Ayala-led renewable energy development firm, ACEN Corp. is keen on pushing for more projects outside the Philippines particularly in Vietnam and here.
“ACEN Australia is building a strong and diverse portfolio that covers wind, solar, pumped hydro, and battery storage. We currently have more than 1,000 MW of renewable capacity already in operation, with 200 MW under construction, and over 2,000 MW we expect to put into construction in the next three years,” Jose Maria Zabaleta, ACEN Australia executive chairman, told reporters on Wednesday night.
He said such development “positions ACEN to help achieve Australia’s energy transition objectives, and reflects our long-term goals and commitments.”
ACEN said that such move is crucial especially that Australia is bent on closing all its coal-fired power plants by 2038.
The company added that for Australia, its existing RE power plants in operation are the 400 MW AC New England Solar 1 and the 400 MW AC Stubbo solar.
Meanwhile, currently under construction is the 200 MW/400 megawatt hour (MWh) New England battery energy storage system (BESS).
Zabaleta also said that in the next three years, over 26,000 MW worth of projects will be pushed including the 900 MW Valley of the Winds wind project, the 600 MW AC Birriwa solar and the 600 MW/1,200 MWh BESS.
In a separate disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, ACEN said that the 600 MW Monsoon wind power project has officially reached commercial operations last August 22 located in the mountains of southern Lao PDR into Vietnam.
ACEN has a stake in the project initiated by Impact Electrons Siam and is developed and operated by Monsoon Wind Power Co. Ltd., a Lao-incorporated company, together with BCPG Public Co. Ltd. and STP&I Public Co. Ltd. from Thailand, Mitsubishi Corp. of Japan and its wholly owned subsidiary, Diamond Generating Asia Ltd. and SMP Consultation Sole Company Ltd. from Lao PDR.
The company added that the project also secured financing from a group of leading regional and global lenders including the Asian Development Bank as lead arranger, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Export–Import Bank of Thailand, Hong Kong Mortgage Corp., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank.
The Monsoon wind project is composed of 133 wind turbines and expected to offset approximately 1.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
ACEN, as a group, aims to increase its RE capacity to 20,000 MW by 2030 to help provide clean, reliable and affordable energy to more people and to also become a Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions company by 2050.
Apart from the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam and Lao PDR, ACEN also has energy projects in United States of America, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Taiwan.
