AC Energy (ACEN) and AMI Renewables, a Vietnam-based renewable energy (RE) platform, will be launching a pilot utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Southeast Asian nation’s Khanh Hoa province.
The two firms, through their joint venture AMI AC Renewables, will be operating their 15-megawatt hour (MWh)/7.5MW BESS project, which will be connected to its existing 50MW Khanh Hoa solar farm.
AMI AC Renewables made the announcement following a $2.96 million grant from the Consulate of the United States in Ho Chi Minh City to develop the BESS project.
ACEN said the project is expected to demonstrate the technical and economic capabilities of energy storage technology and showcase how it can help maximize the efficiency and reliability of RE.
“Energy storage is the key to unlock the potential of renewables and is a vital component of the energy transition. We are very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in harnessing this enabling technology, and together with AMI, we will aim to secure Vietnam’s renewable energy sources while helping the country achieve its sustainability goals,” AC Energy International COO Patrice Clausse said in a statement.
“We are pleased to support Vietnam’s efforts to expand renewable energy generation and reduce reliance on coal. This project aims to show how cutting-edge US energy storage technology can advance these goals, and catalyze Vietnam’s transition to a clean energy economy for a climate-resilient future,” said Marie C. Damour, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
AC Energy recently opened its 88MW wind farm together with another Vietnamese firm, the BIM Group, in Ninh Thuan province, bringing the Ayala-led firm’s RE portfolio in Vietnam to around 1,000MW. ACEN’s efforts in Vietnam form part of the company’s plan to build 5,000MW in RE capacity by 2025 and become Southeast Asia’s largest listed renewables platform.