the payment closely resembled the typology of bribery cases involving consultants. They pointed to the outsized fee, the high risks of corruption in Indonesia, Korindo’s shifting explanations and multiple other “red flags” as evidence that the payment merited investigation by law enforcement.

“Was the company just turning a blind eye to the possibility that the ‘expert’ was passing on huge amounts in bribes to public officials and community leaders?” said Bruce Searby, a former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney who prosecuted transnational corruption cases.

Korindo categorically denies paying bribes. In a letter dated June 1, the head of Korindo’s legal team said that our findings, and especially any allegations of bribery, were “completely incorrect and false.” The conglomerate insists its plantations have benefited the Papuan people by providing jobs, education and healthcare. Further, it says it made a loss on the timber it harvested while developing plantations.

Conglomerates moving money through offshore companies and secrecy jurisdictions can present a challenge to law enforcement agencies bound largely by national borders. Korindo’s payment may never have entered Indonesia, placing it beyond the immediate reach of the nation’s regulators.

Petrus Kies and his family in an oil palm plantation in southern Papua. The children do not attend school. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for The Gecko Project and Mongabay.

But it is likely the payment traveled through the banking systems of both Singapore and the U.S., countries that would be able to trace the payment at the request of the Indonesian authorities. U.S. agencies have a strong track record in assisting foreign partners in complex transnational financial investigations, and operate under laws that give them expansive powers to pursue evidence across the world.

Former officials from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice told us enforcement agencies should investigate the payment. It was not just a $22 million case, they said; the fallout in Papua, and the impact on indigenous people and the rainforest, raised the stakes.

The starting point for the case could be quite simple. By pulling the bank records and tracing the payment as it flowed through the global financial system, they might be able to answer the question: where did the money go?

Part 2: The chaebol

Seung Eun-ho, the founder of Korindo

Seung Eun-ho, the founder of the Korindo Group, has told the origin story of his company many times. In 1975, he was in Indonesia working for his father’s timber business when crisis hit. His father, Seung Sang-bae, was arrested in their home country of South Korea on charges of tax evasion, and the company’s assets were seized.

The younger Seung had come to Indonesia a few years earlier to source raw materials. With his father facing bankruptcy, “the future seemed bleak,” Seung later recounted. “All I had was a logging permit.” Seung borrowed $1 million from an acquaintance, an executive in a Japanese timber firm, and invested it in logging equipment.

His new business, Korindo, flourished, and he repaid the loan within four years. Four decades later, he and his own son, Robert Seung, presided over a diversified business empire reportedly bringing in more than $1 billion in revenue each year. In the intervening years, Korindo had expanded its logging operations across Indonesia, built giant sawmills, planted seas of timber and oil palm crops. It moved into construction, paper manufacturing and shipping, and put Seung Eun-ho in the ranks of the super rich.

Satellite imagery of Korindo’s sawmills in the Indonesian provinces of Central Kalimantan, left, and East Kalimantan, right, both on the island of Borneo. Korindo is one of the largest plywood manufacturers in Indonesia, and in 2004 it accounted for an estimated 4% of global production.

In glowing profiles in the South Korean media, Seung, now 78, is fond of recounting the scrapes he got into with rural Indonesians along the way: Madurese workers in Borneo who threatened to kill a South Korean employee after one of their own died in a car accident; Papuan separatists who kidnapped an executive, demanding $2 billion before he personally intervened to secure the man’s release. “They had no concept of money,” Seung said of the rebel fighters. “So I gave [the leader] cigarettes and sugar. Eventually, it was settled at $2,000.”

While Seung proclaims himself the founder and chairman of Korindo, unpacking who owns shares in the various companies within the group was almost impossible, until recently. For Indonesian companies, the names of shareholders are publicly available on a government database. These profiles revealed that the firms operating Korindo’s plantation and logging concessions were owned by other companies, which in turn were owned by other companies.

If you followed this line of shareholders back far enough, it would often loop back on itself, sometimes multiple times. The companies effectively owned shares in themselves, through what are known as “circular shareholdings.” Trying to find out who ultimately owned any one Korindo company was like getting lost in a rabbit warren. Where an endpoint could be discerned, it was invariably a company in an offshore tax haven, where shell companies are protected by corporate secrecy laws.

The circular ownership structure behind PT Pelayaran Korindo, a shipping company ultimately owned by the Seungs, shown in 2013. The judgement in Seung Eun-ho’s tax case confirmed that five of the six companies in secrecy jurisdictions shown here were ultimately controlled by Seung. A small stake in one of the companies involved in this structure was held by Mohamad “Bob” Hasan, a former trade and industry minister and logging magnate.

When Seung’s affairs were investigated by the South Korean tax authorities in 2013, however, it laid bare the extent to which Korindo’s structure was a carefully constructed facade that concealed the outright control he exercised over the entire group. The authorities discovered that Seung had set up 62 shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Panama, the Seychelles, Singapore and elsewhere that collectively owned Korindo’s Indonesian assets through circular shareholdings.

The paper shareholders and directors of these companies were nominees — Korindo employees who had “lent” their names to Seung and acted under his instructions, according to a South Korean court judgement. Others were secretarial firms which served to provide a front for individuals seeking to conceal their control of companies.

There were directorships, shares, even bank accounts registered in the names of these nominees. However, as held by the South Korean court, all were acting under Seung’s control and for his benefit. In 2018, the court ordered Seung to pay around $90 million in back taxes, a bill he had unsuccessfully challenged on the grounds he is an Indonesian citizen for tax purposes (he has appealed). The court decided that Seung’s use of complex, multilayered ownership structures and nominee shareholders appeared to be for the purpose of evading taxes.

