Southeast Asia & Oceania

Japan’s renewable energy capacity has reached a total of 1.443GW, according to figures released by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

German PV project developer Conergy is set to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia after it secured an EPC contract for two PV plants in Thailand from Thai Solar Energy Company Limited (TSE), a local investor. The plants will be located in Suphanburi Province and Kanchanaburi Province and have a combined capacity of 21MW.

PV installations in Southeast Asia are expected to grow at 50% annually over the next five years, bringing cumulative installations close to 5GW by 2016, according to the latest report from market researcher IHS.

PV modules and wafers manufacturer ReneSola has announced the establishment of its Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa regional sales headquarters in Singapore.

US solar giant First Solar and Indonesia’s PT. Pembangkitan Jawa Bali Services (PJB Services) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of 100MW utility-scale PV projects in Indonesia in order to meet the country’s growing energy demand.

On September 4, Thai oil company Bangchak Public Petroleum Co. (BPP) connected its 44MW PV plant in Thailand — the largest silicon PV power plant in South East Asia, it claims. It is located in Bang Pa-In, Ayutthaya, which is around 40km from the country’s capital Bangkok.

Intel Vietnam has announced the opening of the biggest solar power plant in Vietnam to date, located at Saigon's High-Tech Park. Intel’s US$1.1 million project is equipped with 1,092 solar panels and 21 adapters. It has an output of 321,000kWh per year.

It has been reported that Sembawang Engineers & Constructors is going to venture into its first renewable energy project. According to Reuters, the company, a subsidiary of India-listed Punj Lloyd Group, will build an S$250 million plant in Brunei for thin-film solar modules.

Mitsubishi Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Energy Division, Prime Minister's Office (EDPMO) in Brunei Darussalam for the construction and 3-year evaluation of a 1.2 MW photovoltaic energy plant. The plant will use both crystalline solar cell and thin film modules. The plant will be built at the Seria Power Station in Seria, Brunei Darussalam.