Thailand’s SCG Switches On Southeast Asia’s First Industrial Heat Battery, Powered by Grid and Floating Solar

Rondo Energy and Siam Cement Group (SCG) have commissioned Southeast Asia’s first industrial heat battery system, a 33 MWh installation now operational at SCG’s cement facility in Saraburi Province, Thailand. The project marks a major milestone for industrial decarbonisation, integrating both grid electricity and power from a nearby floating solar farm to charge the thermal storage system.

According to Rondo Energy, the system is the world’s only heat battery currently driving a steam turbine, delivering 2.3 MW of continuous high-pressure steam. Although the technology provides thermal energy only – not electricity – the battery’s ability to convert renewable and grid power into round-the-clock steam positions it as a clean replacement for fossil fuel–based heat in cement production.

Rondo Energy CEO Eric Trusiewicz said the Thailand deployment represents three major achievements for the company: the first unit under its modular sizing strategy, its first project in Southeast Asia, and the only heat battery globally producing steam for electric power generation purposes.

The thermal battery can reach temperatures of up to 1,500°C, exceeding the requirements for cement kilns, which typically require around 1,450°C. By storing energy sourced from solar generation and the Thai power grid, the installation demonstrates how heavy industries can shift toward cleaner heat solutions.

Trusiewicz noted that the system was completed in just eight months, calling it a model for industries seeking rapid electrification.

The Thailand project follows Rondo’s 100 MWh solar-powered heat battery in California and similar deployments in Portugal for EDP and Heineken. The company also has ongoing developments in Germany and Denmark as it scales long-duration thermal storage for global industrial use.