Many of the Seungs’ assets can ultimately be traced back to Hong Kong, where some of the dozens of companies set up on his behalf are domiciled. Image by J. Philipp Krone/Flickr.

Other clues to why Seung deployed these methods lie in the unique evolution of corporate governance in the country of his birth. Circular shareholdings are a key feature of the giant, family-owned firms that dominate the South Korean economy. The chaebol, as these conglomerates are known, were a driving force in the nation’s rapid economic growth, transforming South Korea from an impoverished agricultural society to a global hub of high-technology manufacturing. But they grew so big that they were able to exert control over politics, often for their own narrow interests. Concern over their corrosive influence grew, erupting in a series of corruption scandals that peaked in 2017 when the heir of Samsung, the electronics giant, was convicted of bribing a former president.

The chaebol deploy circular shareholdings in part because they enable the founding families to exercise outright control of their companies without appearing to do so, according to Geoffrey Cain, a journalist who recently published a book about Samsung. The structure dulls any accountability that might be in place in a traditional corporate structure, inuring the founders to the risks of bad behavior and exacerbating their worst instincts. When prosecutors come knocking, Cain told us, “the board officers or executives who legally run the company will often take the fall and then the founding family will be unscathed.”

“The chaebol chairman is like a god,” he added. “He’s somebody who is untouchable within the company and it’s rare for them to have to take full responsibility for decisions that they’ve made.”

Yoanis Kies, 24, works as a laborer in an oil palm plantation. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for Mongabay and The Gecko Project.

Korindo made liberal use of circular shareholdings when it embarked on its rapid phase of expansion in Papua. It would obtain permits to several plots of land, directly from the government, through three companies it set up in Indonesia. All three were owned by a maze of other companies domiciled in Indonesia, Singapore and the British Virgin Islands.

But for one concession, Korindo did things differently. The exception was PT Papua Agro Lestari (PAL), a company it acquired in 2013 with what it told us was a full set of permits. Korindo said it had taken over PT PAL in a straightforward share deal, from Kim Nam Ku. The true picture, like much of Korindo’s business, appeared to be much more complex.

Part 3: The deal

The Singapore skyline at night. Image by Paul Gravestock/Flickr.

Korindo’s public filings in Singapore give one account of how it acquired PT PAL. In March 2013, the Seungs set up a shell company in the city state named Papua Agro Investments Pte Ltd (PAI). Eun-ho’s son Robert was listed as a director. Later that year, using a cash investment from one of the group’s companies in the British Virgin Islands, PAI paid $1.5 million for a majority stake in PT PAL, which held some of the permits it would need to transform some 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) of primary rainforest into an oil palm plantation.

That same year, PAI paid a further $21.4 million as a “consultancy fee.” According to its financial statements, the payment went to an “expert in getting the plantation rights and projects’ development.” An additional installment of $500,000 was paid in 2015, for the same purpose, taking the total to nearly $22 million.

This page in Papua Agro Investment’s 2013 financial statements, filed to Singaporean regulators, references the first installment of the consultancy payment. Corporate financial statements are publicly available in Singapore.

In 2018, two NGOs from Indonesia and the U.S. investigated Korindo’s finances and came across the anomalous consultancy payments. They wrote to Korindo as they prepared to publish a report on alleged environmental and human rights abuses driven by its operations. Noting that there were “no official costs to ‘getting plantation rights’ in Indonesia,” they asked what the consultant had done to merit such an enormous fee.

In response, Korindo wrote that the deal had been structured this way at the request of the “share seller” of PT PAL, who had his own “obligations” with the consultant. Korindo said it viewed the total cost of the company, including the consultancy fee, as a fair reflection of its value and had agreed to pay it as part of the deal. “PAI had no obligation to investigate the details of the rights and obligations between the seller and consultant,” Korindo wrote, referring to its Singaporean subsidiary. “Insofar as such payment is legal and does not harm anyone’s rights, PAI feels it was acceptable to make the total payment in the manner requested by the seller.”

Agustinus Keong, 68, works as a laborer in an oil palm plantation, after his clan’s forest was cleared in early 2014. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for Mongabay and The Gecko Project.

Large companies frequently hire consultants for legitimate ends, particularly when investing in unfamiliar markets. But “consultants” also make a routine appearance in major bribery cases around the world.

Last year, for example, Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission “with engaging in a large-scale bribery scheme involving the use of sham consultants to secretly funnel money to government officials in multiple countries,” including Indonesia. Ericsson agreed to pay the U.S. authorities more than $1 billion in fines.

“There are certainly plenty of bribery cases where a ‘consultant’ has been, in the end, a euphemism used in the accounting for an intermediary or a bagman for corrupt officials,” said Bruce Searby, the former Department of Justice prosecutor. “Frankly, this is an old school way of phrasing it, originating in times and places where there was a culture of impunity, making it unnecessary to be too creative about what you called them.”

For the anti-corruption experts who reviewed the payment at our request, the size of the fee jumped out as a red flag. Implausibly large contracts, with millions of dollars spent on seemingly routine or even illogical services, are a frequent feature of corruption cases involving sham consultants. “When you have unexplained consultancy payments, then you have to wonder what things besides the expertise are being paid for,” Searby said.

In its financial statements, Korindo said it was paying for expertise in acquiring land rights. But by the time the payment was made, the conglomerate had already built up decades of its own expertise. During the same period in which PT PAL got permits, Korindo obtained the same kinds of permits for three of its own subsidiaries, for four plantation projects in southern Papua.

