Indonesian IPP Quantum Power Asia and Germany PV project developer Ib Vogt (stylized as “ib vogt”) have jointly proposed a plan to set up 3.5GW of PV generation capacity and 12GWh of energy storage capacity in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago. The total investment in the project is estimated around USD 5 billion (or EUR 4.64 billion). Once in operation, the project will supply electricity to end users in Singapore rather than those in Indonesia. This story was first reported by other renewable energy news websites.
Anantara Energy Holdings, a joint venture of Quantum and Ib Voght, has submitted the project proposal to the relevant authorities in the two countries. This is in response to a request for proposals from Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA). Specifically, Singapore wants to source clean electricity from renewable projects in its neighboring countries. Anantara is reported to have applied for an electricity export license from EMA. Moreover, the MoU for the joint development of the project in the Riau Archipelago (Riau Islands Province) was reportedly inked on April 19.
The hybrid PV and energy storage project will span an area of 4,000ha. According to the development plan, the entire project will be fully operational in 2032. Anantara estimates that the project will be able to deliver as much as 4TWh of electricity to Singapore every year through an undersea cable. This amount will cover about 8% of the country’s annual demand. A related article from Bloomberg said that the project will be developed in multiple phases. The first phase, which is set for completion between 2026 and 2027, will comprise 1GW of generation and 0.5GW of energy storage.
Anantara, which is headquartered in Singapore, has already secured contracts with Singaporean enterprises to supply more than 4TWh of electricity per year. It has also partnered with the country’s retail electricity distributor Union Energy Corporation in the allocation of the imported electricity to residential, industrial, and commercial customers. Singapore has set the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the country lacks space for utility-scale renewable energy projects and thus has to work with neighboring countries. The Singaporean government currently aims to source from 4GW of renewable generation capacity in foreign countries by 2035.
Besides Anantara, Australian renewable energy developer Sun Cable also plans to export electricity to Singapore from a hybrid PV and energy storage project in Australia’s Northern Territory. This project, which is set to enter operation in 2027, will be able to cover about 15% of Singapore’s annual electricity demand.