Philippine Daily Inquirer

AYALA, PARTNER BEGIN OPERATIONS OF WIND FARM IN VIETNAM

- By Ronnel W. Domingo @RonWDoming­oINQ

The 252-megawatt wind farm in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province, a joint venture between the Ayala group’s AC Energy Corp. (Acen) and AMI Renewables, has started commercial operations.

This is the partners’ third project together, touted as one of the largest wind farms in Vietnam. It now paves the way for the two companies to pursue plans of piloting a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Khanh Hoa province.

Battery systems are expected to help intermitte­nt power generators such as solar and wind to be able to provide base load supply.

Without energy storage, solar and wind farms remain “mid-merit” facilities, which augment supply from base load power plants that run round the clock.

According to Acen, the Quang Binh wind farm is expected to produce 648 gigawatt-hours of electricit­y per year. This is enough to provide for 270,000 homes and help avoid the emission of 580,000 tons of carbon dioxide yearly.

Critical role

This project “plays a critical role in helping Vietnam achieve its renewable energy target, and is a testament to our ability to execute large scale developmen­ts amidst challengin­g times,” Patrice Clausse, who heads Acen’s internatio­nal group, said in a statement.

“Acen’s renewables growth continues to accelerate, and we are delighted to be part of Vietnam’s rapid developmen­t toward a more sustainabl­e future,” Clausse said.

Nguyen Nam Thang, chief executive of AMI AC Renewables, said the Quang Binh project brought the joint venture closer to its goal of racking up 1,000 MW renewables capacity by 2025.

Acen alone has about 2,900 MW of attributab­le capacity spread out across the Philippine­s, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Australia.

Acen intends to become the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a target of 5,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2025.

Project Rebound is an advocacy campaign that seeks to help Filipinos overcome the crisis through relevant and timely informatio­n they can use to make informed decisions. It is supported by Aboitiz Group, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Citi, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippine­s Inc., MediCard Philippine­s Inc. and Toyota Motor Philippine­s Corp.

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