Debra LaPrevotte, a former special agent with the FBI who investigated multi-million-dollar transnational corruption schemes involving countries like Ukraine, Nigeria and Bangladesh, said Korindo’s track record of getting permits on its own raised further questions. “It’s a deviation from the norm,” she said of the consultancy payment. “If they got these other permits previously without having to use a consultant? Why did they have to pay $22 million for a consultant this time?” She added, “It seems an astronomical amount.”

The risks that a large fee could be diverted to paying bribes in Indonesia’s natural resource sector were particularly apparent. Investigations by Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency, known as the KPK, have documented bribery at every level of the licensing process. In one example, a billionaire tycoon was caught in a 2012 wiretap investigation arranging bribes for the head of Buol district, on the island of Sulawesi, to issue permits for her palm oil company.

A 2015 survey by the KPK found that almost half of the candidates in that year’s regional elections had been offered illicit campaign finance from businessmen, in return for permits and other rewards if they won. “If you’re dealing with that kind of environment, you know the risk is already there,” said Richard Bistrong, the CEO of Front-line Anti-Bribery LLC, which advises companies on avoiding corruption.

Korindo’s oil palm plantation in Getentiri, a village in southern Papua. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for Mongabay and The Gecko Project.

This year, however, when we asked Korindo what the $22 million payment had been for, its account appeared to change. It said the money had not gone to a consultant at all, but to the “de facto owner” of PT PAL at the time of its acquisition by Korindo, a man named Kim Nam Ku, as payment for his shares.

In other words, the “consultancy fee” wasn’t a consultancy fee. In a letter on May 9, Korindo Group managing director Seo Jeongsik described it as a “straightforward share purchase transaction” paid at the market rate. Kim, he said, had earned the money they had paid him by taking PT PAL through a “lengthy and complex regulatory process.”

Why would Korindo misrepresent to the Singaporean authorities a payment for shares as a “consultancy fee” in its financial statements? According to Seo, it was because Kim had wanted to, “for reasons which only he could explain.” Korindo, Seo said, “had no interest in how the transaction was characterized as the payment was made.”

Korindo’s apparent disinterest in how the payment had been characterized raised more questions. A Singaporean lawyer we asked to review the payment pointed out that under the city state’s Companies Act, knowingly making or authorizing a “false or misleading statement” in audited accounts is an offense, punishable by up to two years in prison. As a director of PAI, Robert Seung could be liable. In a letter on May 20, Seo denied that Korindo or Robert Seung had broken the law.

There was another curious aspect about the new explanation. Korindo told us it had bought PT PAL from Kim, but at the time the payment was made, Kim held no shares in the firm. Corporate records show that Kim’s equity in the company had been transferred to a Seoul-born man named Seo Haeng Won in 2009.

According to the corporate records, Seo Haeng Wong’s registered address was a unit in an upscale apartment complex in Jakarta. Seung Eun-ho, his son Robert, and more than a dozen other individuals listed as directors in Korindo companies also used addresses in the complex. At least one of Seo Haeng Won’s neighbors in the complex had been used by Seung Eun-ho as a nominee shareholder (the full names of other nominees were redacted in the court judgement in Seung’s tax case).

Jeklina, 24, works with her husband in an oil palm plantation in Boven Digoel. Image by Albertus Vembrianto for Mongabay and The Gecko Project.

Trawling through records for other Korindo companies, we found that Seo Haeng Won had briefly appeared as a board member in three other Korindo companies in the years leading up to the PT PAL deal. Given Seung’s established pattern of using nominee shareholders, it seemed possible that Seo was just a front, holding shares in PT PAL for Korindo four years before Korindo claimed to have bought the firm.

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Palm oil giant Korindo accused again of illegally burning Papuan rainforest

By on Friday, November 15, 2024
  • An independent investigation based on satellite imagery has concluded that palm oil giant Korindo deliberately set fires to clear rainforest in its concession in Indonesia’s Papua province.
  • Researchers from the University of London’s Forensic Architecture group and Greenpeace found that the spread and speed of the burning matched the pattern of land clearing, and didn’t appear as random as fires on neighboring concessions.
  • The finding is the latest allegation of illegal burning by Korindo, which is accused of having cleared a Chicago-sized area of rainforest in Papua.
  • The company accuses nearby villagers of setting the fires, but the villagers’ accounts of Korindo employees starting the fires matches with the burn periods determined by the analysis.

JAKARTA — Palm oil giant Korindo Group is alleged to have set fires to clear rainforest in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua, a practice that is banned by law.

The allegation was raised by Greenpeace International and Forensic Architecture, a research group based at the University of London, whose joint investigation found indications of deliberate burning by the Indonesian-South Korean joint venture.

To determine the origin and nature of the fires in a concession held by Korindo subsidiary  PT Dongin Prabhawa in Papua’s Merauke district, Forensic Architecture looked at NASA satellite imagery from October 2011 to January 2016. It also analyzed video from aerial surveys conducted by Greenpeace International campaigners in 2013 to determine what’s known as the normalized burn ratio, essentially identifying burned areas and estimating fire severity.

Forensic Architecture noted that the pattern of fires — their direction and the speed with which they moved — matched the pattern of land clearing in the periods of February to May 2012, July to December 2012, February 2013, April to December 2013, January 2014, April to December 2014, and May to December 2015.

This, said Forensic Architecture senior researcher Samaneh Moafy, is an indication of deliberate burning.

“If the fires in Korindo’s concession were natural, the outbreaks would be irregular,” she said. “However, tracking the movements of deforestation and fires over time shows that they clearly happen in sequence with fires following the clearance in a west to east direction and overwhelmingly happening inside Korindo’s concession boundary.”

