Chapter 402: Employee Benefits (Part 2)

Chapter 402 -188: Employee Benefits (Part 2)

This has resulted in a persistently high rate of wind power curtailment. This is particularly true for wind power in the Sanbei Region, where curtailment rates have always been higher than those of coastal projects. The reason is that these Sanbei wind power projects are located far from core electricity consumption markets.

For example, in the three provinces of Hei, Jilin, and Liaoning, the amount of curtailed wind power as a percentage of local generation is relatively high. Curtailed wind power accounts for 17.70% in Hei Province, 16.20% in Ji Province, and 12.00% in Liao Province.

Although Zhelimu City administratively belongs to Monan Province, geographically it is part of the Northeast Region. The wind power curtailment rate here is similar to that of Liao Province, at around 13.2%.

Jingneng International has three wind power projects in Zhelimu City with installed capacities of 2.38 million kilowatts, 1.38 million kilowatts, and 1 million kilowatts, respectively, for a total of 4.76 million kilowatts.

Based on the wind energy available in Zhelimu City, the average annual operating time is around 3,500 hours. This means that an installed capacity of 4.76 million kilowatts can theoretically generate 16.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

Based on a 13.2% curtailment rate, Jingneng International’s three power generation projects in Zhelimu City will waste at least 2.19 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

What does 2.19 billion kilowatt-hours represent?

Last year, the total residential electricity consumption in Zhelimu City was only 2.27 billion kilowatt-hours.

In other words, the amount of wind power curtailed from Jingneng International’s three local projects alone is comparable to the entire city’s residential electricity consumption.

Now that Hailufeng Company is willing to take their curtailed electricity, this is a boon for Jingneng International.

The Monan Branch is building molten salt thermal energy storage systems to provide heating for the entire employee residential complex, the villagers of Yangxumu Village, the livestock farms, and the factories.

These molten salt storage systems are also supporting facilities for the Tamin Chagan Thermal Power Plant, although this power plant is currently still in the planning stage.

Curtailed wind and solar power is stored using molten salt. This allows the entire thermal power generation system to operate smoothly. After the thermal power plant’s steam turbines generate electricity, the steam still contains a vast amount of residual waste heat, which can then be used for centralized heating in the surrounding area.

In winter, it is used for residential and commercial heating. During the non-heating season, it can provide heat to fodder processing plants for rapidly drying fodder, or supply thermal energy to canneries and oil processing plants.

Currently, the Monan Branch’s subsidiary, the Tamin Chagan Heating Company, has already signed heating contracts with nearby residents. The monthly heating fee is 3 yuan per square meter, with a 50% discount for company employees.

For example, for a residence with 100 square meters of indoor space, an ordinary resident would pay 300 yuan per month for heating, while a company employee would pay 150 yuan.

As for why Jingneng International doesn’t just build its own molten salt thermal power plant…

The reason is also very simple.

A molten salt thermal power plant is only profitable if it utilizes combined heat and power (CHP). However, the CHP model is typically only manageable for companies with large-scale industrial operations.

Otherwise, the thermal power plant’s waste heat would simply be lost. This would reduce the system’s overall operating income, lengthen the investment payback period, and increase the project’s risk.

If a company wants to utilize low-cost curtailed wind and solar power but lacks the corresponding industries to absorb the output, the average enterprise simply doesn’t have the capital or capability to do so.

After listening to Liu Zhiben’s vivid description, Jiang Miao now had a clear picture of the heating situation at the Tamin Chagan Base.

“Zhiben, what are the arrangements for the housing in the employee residential complex?”

“The first phase of 1,800 units has been completed. 600 of those have a basic fit-out, and the remaining 1,200 will be fully fitted out by the end of the year.” Liu Zhiben, standing behind Jiang Miao, paused for a moment. When his boss said nothing, he continued.

“Considering that most of the Monan Branch employees have been with us for less than a year, we haven’t opened up a reservation process yet. The entire employee residential complex and office area are currently managed by the branch’s subsidiary, the Tamin Chagan Property Management Company. Those 600 basically-fitted units are being used as temporary dormitories, housing six employees per unit, with each employee getting their own small, private room.”

“We also offer a low-cost rental service at 2 yuan per square meter per month. A standard unit is 120 square meters. Right now, a few dozen employees who are married couples working here have chosen to rent a full unit.”

Jiang Miao turned around. “On my way in, I looked at the surrounding area. The base doesn’t have enough supporting amenities. For things like seeing a doctor, you have to go to the county town, which is over ten kilometers away. That’s inconvenient.”

“Boss, should we open a hospital then?” Liu Zhiben asked, a little uncertain.

Jiang Miao shook his head. “Opening a hospital isn’t cost-effective. An internal clinic will be enough. It can handle common issues for employees, like colds, fevers, and minor injuries, and also have capabilities for emergency care and short-term inpatient recovery. For serious illnesses or complex cases, it’s still better to go to a top-tier hospital.”

“I understand.” Liu Zhiben quickly jotted this down in his small notebook.

Jiang Miao continued, “Also, we need to set up a small kindergarten. In the future, many employees will be living here long-term. When they get married and have children, we need to make sure the kids are well taken care of.”

“Boss, is there anything else to add?”

“That’s all for now. In the future, you should talk with the employees regularly. Ask them about any difficulties they’re facing. Issues that the company can resolve centrally can be compiled and reported to the head office.”

“Understood.”

You can only retain people by paying attention to employee welfare.

In a harsh and cold place like Monan—where winter is freezing, spring brings sandstorms with flying debris, and dust storms are common—if employee benefits and amenities are poor, staff will work for a while and then decide it’s not a place to stay for long.