Vanda RE seeks Singapore energy buyers for Indonesia solar-storage project

The plant will boost green power trade between the two nations.

Singapore-based Vanda RE Pte Ltd. is in talks with potential buyers for the clean energy it expects to generate from its 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) solar and 4.4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) energy storage project in Indonesia’s Riau Islands.

“We are currently in discussions with potential Singapore-based offtakers who are keen on the 300 megawatt (MW) nonintermittent clean energy to be generated once the project is operational,” Enda Ginting, Indonesia country manager at Gurīn Energy Pte Ltd, told Asian Power.

The $3b Vanda Solar & Battery Project, co-developed by Singapore’s Gurīn Energy and Malaysia’s Gentari International Renewables Pte Ltd., will support a broader bilateral plan to build a green electricity trading corridor between Indonesia and Singapore.

The project is among several granted conditional import licenses by Singapore’s Energy Market Authority to facilitate the entry of 2 GW of low-carbon electricity from regional sources.

Once commissioned—expected by 2028—the project will supply 300 MW of alternating current, enough to power about 584,000 four-room HDB flats in Singapore annually.

Vanda RE did not disclose the names of interested buyers, but Ginting said the response has been promising. The company is finalising permits and working with key contractors and suppliers as it moves into the advanced development stage.

Beyond supplying clean energy to Singapore, the project also supports Indonesia’s ambition to become a cleantech hub in Southeast Asia, Ginting said.

“The scale of the Vanda Solar & Battery Project and projects like ours is generating demand for locally manufactured solar panels and batteries,” he said. “This provides an incentive for global top-tier cleantech companies to invest in Indonesian supply chains and industries.”

Indonesia targets 74% renewable energy share by 2034 under its national Electricity Supply Business Plan, with solar as a core focus. Last year, it produced 27.89 terawatt-hours (TWh) of clean electricity, against a total output of 329.58 TWh, according to Our World in Data.

Indonesia attracted the most cross-border investment in Southeast Asia from 2013 to 2023, getting $3.54 billion primarily from Japan, China, and South Korea, Zero Carbon Analytics said in May.

The project’s engineering scope is being led by Black & Veatch Corp., which will provide design and procurement services for the solar photovoltaic system, battery energy storage system, inverters, substations, transmission lines, and other infrastructure.

“We will focus on identifying and reducing risks early in the project,” said Jerin Raj, managing director for the Asia-Pacific region at Black & Veatch.

Battery supply will be partially obtained from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., which was chosen to supply as much as 2.2 GWh of its EnerX BESS solutions.