Ground Breaks On Largest Solar PV Plant In Kiribati

• Kiribati has started the construction of a 7.5 MW solar PV project in South Tarawa 
• The project is coming up on the Bonriki water reserve to power more than 9,000 homes 
• Calling it the country's largest solar plant, the ADB says it is co-financed by the Government of New Zealand 

The Oceania located nation of Kiribati has started construction on the country's largest solar PV project that's backed by the Asian Development Bank and the Government of New Zealand. It will be accompanied by a battery energy storage system (BESS). 

The 7.5 MW South Tarawa Renewable Energy Project (STREP) is located on the Bonriki water reserve. ADB says it will generate reliable, efficient and affordable solar-generated electricity to power more than 9,000 homes in the country's capital South Tarawa. 

Supported by the bank and co-financed by the Kiwi government, the project's solar and BESS components were procured under the ADB's South Tarawa Water Supply Project co-financed by the World Bank and the Green Climate Fund. 

"The event marks a giant leap in Kiribati's transition into a resilient low-carbon economy," said ADB Senior Country Coordination Officer in Kiribati, Teatao Tira.  

With an electricity system that's heavily dependent on imported diesel fuel, the island nation of Kiribati faces land constraints that also limit its sources of food production. It also faces the threat of climate change. The country is now looking at a sustainable energy system that will also ensure a sustainable economy while reducing its carbon emissions. Solar PV is one of the clean energy sources it then looks up to. 

Under STREP phase 2, the ADB is supporting the development of a 4 MW floating solar PV project in Kiribati with a 3 MVA/5 MWh BESS project, along with a 5 MW floating PV and 4 MVA/xx MWh BESS facility.