AC Energy Corp., the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, said Thursday it plans to complete the 60-megawatt Lac Hoa & Hoa Dong Wind project in Soc Trang in the first quarter.
The Vietnam project is in collaboration with partner UPC Renewables that will feature the tallest wind turbines in Vietnam at a record hub height of 162 meters.
This follows the successful switch-on of three wind farms with over 380 MW of renewable capacity in Vietnam in 2021.
AC Energy jointly developed wind projects with partners in Vietnam, where renewables growth remained unaffected by the pandemic.
“We are pleased with the rapid progress that we have seen in our Vietnam projects. Powering three energy plants in 2021 was a significant accomplishment that we could not have achieved without the collaboration with our partners and strong support from the government of Vietnam,” said AC Energy president and chief executive Eric Francia.
“We will continue to actively participate in the green-led recovery and deliver on our net-zero aspirations,” Francia said.
The 88-MW Ninh Thuan wind farm in South Central Vietnam began operations in October last year and is the second partnership between ACEN and the BIM Group.
It is expected to produce 327 gigawatt-hours a year, enough to power around 136,000 homes with renewable energy and help avoid 298,551 tons of CO2 annually.
The 252-MW Quang Binh wind farm, a collaboration with AMI Renewables in the North Central Vietnam, began commercial operations in November 2021. As one of the largest wind farms in Vietnam, it can produce around 648 gWh of renewable energy per year, enough to power 270,000 homes and help avoid 580,000 tons of CO2 annually.
It also features wind turbines at a hub height of 145 meters.
AC Energy and partner, The Blue Circle, also switched on the second phase of the 40-MW Mui Ne wind farm in Binh Thuan Province, South Vietnam in November last year.
The wind farm features turbines that carry the largest rotor diameter for an onshore wind project in Asia at 158 meters, and are the first to use blades in two pieces assembled on site, which boosts efficiency and lower the cost of energy.
The Mui Ne wind farm is expected to avoid about 130,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners at BIM Group, AMI Renewables, and The Blue Circle. We commend all teams involved, particularly ACEN’s Vietnam team, for achieving such a feat given the unexpected and unpredictable COVID conditions in 2021,”said Patrice Clausse, head of AC Energy’s international group.
“We are proud to support Vietnam in its goal to increase its renewables capacity and eliminate the country’s greenhouse gas emissions at the soonest time possible,” Clausse said.
AC Energy declared its commitment to net zero by 2050 along with the rest of the Ayala Group.
The company has over 3,000 MW of attributable capacity across Asia Pacific, with 18,000 MW in its pipeline of renewable projects being developed organically and with its various partners across the region.