A comparison with a nearby plantation held by another company, PT Internusa Jaya Sejahtera, showed that the fires and land clearings on PT Dongin Prabhawa’s land are more frequent and exhibited a stronger sense of direction, further supporting the allegation that the fires were set intentionally in the region.

This is not the first allegation of arson by Korindo. In 2016, a coalition of NGOs, including the campaign group Mighty Earth, published a report on Korindo that identified at least 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of deforestation and more than 900 fire hotspots on Korindo’s oil palm plantations in Papua and North Maluku province since 2013.

Since 2001, Korindo had allegedly cleared a total of 57,000 hectares (141,000 acres) of rainforest in Papua province alone, an area about the size of Chicago, according to Papua Atlas. Papua Atlas is a real-time interactive map showing the spread of plantations and roads in the Papua region, developed by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

According to another recent report by Greenpeace, 11,300 hectares (28,000 acres) of Korindo’s concessions burned from 2015 to 2019.

In 2017, Mighty Earth filed a complaint against Korindo, which controls the largest swath of oil palm plantations in Papua, to the Forest Stewardship Council, considered the world’s foremost body certifying the sustainable forestry industry.

After two-year investigation, the FSC, which has certified some of Korindo’s forestry operations, concluded in a heavily redacted report that there’s “evidence beyond reasonable doubt” that there had been large-scale clearing of natural forests in Korindo’s concessions.

However, the FSC said it didn’t find strong enough evidence of deliberate burning.

“Although satellite images show the presence of smoke from fires on Korindo concession areas, it could not be determined that fires were set with the intention to clear land,” the FSC said.

On its website, Korindo said it “has never used and will never use fire to clear land in any of its operations.”

And in a response to the latest allegation, Korindo told the BBC that the fires in its concessions were either natural fires caused by extreme dryness or started by “villagers hunting giant wild rats hiding under stacks of wood.”

But villagers who live around the PT Dongin Prabhawa plantation say they saw Korindo employees setting fires on the company’s land over a period of years that matched the findings of the visual investigation.

Sefnat Mahuze, a local farmer, said he saw Korindo employees collecting leftover wood and stacking them into large piles.

“And then they poured petrol over it and then lit them,” he said as quoted by the BBC. Big Black Cock Porn Videos

Greenpeace Southeast Asia forest campaign head Kiki Taufik said Korindo’s explanation of the fires on its concessions was merely an excuse.

“From [the visual investigation] and the villagers’ testimonies, it’s very clear that [the fires] were started by the company,” he told Mongabay.

In light of the findings, Kiki urged the Indonesian government to hold Korindo and other plantation companies accountable for the fires on their land and for the resulting damage to people’s health and the environment.

“Instead, the government’s track record shows inconsistent and weak law enforcement, combined with a weakening of environmental safeguards under the recently passed pro-business omnibus law,” he said.

 

Banner image: A pile of wood that has been prepared to be burned in land controlled by Korindo in Papua. Photo courtesy of Mighty Earth.

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Palm oil and timber giant Korindo backs down in long-running case to silence civil society organizations

By on Friday, November 15, 2024

(Hamburg, Germany 21 Feb 2023) The plaintiff in the legal proceedings, a company belonging to the Korindo group of businesses, has agreed to end a long-running lawsuit, after a judge in Germany looked set to dismiss the case. PT Kenertec Power Systems’ lawsuit was obviously intended to silence a civil society campaign to protect rainforest, in Indonesia’s Papua province, threatened by Korindo’s extensive palm oil operations.  

Background 

Korindo’s operations span the globe, ranging from timber, paper, rubber, and palm oil to renewable energy. In 2016, Mighty Earth, Rainforest Rescue and several Indonesian and Korean NGOs (non-governmental organisations) were signatories to a letter highlighting Korindo’s rampant deforestation in its huge palm oil operations in Papua, Indonesia. The letters were sent to Kenertec’s major wind tower customers in Germany. 

In 2017 Mighty Earth submitted a complaint to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global sustainable forestry certification body, regarding Korindo’s clearing of more than 30,000 hectares of Indonesian rainforests in Papua. The FSC launched an investigation.1 

In 2018, Korindo instructed legal firm, LPA Singapore, to send threatening emails to at least seven organizations that signed the 2016 letter. The email stated: ‘Korindo’s policy is to engage legal actions against individuals or organisations that circulate incorrect information or make factually erroneous public statements about Korindo – with the intention or effect to damage Korindo’s business interests. Korindo is consequently in the process of initiating legal actions against Mighty Earth.’ 

In 2019, Korindo’s PT Kenertec Power Systems German lawyers2 filed a libel lawsuit in Germany, against the Center for International Policy (CIP), a former fiscal sponsor to Mighty Earth, and the German NGO, Rettet den Regenwald (Rainforest Rescue). Kenertec’s German lawyer argued that statements, made in letters sent to wind tower customers in Germany, namely Siemens AG (Germany), Gamesa Corporation (now Siemens Gamesa) and Nordex SE (Germany), were defamatory. 

In 2019 Korindo’s legal firm, threatened the FSC, which was investigating Korindo’s violations of its policies, based on Mighty Earth’s 2017 complaint. The investigation found that Korindo had destroyed more than 30,000 hectares of forest  (equivalent to 42,000 football fields) in the previous five years and committed violations of Indigenous peoples’ traditional and human rights, in contravention of FSC standards.3 The investigation estimated that Korindo had ‘deprived indigenous communities in Indonesia’s Papua province of $300 million by underpaying for the timber harvested from their lands ’4 

In late 2021, the FSC expelled Korindo based on its failure to cooperate with the FSC and agree on a process to address the impacts of its forestry and palm oil operations.5 

Korindo agrees to settle  

On 21 February 2023 Kenertec and Rainforest Rescue agreed to settle the dispute, instigated by Korindo three years ago, based on a proposal put forward by the German court. The judge declared that Kenertec could not sue CIP for statements made in the letter signed by Mighty Earth. 

