The Asian Development Bank has approved a $7.2m loan to fund a 10 MW wind energy and 1.88 MWh battery storage project in Thailand.
The project is believed be the country’s first wind energy system integrated with battery storage and has been developed by Lomligor, a subsidiary of utility BCPG Public Company.
The aim of the Southern Thailand Wind Power and Battery Energy Storage Project is to expand the amount of renewables capacity delivered into the main grid.
The project will be used to store energy when the wind turbines generate more power than the grid is able to absorb for use when energy demand is high and generation low.
At least 14,780 MW will be generated per annum, which Lomligor says is the equivalent to avoiding the emissions of 6364 tonnes of carbon per annum. The project will also leverage a $4.75m concessional loan provided by CTF.
Jackie B. Surtani, director of private sector operations at ADB in Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, said the project would “contribute to Thailand’s Power Development Plan targets for clean energy and also demonstrates the potential of integrated renewables and batteries to provide clean energy for southern Thailand”.
“This will enhance the resilience of the region’s electricity grid, provide energy security for communities, and support economic growth across the country.”
BCPG President Bundit Sapianchai said: “Lomligor is the first wind power plant in Thailand to adopt energy storage system technology as the solution to the intermittency of wind power.”
“This will help enhance energy management efficiency and the resilience of energy grids. We are grateful to ADB for acknowledging the initiative of Lomligor Project in applying energy storage system technology to energy production and providing BCPG with such significant financial support including Clean Technology Fund (CTF) mobilization for the project.”
BCPG operates 507.5 MW of energy capacity and a further 415 MW under development in Thailand.