Floating Solar Expansion In Southeast Asian Nations

• Masdar and PLN NP announced expansion of the 145 MW Cirata Floating Solar Power Plant in Indonesia  
• It will be expanded to up to 500 MW under phase II after the government allowed for expanded use of the water surface for RE projects  
• In Thailand, NPS has once again hired Sweden's AFRY to carry out owner's engineer works for another 30 MW FPV  
• It will expand the Thai project's capacity to 90 MW, while another expansion is being planned  

With 145 MW installed capacity, the largest floating PV (FPV) power plant in Southeast Asia is up for an upgrade to up to 500 MW, in Indonesia. In another Southeast Asian nation of Thailand, a 60 MW operational FPV project is also being expanded by another 30 MW with further expansion on the cards.  

The expansion plans for the 145 MW Cirata Floating Solar Power Plant in Indonesia have been announced even before the project can come online—scheduled for 2023-end. Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar and electricity generator PLN Nusantara Power (PLN NP), previously PT PJB, have agreed to add another 500 MW to the project under phase II.  

The news to triple the capacity of the Cirata FPV plant follows a recent regulatory announcement from the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Housing that allows up to 20% of the water coverage for renewable energy uses, stated Masdar.  

Located in the Cirata Reservoir in West Java, the Cirata FPV facility has been under construction since August 2021 (see Financial Closure For 145 MW AC Floating PV Project). 

A couple of countries away from Indonesia, Thailand too has an FPV plant waiting to be expanded to a total of 90 MW. The National Power Supply Public Co., Ltd. (NPS) has contracted the Swedish EPS contractor AFRY to add 30 MW capacity to its operational 60 MW NPS FPV plant. 

The project in Prachinburi in Eastern Thailand is one of the largest projects in this space in the country. Beyond the 30 MW capacity addition, another expansion is also being planned, according to AFRY that has been the owner's engineer for the tendering, design and construction of the complete 90 MW FPV project. 

A recent analysis of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) pegs a technical potential of 825 GW FPV capacity across 10 Southeast Asian nations when factoring in 88 reservoirs and 7,213 natural water bodies. Indonesia and Thailand are on the list (see Floating Solar Prospects In Southeast Asia). 

Floating solar was one among the innovative PV applications discussed at the recent TaiyangNews Virtual Conference on Advanced Solar Module Innovations. Click here for conference summary.