Sunseap-led consortium signs MoU to build one of the largest cross-border interconnect clean energy projects in Riau Islands
October 26, 2021
Sunseap Group today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various local and international partners to explore and develop solar power systems with combined capacity of 7 gigawatt-peak (GWp) around the Riau islands, including a previously announced 2.2GWp floating solar PV in Duriangkang, Batam.
The proposed solar power system is one of the largest cross-border interconnect clean energy projects in Southeast Asia and will help Singapore and Indonesia meet their green goals.
Some of the prominent MoU parties include PT Mustika Combol Indah, PT Agung Sedayu, Sumitomo Corporation, Samsung C&T Corporation, Oriens Asset Management, ESS Inc and Durapower Group.
Other than Batam, one of the islands in the Riau Archipelago being considered for the project is Combol. The plan is to pipe the low-carbon energy to Singapore via a proposed new subsea power cable.
Coupled with multiple energy storage systems totaling more than 12GWhr, the project aims to provide 1 GigaWatt (GW) of non-intermittent low-carbon clean energy for Singapore and Indonesia.
By linking the solar PV systems from the various islands, the consortium hopes to achieve economies of scale and further optimise the capacity of a proposed new subsea cable to Singapore. This will help bring down the cost of transmission, thus reducing the cost of low-carbon electricity imports into Singapore, and ultimately leading to more affordable low-carbon electricity for consumers in Singapore.
The consortium aims to match the required low-carbon electricity imports into Singapore of 1.2 GW by 2027 and another 2.8 GW by 2035, as mentioned earlier this week by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of Trade and Industry. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has said it will issue two separate request for proposals to import up to 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035.
The consortium aims to be one of the parties to help fulfil 20-25% of the 4 GW of low-carbon electricity imports to Singapore.
The consortium led by Sunseap signed the MoU today as part of the Asian Clean Energy Summit held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
Frank Phuan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sunseap, said: "This will be one of the most consequential clean energy projects for Singapore and Indonesia. By linking various solar islands to eventually create a 7 GWp system, we are able to further optimise the subsea cable, leading to reduced cost of transmission and hence bring more affordable low-carbon clean energy to everyone in Singapore and Indonesia.
"Through this arrangement, the combined generation capacity will be able to generate and transmit 1GW of non-intermittent clean energy for both Singapore and Indonesia, establishing both Singapore and Batam as a clean energy gateway and hub in ASEAN and paving the way towards an ASEAN Green Power Grid."
Durapower, one of the partners, is a global leader in performance lithium battery storage solutions and is envisaged to jointly contribute and build the energy storage facilities required to create the 1 GW non-intermittent low-carbon electricity in Singapore.
The 7GWp capacity will be built out over time in phases and the energy generated will match the required imports into Singapore. Riau islands will consequentially be able to support as well as commence various green initiatives for industries such as data centres and zero-carbon electronics productions.
Sunseap is also exploring more areas around the Riau islands to increase the overall capacity and further optimise the designated capacity of the subsea cable.
About Sunseap Group
Sunseap Group is a solar energy system developer, owner and operator in Singapore, with over 2000 MegaWatt-peak (MWp) of solar energy projects contracted across Asia, on more than 3000 buildings in Singapore, including public housing estates, as well as commercial and industrial buildings.
Sunseap Group also operates in various territories in Asia Pacific, including Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.
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