The SLAPP lawsuit was obviously designed to silence and intimidate the civil society groups and prevent them from repeating some statements in the letters, or be fined €250,000 in each case of violation, or face imprisonment.  

What is SLAPP? 

The lawsuit is an example of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP suit, in which big corporations or high-profile individuals, file lawsuits designed to harass and drain substantial resources from watchdog organizations, activists, journalists, trade unions, media organizations, and those who represent the public interest. 

Amanda Hurowitz, Senior Director for Southeast Asia, Mighty Earth said: 

“Korindo’s attempt to silence Mighty Earth and our NGO allies was completely baseless. Finally, after three years, as a German court was preparing to dismiss the case, Korindo backed down. They agreed to settle without any damages or injunctions being awarded against Mighty Earth, CIP or Rainforest Rescue and agreed to pay most of the court’s legal costs.” 

“Rogue companies that destroy the planet shouldn’t be wasting the courts’ time with cases aimed at gagging civil society groups, who are rightly pushing for a global end to deforestation for palm oil, timber, soy, beef, and other commodities, to tackle climate change and nature loss.”  

Professor Roger Mann of German legal firm, Damm & Mann, acting for CIP and Rainforest Rescue, said:   

“After more than three years, Korindo has accepted a settlement proposal made by the court after it was inclined to dismiss the case completely. The court had made it clear, at an early stage, that the claims against CIP and for revocation against both defendants were completely without merit.”  

“Regarding the claims for injunctive relief in relation to the statement about the setting of illegal fires by Korindo, the defendants had presented so many facts and offered so much evidence that the court considered hearing witnesses in Indonesia. This did not happen because, after a change of judge, the court indicated that the plaintiff was not entitled to injunctive relief because its business was wind turbines, and it wasn’t involved in the palm oil business of Korindo.” 

Franky Samperante, Yayasan Pusaka (Indonesia) said: 

“For decades, Korindo has gotten away with violating indigenous peoples’ land rights without exposure. Korindo should be seriously committed to respect and recover the rights of affected Papuan Indigenous communities and protect local environment.” 

Andi Muttaqien, Satya Bumi (Indonesia):  

Korindo has destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of rainforest in Papua. The company should be using its resources and money to restore the damage it has caused, instead of wasting them to silence activist campaigns in protecting forests and indigenous peoples. 

Shin Young, Advocates for Public Interest Law, APIL (Korea)  

“If Korindo is serious about improving its credibility and environmental and human rights performance, it needs to stop its legal harassment of civil society groups who have tried to stand up to its abuses, restore the forest habitat it destroyed and pay restitution to affected Papuan Indigenous communities.” 

 Ends 

Notes to Editors: 

1 FSC launches investigation into Korindo after Mighty Earth files complaint. Naughty Earth Porn Videos May 2017 

2 Lawyers Manner & Spangenberg Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwälten mbB, An der Alster 64, 20099 Hamburg, Germany, Ref.: 10025-003 SCM 

3 FSC overview of findings against Korindo, following the FSC Complaint Panel field trip to the Korindo’s palm oil plantations in December 2017 FSC  

4 As reported by Mongabay and The Gecko Project based on a leaked version of the full FSC Complaint Panel report. 

5 FSC announces disassociation from Korindo. FSC press release 16 October 2021  

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Environmental Groups Defeat Palm Oil Giant Korindo’s Attempt to Silence Them

By on Friday, November 15, 2024

Palm oil and timber giant Korindo sued Mighty Earth and Rettet den Regenwald, environmental groups based in Washington DC and Hamburg, Germany, respectively, for publicly criticizing the companies’ deforestation of West Papua, Indonesia. When the court indicated that it would rule in favor of the NGOs this past February, Korindo agreed to drop the lawsuit.

“For three years, this lawsuit kept us busy and wasted valuable time. It was a David versus Goliath battle. We see this as an abusive lawsuit intended to intimidate us and have a chilling effect on other organizations. It speaks volumes that Korindo was not able to enforce any of its demands.” – Bettina Behrend, first chair of Rettet den Regenwald

Korindo Group

Korindo, a major timber and palm oil company based in Jakarta, Indonesia, has cleared over 50,000 hectares of forest in West Papua and North Maluku, Indonesia, to make way for palm oil plantations. “Burning Paradise,” a 2016 report researched by Mighty Earth, says that Korindo cleared much of the forest by burning it, contributing heavily to Indonesia’s air pollution crisis in 2015.

Protest Campaigns

Mighty Earth and Rettet den Regenwald followed up after the report by filing a complaint against the company with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global green certification body. The NGOs also attempted to convince company clients like Gamesa, Nordex SE and Siemens in Germany to stop doing business with Korindo.

SLAPP Suits

In an attempt to stop the NGOs, Kenertec, a Korindo subsidiary that makes wind turbines, sued Mighty Earth and Rettet den Regenwald for defamation in the district court of Hamburg in 2019. Such lawsuits are a common tactic by companies to intimidate and silence critics – they are called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (or SLAPP suits).

Evidence Mounts

Soon after the lawsuit was filed, multiple investigations by others such as the BBC, Greenpeace and Forensic Architecture confirmed that Korindo was engaged in deliberate deforestation in West Papua. Another investigation implicated Korindo in the payment of bribes to win the forest concessions in West Papua.

Victory for Environmentalists

In July 2021, the FSC revoked Korindo’s membership. Kenertec continued to pursue the SLAPP suits but after the judge in Hamburg informed the company that they would lose the lawsuit and advised both parties to settle out of court, Korindo agreed to withdraw its complaint.

