Singapore’s National Water Agency PUB has awarded Sembcorp Solar Singapore Pte, part of Sembcorp Industries, the contract for development of 60 MW floating solar power capacity atop Tengeh Reservoir. Sembcorp emerged as the winner out of four local and overseas companies that submitted offers under a request for proposal (RFP) round launched by PUB in June 2019 (see RFP For 50 MW Floating Solar Plant In Singapore).

PUB did not reveal the winning bid tariff that made it choose Sembcorp but explained that the company proposed to use highly efficient solar PV modules and optimized layout to maximize energy generation within the specified area.

Holding some 240 MW of solar power capacity in Singapore, Sembcorp will design, build, own and operate (DBOO) the floating PV facility as the country’s largest and among the world’s largest single floating solar PV systems – and bring it to completion in 2021.

Power generated by the facility, for which DNV GL collaborated as technical advisor, will be enough to meet 7% of PUB’s total energy needs. PUB says it will use the floating solar power to supply to its water treatment processes in order to bring down its carbon footprint.

Another Southeast Asian country Indonesia is planning a much bigger floating PV project with 145 MW capacity for which state electricity company PLN signed a power purchase agreement with Masdar last month. However, it will enter construction only in 2021 and is planned to be commissioned a year later than the Sembcorp system, in 2022 (see 145 MW Floating Solar Plant In Indonesia Taking Shape).

Till the end of 2018, the world had 1.3 GW of global floating solar PV capacity installed, out of more a least 400 GW of estimated potential for the technology, according to the World Bank and Singapore’s SERIS that launched a floating PV handbook in November 2019 (see World Bank & SERIS Release Floating PV Handbook).