Union Power Pte Ltd, Singapore’s national electricity retailer, has been named distribution partner for the proposed US$5 Billion project promoted by Anantara Energy Holdings Pte Ltd. (Anantara). The project will generate renewable energy in Indonesia and then export up to 4TWh to the city state.
Anantara’s project will generate up to 3.5GW of solar photovoltaic energy from a site of 4,000 hectares in the Riau Islands. A battery that can store up to 12GWh, one of the biggest in the world, will be connected to Singapore by an undersea cable.
The Energy Market Authority of Singapore must approve the import of electricity. They have announced major plans to diversify their energy mix and reduce reliance on liquified gas.
Singapore’s green plan includes the importation from neighboring countries of clean renewable energy.
Union Power, which is a member of Union Energy Corporation Pte Ltd, (UEC), has been in business for more than 40 years. It will retail a substantial portion of imported clean energy to its 22,000 customers. This will take advantage of the Company’s extensive network and deep domain knowledge.
Union Power is pursuing diversification towards renewable energy and this partnership is part of its strategy to help Singapore realize its green goals. Union Power’s solar arm Union Solar installs, finances and operates solar PV systems on rooftops of commercial buildings. This allows customers in Singapore to receive lower solar energy tariffs than traditional retailer tariffs. Union Solar is currently building a pipeline that includes 11 industrial and commercial projects. The company expects to increase demand in the coming months.
Another initiative is to build infrastructure for Electric Vehicle Charging. A partnership was also made with a Dutch company in order to distribute flexible, light-weight solar foil that can be wrapped around structures. This eliminates the need to support frames and structures and allows for greater flexibility when harnessing solar power.
The Anantara-UEC agreement, together with the formal joint development agreement for the Anantara partnership, and Anantara’s Memorandum of Understanding and Riau Islands Province were signed in the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore on 19 April. They were signed in the presence of Ambassador His Excellence Mr Suryo Pratomo, and Governor of Riau Islands Province Mr Ansar Ahmed.
Anantara, registered in Singapore, is a joint venture of ibvogt, a German solar energy turnkey solution provider, and Quantum Power Asia (the developer of the first utility-scale solar power plant in Indonesia),
Ms. Ellen Teo, Union Power’s Executive Director, said that it was a great honor for Union Power to participate in this prestigious project. We are committed to the vision of the Singapore Government for a greener market in energy and our knowledge of the problems faced by Singaporeans will be a significant asset to the project. This partnership will be one the most important that we have ever undertaken and will undoubtedly lead to more opportunities in the future. This is a deep honour and a sincere commitment.
Quantum Power Asia’s CEO and Managing Director Simon G. Bell stated, “Partnering With Union Power is a foundational strategy to ensure strong execution capability in Singapore. This will allow Anatantara to deliver excellence in providing clean electricity in Singapore.” We look forward to a long-term partnership with the Union Power team, along with ib Vogt.
David Ludwig, Director Asia Pacific at ibvogt, stated, “We are very excited about the partnership which combines Union and Quantum for the Singapore import tender.” Each member of the consortium is an expert in their field and together we can offer a compelling and competitive offer to significantly contribute to Singapore’s decarbonisation efforts and the economic development on the Riau Islands.