“If Korindo is serious about improving its environmental and human rights performance, it needs to restore the forest habitat it destroyed, pay restitution to affected Papuan Indigenous communities and stop its legal harassment of civil society groups who have tried to stand up to its abuses.” – Hye Lyn Kim, campaigner with the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements

Company Response

“Each party has mutually accepted the settlement proposed by the Court and ended the case, without prejudice to each party and their legal standing.” – Korindo Group management

This is #39 in our series of Instagram infographics on resistance against corporate power.

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Exploring Wind Energy Careers: Job Opportunities and Education Requirements

By on Thursday, May 11, 2023

Are you interested in exploring a career in wind energy? The renewable energy industry is growing rapidly, and wind energy is a major player in this movement. In this article, we will discuss the various job opportunities available in the wind energy sector and the education requirements needed to pursue a career in this field.

Overview of Wind Energy

Wind energy is a type of renewable energy that is produced by wind turbines. Wind turbines are machines that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Wind energy is clean, reliable, and cost-effective, making it a popular source of renewable energy.

Job Opportunities in Wind Energy

The wind energy sector offers a wide range of job opportunities. Some of the most popular job titles in this field include:

Wind Turbine Technician

Wind turbine technicians are responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of wind turbines. They work at wind farms and often work at great heights, so they must have a good understanding of safety protocols and procedures.

Wind Energy Engineer

Wind energy engineers design and develop wind turbines and wind farms. They analyze data to optimize the performance of wind turbines and ensure they are operating at maximum efficiency.

Wind Energy Project Manager

Wind energy project managers oversee the development and implementation of wind energy projects. They are responsible for managing budgets, timelines, and resources to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Wind Energy Sales Representative

Wind energy sales representatives are responsible for selling wind turbines and wind energy solutions to clients. They work closely with clients to understand their needs and develop customized solutions that meet their energy requirements.

Wind Farm Site Manager

Wind farm site managers are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a wind farm. They manage personnel, ensure that turbines are operating at maximum efficiency, and troubleshoot any issues that arise.

Environmental Analyst

Environmental analysts assess the environmental impact of wind energy projects. They evaluate the potential impact on wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems and develop strategies to minimize negative effects.

Research and Development Engineer

Research and development engineers work to develop new and innovative wind energy technologies. They research and test new materials, components, and systems to improve the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines.

Wind Energy Consultant

Wind energy consultants provide expert advice and guidance to clients on wind energy projects. They offer technical expertise and industry knowledge to help clients make informed decisions about wind energy solutions.

Education Requirements for Wind Energy Careers

The education requirements for wind energy careers vary depending on the job title. However, most positions in this field require at least an associate’s degree in a related field.

Associate’s Degree

An associate’s degree in wind energy or a related field can qualify you for a position as a wind turbine technician or an environmental analyst. These programs typically take two years to complete and provide students with the technical skills and knowledge needed to succeed in these roles.

Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree in wind energy, mechanical engineering, or a related field can qualify you for a wide range of wind energy careers, including wind energy engineer, wind energy project manager, and wind energy sales representative. Bachelor’s degree programs typically take four years to complete and provide students with a strong foundation in math, science, and engineering.

Master’s Degree

A master’s degree in wind energy or a related field can provide advanced knowledge and skills necessary for career advancement. This degree can be helpful for those seeking positions as research and development engineers, wind energy consultants, or wind farm site managers. Master’s degree programs typically take two years to complete and often require a research thesis or project.

Certifications and Licenses

Certifications and licenses can also be beneficial for those pursuing a career in wind energy. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) offers certifications for solar and wind energy professionals, including a Wind Energy Installer certification. Additionally, some states may require licenses for wind turbine technicians.

Advancements in Wind Energy Technology

Advancements in wind energy technology have made wind energy more efficient and cost-effective than ever before. Some of the most exciting advancements include the development of larger and more powerful wind turbines, as well as the integration of energy storage systems that allow wind energy to be stored and used when it is needed most.

Salaries in Wind Energy Careers

Salaries in wind energy careers can vary depending on the job title, location, and level of education and experience. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for wind turbine technicians was $56,230 as of May 2020. Wind energy engineers, project managers, and sales representatives typically earn higher salaries.

Advantages of a Career in Wind Energy

There are many advantages to pursuing a career in wind energy. Wind energy is a growing industry, which means that there are many job opportunities available. Additionally, wind energy is a clean and renewable source of energy, which makes it a rewarding career choice for those who are passionate about sustainability and environmentalism.

Challenges in a Career in Wind Energy

While there are many advantages to a career in wind energy, there are also some challenges to consider. Wind energy is a relatively new industry, which means that there is still a lot of uncertainty and instability. Additionally, wind energy jobs often require working in remote or rural areas, which may not be suitable for everyone.

Future of Wind Energy Careers

The future of wind energy careers looks bright. As the world continues to move toward clean and renewable sources of energy, the demand for wind energy professionals is likely to continue to grow. Additionally, advancements in wind energy technology are expected to make wind energy even more efficient and cost-effective in the years to come.

Conclusion

Wind energy is a promising and rewarding career field. Whether you are interested in working as a wind turbine technician, wind energy engineer, or wind farm site manager, there are many job opportunities available. By pursuing the appropriate education and certifications, you can position yourself for success in this exciting and growing industry.

