Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to explore renewable energy export from Indonesia to Singapore

Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore’s Tuas Power, France’s EDF Renewables, and PT Indonesia Power, it announced on January 18.

The MoU is meant to explore the development of renewable energy within Indonesia for export to Singapore. The agreement envisages the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities with a capacity of as much as 1.2 gigawatts (GW), and potential associated storage.

Singapore is looking to import as much as 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035, which would constitute 35 per cent of its total supply.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, chief executive officer of Masdar, said: “Masdar is honoured to join this consortium, and we will leverage the experience we have developed in some 40 countries across the globe to help this cross-border project come to fruition. We look forward to working with all parties involved and we are fully confident that this ambitious initiative will be a key step toward building a greener and more sustainable future for both Indonesia, Singapore and indeed the wider region.”

Ahsin Sidqi, president director of PT Indonesia Power, said: “IP, which is a key subsidiary of PLN, the sovereign utility of Indonesia, is an essential partner for the power export in Indonesia and we look forward to developing the renewable energy sector even further thanks to this new strategic agreement.”

“We are delighted to be a part of this landmark project together with such competent and reputable entities in the energy field including Masdar as our strategic partner. Our parent company, EDF, will be leading the development of the sub-sea cable project for power export purposes,” added Yalim Ozilhan, Southeast Asia Director of EDF Renewables. “This project will expand our presence in the region even further, following on from our current activities in Vietnam and Indonesia. Such efforts are crucial if we are to collectively increase renewable energy capacity around the world and we are committed to play our part.”

Masdar entered the Indonesian market in 2020, forming a joint venture with PT PJBI, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s state electricity company, to drive development of the Cirata Floating Photovoltaic Power Plant, the country’s first floating solar project.

Masdar also signed an agreement with the Georgian Energy Development Fund (GEDF) in December to develop a solar photovoltaic (PV) power project in the country, with a capacity of as much as 100 megawatts (MW).

Read: Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to develop Georgia’s largest solar power plant

Prior to this, it signed a strategic agreement with the Republic of Iraq to develop five solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the country with a combined capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW).

Also read: Abu Dhabi’s Masdar signs agreement to develop solar projects in Iraq

Earlier last year, Masdar inaugurated the Nur Navoi Solar Project in Uzbekistan, the first successfully-financed independent power producer (IPP) solar project in the Central Asian country.

Read: Abu Dhabi’s Masdar inaugurates 100MW Nur Navoi solar project in Uzbekistan

In April 2021, it also signed agreements to develop a utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Read: UAE’s Masdar inks deal for mega solar power project in Azerbaijan