NINH THUAN, VIETNAM, January 23, 2018 – Conergy, Southeast Asia’s leading downstream solar specialist, today announced their selection as the EPC contractor for a 30 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) power project in the south central coastal region of Vietnam, representing the first phase of a 300-MW clean energy pipeline. Local government officials, Conergy executives and investors held a ground-breaking ceremony today for 80 guests.
The solar plant, planned for nearly 400,000 square meters, will be located in Ninh Thuan province and is being built by Conergy on behalf of investment firms from Vietnam and the Philippines.
The project investors include the BIM Group, headquartered in Vietnam and AC Energy from the Philippines.
The BIM Group is a leading diversified corporation in Vietnam, successfully establishing its mark in four main business fields namely: Tourism Development & Real Estate Investment, Agriculture – Food, Commercial Services and Renewable Energy.
AC Energy is the Ayala Group’s business arm in the energy sector, with investments in renewable energy and conventional power plants. AC Energy is one of the fastest growing regional energy platforms with development, operations and retail supply capabilities. Ayala is one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines with a diverse portfolio of businesses and transforming industries since 1834.
Construction on the plant will commence in April 2018 and is scheduled to be connected to Vietnam’s power grid in December of 2018. Ninh Thuan is Vietnam’s most arid province, making it a strategic location for solar farm developments.
Speaking at the ground breaking, Conergy COO Marc Lohoff said, “We are delighted to announce our selection as EPC contractor for yet another large solar project in the ASEAN region, and more importantly, our first project in Vietnam. We would like to thank and congratulate the Government of Vietnam, the people of the province on Ninh Thuan, local authorities in Ninh Thuan province and our clients for the development of this solar farm, which will help to provide some of the energy needed to fuel Vietnam’s successful development in the years ahead.”
BIM Group and AC Energy emphasise that a key pillar of their strategy is the development of clean energy generation from solar sources to balance carbon emissions from fossil fuel based generation while contributing towards energy security of Vietnam.
BIM Group and AC Energy executives chose to partner with Conergy based upon the company’s high performance PV solutions, high quality standards and proven track record of building commercially successful solar farms in neighboring countries. AC Energy has already tapped Conergy to build a number of solar farms in the Philippines, and is planning further developments in the ASEAN region in 2018 and beyond.
Mr. Doan Quoc Viet, Chairman of BIM Group, stated that this investment will help Vietnam meet the country’s growing needs for energy and simultaneously address the impacts of climate change, which are affecting Vietnam.The project marks a milestone in the drive to grow Vietnam’s portfolio of clean and renewable energy generation.
“Our ambition is for this project to represent a springboard to the solar energy era in Vietnam,” said Mr. Viet. “This project will help Vietnam to prosper economically without sacrificing the environment. It is one of Vietnam’s most sustainable energy projects, and we are very excited to complete the project later this year and start generating clean energy.”
The Ninh Thuan solar farm is one of dozens of similar projects that Conergy has executed in the ASEAN region. AC Energy has partnered with Conergy on solar farms in the Philippines, and executives said they were very encouraged by the policy environment in Vietnam, and the potential for future solar developments.
The Ninh Thuan solar farm is expected to generate 50,464 MWh of clean electricity per year and save approximately 21,629 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. But AC Energy executives said this is just the start of what they can achieve in Vietnam.
“AC Energy is very keen to participate in the fast-growing Vietnam power sector, with pioneering investments in renewable energy. We are delighted to partner with BIM group, which has a significant presence in Ninh Thuan province, which in turn has among the best solar irradiance in the country”, said AC Energy CEO Eric Francia.
Conergy has 20 years of experience in the development, engineering and maintenance of photovoltaic systems and the company has installed over 300 solar plants in Europe, America, Middle East and Asia with a capacity of more than 2 gigawatts. In Ninh Thuan, Conergy is leading the overall planning, engineering, design as well as the component supply for the power plant and is collaborating with a Vietnamese partner for the PV plant installation.
Given Vietnam’s economic strength and emergence as a manufacturing hub, the demand for greater power and energy resources is predicted to more than double by 2025. However, while Vietnam still lags behind its neighboring countries in power reliability, the country has excellent conditions for solar PV both environmentally and from a policy standpoint. Vietnam’s National Master Plan clearly outlines the need for extra energy capacity and the revised plans also emphasize the importance of renewable energy sources.
“The development of solar energy in the country is very encouraging and it’s exciting to consider the potential impact solar investors can make in Vietnam,” added Hendrik Bohne, Conergy’s VP for EPC - APAC. “AC Energy and the BIM Group are behind what will one day be a showcase project in Vietnam’s renewable portfolio. Today’s ground-breaking marks only the beginning of many more great days ahead for Vietnam and the environment.”
The Vietnamese solar market represents an exciting growth potential (12,000 MW by 2030) and receives technical support for its overall development from the German development cooperation GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In the context of the cooperation between Conergy and the BIM Group, GIZ Vietnam supported both parties within the framework of the Project Development Programme (PDP) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economy Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to ensure high quality project implementation.
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