FAQs

  1. What is wind energy?
  2. What job opportunities are available in the wind energy sector?
  3. What education requirements are needed for wind energy careers?
  4. What certifications and licenses are available for wind energy professionals?
  5. What is the future of wind energy careers?
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The Complete Guide to Wind Turbines: Design, Operation, and Maintenance

By on Thursday, May 11, 2023

Wind turbines are an increasingly popular source of renewable energy. They are a clean, sustainable alternative to traditional sources of energy, such as coal and natural gas. But what exactly are wind turbines, and how do they work? In this article, we will provide a complete guide to wind turbines, covering everything from their design and operation to their maintenance.

Introduction to Wind Turbines

A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Wind turbines have been in use for centuries, with the earliest known windmill dating back to the 1st century AD. However, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that wind turbines began to be used to generate electricity.

Today, wind turbines are an important source of renewable energy, with countries around the world investing in wind power as a clean alternative to traditional sources of energy. But what exactly makes up a wind turbine, and how do they work? Let’s take a closer look.

How Wind Turbines Work

Wind turbines work by harnessing the power of the wind to generate electricity. The basic components of a wind turbine include the rotor blades, the generator, and the tower.

The Basic Components of a Wind Turbine

The rotor blades are the part of the turbine that captures the wind and turns it into rotational energy. The generator converts this rotational energy into electrical energy, which can be used to power homes and businesses. The tower supports the rotor blades and generator and keeps the turbine stable.

The Role of the Rotor Blades

The rotor blades are one of the most important components of a wind turbine. Their shape and size determine how much wind energy the turbine can capture. The rotor blades are designed to turn with the wind, allowing the turbine to capture energy from all directions.

The Function of the Generator

The generator is responsible for converting the rotational energy from the rotor blades into electrical energy. This is done by using a magnetic field to induce an electric current in the wires of the generator. The electrical energy produced by the generator is then sent to a transformer, which increases the voltage of the electricity to a level that can be used to power homes and businesses.

The Importance of the Tower

The tower is responsible for supporting the rotor blades and generator and keeping the turbine stable. It also elevates the turbine to a height where it can capture more wind energy. The tower must be strong enough to withstand the high winds that the turbine will be exposed to.

Types of Wind Turbines

There are two main types of wind turbines: horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) and vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs). HAWTs are the most common type of wind turbine and have a horizontal axis of rotation. VAWTs have a vertical axis of rotation and are less common.

Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines

HAWTs have a horizontal axis of rotation and typically have two or three rotor blades. They are the most common type of wind turbine and are used in both small and large-scale wind energy projects.

Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines

VAWTs have a vertical axis of rotation and can have two or more rotor blades. They are less common than HAWTs and are typically used in small-scale wind energy projects.

Designing a Wind Turbine

Designing a wind turbine involves taking a number of factors into consideration. These include the size of the turbine, the location of the turbine, the wind resource, and site-specific wind conditions.

Factors to Consider in Designing a Wind Turbine

When designing a wind turbine, it’s important to consider the following factors:

Choosing the Right Turbine Size

The size of the wind turbine is an important factor to consider. Smaller turbines are typically used in residential and small-scale applications, while larger turbines are used in utility-scale projects.

Selecting the Best Turbine Location

The location of the turbine is also an important factor to consider. The turbine should be located in an area with a strong and consistent wind resource.

Considering the Wind Resource

The wind resource is the amount of wind energy that is available at a particular location. It’s important to evaluate the wind resource before installing a wind turbine.

Evaluating site-specific wind conditions

Site-specific wind conditions, such as turbulence and wind shear, can have a significant impact on the performance of a wind turbine. It’s important to evaluate these conditions before installing a wind turbine.

Operating a Wind Turbine

Operating a wind turbine involves starting it up, monitoring its performance, and shutting it down when necessary.

Starting Up a Wind Turbine

Wind turbines typically have a cut-in wind speed, which is the minimum wind speed required for the turbine to begin generating electricity. Once the wind speed reaches the cut-in speed, the turbine will begin generating electricity.

Monitoring the Turbine’s Performance

It’s important to monitor the performance of a wind turbine to ensure that it is operating efficiently. This can be done using a variety of sensors and monitoring equipment.

Shutting Down a Wind Turbine

Wind turbines can be shut down for a variety of reasons, including maintenance, high winds, and electrical issues. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for shutting down a wind turbine.

Maintaining a Wind Turbine

Maintaining a wind turbine involves performing regular maintenance tasks to ensure that the turbine is operating efficiently.

Regular maintenance tasks

Regular maintenance tasks include checking and replacing the rotor blades, servicing the generator, and inspecting and maintaining the tower.

Checking and Replacing the Rotor Blades

The rotor blades are one of the most important components of a wind turbine. They should be checked regularly for damage and replaced if necessary.

Servicing the generator

The generator should be serviced regularly to ensure that it is operating efficiently. This can include cleaning the generator, checking the wiring, and replacing any worn components.

Inspecting and maintaining the tower

The tower should be inspected regularly for signs of damage or wear. This can include checking the bolts and connections, inspecting the guy wires, and checking the foundation.

Common Wind Turbine Problems

Wind turbines can experience a range of problems, including blade damage, generator issues, and tower problems.

Blade Damage

The rotor blades can be damaged by a number of factors, including lightning strikes, ice buildup, and wear and tear. Damaged blades should be replaced as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the turbine.

Generator Issues

The generator can experience a range of issues, including overheating, wiring problems, and bearing failure. These issues should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent damage to the turbine.

Tower Problems

The tower can experience a range of problems, including corrosion, foundation issues, and damage from high winds. These problems should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent damage to the turbine.

Conclusion

Wind turbines are an important source of renewable energy, and they are becoming increasingly popular around the world. Designing, operating, and maintaining a wind turbine requires careful planning and attention to detail. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can ensure that your wind turbine is operating efficiently and effectively.

