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First Thai initiative adopting battery technology for wind power
A total of 6,364 tonnes of annual carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced beginning in 2020
Chito Santiago 18 May 2020

A Thai wind power company is adopting battery technology as a solution to address the intermittency of wind power supply. Utilizing an integrated 1.88 megawatt-hour (WMh) pilot battery energy storage, the system increases the amount of renewable energy delivered to the grid.

Lomligor Company, a subsidiary of BCPG plc, signed loan facility agreements on May 18 with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Kasikornbank amounting to 235.55-million baht (US$7.2 million) each to finance a 10MW wind power plant in southern Thailand that integrates the pilot system. This represents the first private sector initiative in Thailand to match a utility-scale wind power generation with a battery energy storage system.

As an energy back-up, the system stores excess energy when the wind turbines generate more power than the grid is able to absorb, and supplies it back at an appropriate time – thus addressing the stability and reliability of renewable energy sources.

The project demonstrates the potential of integrated renewables and batteries to provide clean energy for southern Thailand, relates Jackie Surtani, infrastructure finance division director for Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific at the private sector operations department of the ADB, contributing to Thailand’s power development plan targets for clean energy. “This will enhance the resilience of the region’s electricity grid, provide energy security for communities and support economic growth across the country.”

The adoption of the energy storage system technology by Lomligor as the solution to the intermittency of wind power will help enhance energy management efficiency and the resilience of energy grids, explains Bundit Sapianchai, president of BCPG.

The Lomligor project will increase the supply of renewable energy to Thailand’s domestic grid. Generating at least 14,870 MWh of electricity per year, it will also reduce 6,364 tonnes of annual carbon dioxide emissions in the country beginning in 2020.

As part of its blended finance offering for the project, ADB will administer a US$4.75 million concessional loan provided by Clean Technology Fund (CTF). The concessional loan was critical in overcoming some of the project’s bankability challenges and supports the scaling up and replication of battery storage projects in Southeast Asia. CTF is one of two trust funds comprising the Climate Investment Funds, which was established in 2008 by the ADB to provide financing for climate-related development efforts.

BCPG is a renewable energy company in Thailand with 507.5MW of total installed capacity in operation and a further 415MW under development. The company focusses on investments in renewable energy, including solar, geothermal, wind, hydro, biogas, and biomass.

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