Ayala, partner begin operations of wind farm in Vietnam

The 252-megawatt wind farm in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province, a joint venture between the Ayala group’s AC Energy Corp. (Acen) and AMI Renewables, has started commercial operations.

This is the partners’ third project together, touted as one of the largest wind farms in Vietnam. It now paves the way for the two companies to pursue plans of piloting a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Khanh Hoa province.

Battery systems are expected to help intermittent power generators such as solar and wind to be able to provide base load supply.

Without energy storage, solar and wind farms remain “mid-merit” facilities, which augment supply from base load power plants that run round the clock.

According to Acen, the Quang Binh wind farm is expected to produce 648 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. This is enough to provide for 270,000 homes and help avoid the emission of 580,000 tons of carbon dioxide yearly.

Critical role

This project “plays a critical role in helping Vietnam achieve its renewable energy target, and is a testament to our ability to execute large scale developments amidst challenging times,” Patrice Clausse, who heads Acen’s international group, said in a statement.

“Acen’s renewables growth continues to accelerate, and we are delighted to be part of Vietnam’s rapid development toward a more sustainable future,” Clausse said.

Nguyen Nam Thang, chief executive of AMI AC Renewables, said the Quang Binh project brought the joint venture closer to its goal of racking up 1,000 MW renewables capacity by 2025.

Acen alone has about 2,900 MW of attributable capacity spread out across the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Australia.

Acen intends to become the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a target of 5,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2025.