FAQs

  1. How much energy can a wind turbine generate?
    A: The amount of energy that a wind turbine can generate depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the turbine, the wind resource, and site-specific conditions. In general, larger turbines and sites with stronger winds will generate more energy.

  2. How long do wind turbines last?
    A: Wind turbines can last for 20 to 25 years or more with proper maintenance.

  3. Are wind turbines noisy?
    A: Wind turbines can produce some noise, but modern turbines are designed to be relatively quiet.

  4. How much does it cost to install a wind turbine?
    The cost of installing a wind turbine depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the turbine and its location. In general, the cost of a small-scale wind turbine can range from $10,000 to $50,000, while the cost of a utility-scale wind turbine can range from $1.3 million to $2.2 million.

  5. Can wind turbines be used in urban areas?
    A: Wind turbines can be used in urban areas, but they are typically smaller and designed for residential or small-scale applications. Urban wind turbines must also take into account factors such as building height and turbulence caused by surrounding structures.

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The Mechanics of Wind Turbines: A Look at How Wind Turbines Work

By on Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Introduction

As the world moves towards renewable energy sources, wind turbines have become a popular choice for generating electricity. Wind turbines convert kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical power, which is then used to generate electricity. In this article, we will take a look at the mechanics of wind turbines and how they work.

How Wind Turbines Work

Overview of Wind Turbines

Wind turbines consist of three main components: the rotor blades, the generator, and the control system. The rotor blades are connected to the hub, which is connected to the main shaft. The generator is connected to the main shaft and is responsible for converting the mechanical power into electrical power. The control system manages the speed of the rotor blades to optimize the energy output.

The rotor blades

The rotor blades are designed to capture the kinetic energy from the wind. The blades are typically made from composite materials such as fiberglass and are designed to be aerodynamic to minimize drag. The length and shape of the blades determine the amount of energy that can be captured. The blades are attached to the hub, which is connected to the main shaft.

The Generator

The generator is responsible for converting the mechanical power generated by the rotor blades into electrical power. The generator typically uses an electromagnetic field to induce an electrical current in the wires. The electrical current is then sent to a transformer, which increases the voltage to the level required for the electrical grid.

The Control System

The control system manages the speed of the rotor blades to optimize the energy output. The system uses sensors to measure the wind speed and direction and adjusts the pitch of the blades to maintain a constant speed. The control system also monitors the performance of the turbine and can shut it down in the event of a malfunction.

Wind Turbine Design

There are two main types of wind turbines: horizontal axis and vertical axis. Horizontal-axis wind turbines are the most common and have a rotor that spins horizontally. Vertical-axis wind turbines have a rotor that spins vertically. Both types of turbines have their advantages and disadvantages, and the choice depends on the specific application.

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Horizontal-axis wind turbines have a rotor that spins horizontally and is positioned upwind of the tower. The blades are attached to the hub, which is connected to the main shaft. The generator is located at the base of the tower and is connected to the main shaft. These turbines are more efficient than vertical-axis turbines but are also more complex to design and maintain.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Vertical-axis wind turbines have a rotor that spins vertically and is positioned downwind of the tower. The blades are attached to the rotor, which is connected to the main shaft. The generator is also located in the rotor and is connected to the main shaft. These turbines are simpler to design and maintain but are less efficient than horizontal-axis turbines.

Wind turbine efficiency

The efficiency of wind turbines is dependent on a number of factors, including the size and design of the turbine, the wind speed and direction, and the air density. The power output of a wind turbine is proportional to the cube of the wind speed, so a small increase in wind speed can have a significant impact on the energy output. The efficiency of a wind turbine is also affected by the turbulence of the wind, which can cause the rotor blades to stall.

Wind turbine maintenance

Wind turbines require regular maintenance to ensure they continue to operate efficiently. The blades need to be inspected and cleaned regularly to ensure they are free from debris and damage. The generator and control system also require regular maintenance to ensure they are operating correctly. Regular maintenance can help prevent costly repairs and downtime, ensuring the wind turbine continues to generate electricity efficiently.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Turbines

Wind turbines offer a number of advantages over other forms of electricity generation, including:

  • Renewable: Wind energy is renewable and abundant, meaning it can be used as a long-term solution to energy generation.
  • Clean: Wind energy is clean and does not produce harmful emissions or pollution.
  • Low operating costs: Once a wind turbine is installed, the operating costs are relatively low compared to other forms of electricity generation.

However, there are also some disadvantages to wind turbines, including:

  • Noise pollution: Wind turbines can produce significant noise pollution, especially for people living in close proximity.
  • Aesthetics: Wind turbines can be considered unsightly and may negatively impact the visual appeal of the surrounding area.
  • Bird and bat fatalities: Wind turbines can pose a danger to birds and bats, which can collide with the rotor blades.

Conclusion

Wind turbines are a popular choice for generating electricity as they offer a clean, renewable source of energy. By understanding the mechanics of wind turbines, we can better appreciate their design and operation. While there are advantages and disadvantages to using wind turbines, they offer a promising solution to our growing energy needs.

FAQs

  1. How tall are wind turbines?
  • Wind turbines can range in height from 80 to 500 feet.
  1. How long do wind turbines last?
  • Wind turbines typically have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
  1. How much energy can a wind turbine generate?
  • The energy generated by a wind turbine depends on the size and design of the turbine, as well as the wind speed and direction.
  1. How much do wind turbines cost?
  • The cost of a wind turbine can vary depending on its size and design, but it can range from $100,000 to $4 million.
  1. How many wind turbines are needed to power a home?
  • The number of wind turbines needed to power a home depends on the energy requirements of the home and the size of the wind turbines.
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