DNV Assists Delivery Of Largest Solar And Storage Project In The Western Pacific Region

DNV is pleased to have supported a landmark solar and storage project in the Republic of Palau in the Western Pacific region.

Philippines-based power producer - Solar Pacific Energy Corporation (SPEC), the solar developer of listed Alternergy Holdings Corporation, appointed DNV as Owner’s Engineer for the 15.3 MWp solar power and associated 13.2 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Ngatpang state on Babeldoab, the largest island in the Palau archipelago.

The USD 29 million project, which is jointly owned by SPEC and its listed parent – Alternergy, will meet more than 20% of Palau’s energy needs. SPEC was awarded a long-term power supply agreement by the Palau Public Utilities Corporation (PPUC) to feed power to the central grid in Badelboab. The power plant was inaugurated last June 2.

DNV’s work scope for the solar + BESS hybrid system

DNV assessed if the design would meet two main purposes: grid smoothing and energy generation

DNV’s work scope for the solar + BESS hybrid system, SPEC’s first venture into overseas markets, spanned four phases across the design, pre-construction, construction, and project completion stages.

DNV assessed if the design would meet two main purposes: grid smoothing and energy generation. It advised on project scheduling and progress tracking, and checked the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on SPEC’s behalf.

“Solar Pacific is grateful to DNV for its excellent technical and project management support throughout the pre-construction and implementation stages of this exciting project. DNV provided valuable expertise to ensure the delivery of a rather complex project that involved a PV and battery storage hybrid solution on a challenging project site located in a remote location. We look forward to expanding our working relationship with DNV throughout the Asia Pacific region,” said Mike Lichtenfeld, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Solar Pacific Energy Corporation (SPEC).

DNV, Alternergy and SPEC partnership

“Alternergy is delighted to conclude another successful renewable project with DNV,” said Gerry Magbanua, the President of Alternergy, adding “Since 2014, we have collaborated with DNV in developing our pioneering wind and solar projects in the Philippines.”

Project construction management was conducted remotely from DNV’s Singapore office

Project construction management was conducted remotely from DNV’s Singapore office, with DNV’s partner providing onsite construction personnel supervised and managed by DNV and owner’s site representatives (OSRs) for both the civil and electrical engineering aspects.

The OSRs monitored construction and with input from DNV specialist engineers, delivered several monitoring, inspection, verification, witnessing and testing activities during construction, commissioning, testing and energization of the system.

DNV inspections post-commissioning

DNV inspections post-commissioning ensured that non-conformance with contract specifications was sufficiently rectified, before certifying the project as ready for handover and issuing the Final Completion Certification.

According to DNV’s latest Energy Transition Outlook report, Southeast Asia will see solar PV and solar coupled with storage play a significant role in the region’s electricity generation share, rising sharply from the late 2030s to generating 74% of the electricity by 2050.