EASI’s Atsu Sakai unravels the nuance in realizing the potential of utility-scale battery energy storage systems in this blog. Mega batteries as these are called could change the game in realizing the promise of clean energy if all barriers to its development such as regulation, technology, safety and risks are sufficiently addressed and effectively overcome.

On 10 June ADB signed a landmark loan with Spectra Solar Park Limited for a $17.7 million financing package that will install a 35-megawatt utility-scale solar photovoltaic plant in Bangladesh. The project is one of the first private sector solar plants to be financed by multilateral institutions in the country. The project will also support the country’s efforts to attain long-term energy security and meet climate goals by increasing the share of renewables in its power generation mix.

ADB and Phu Yen TTP Joint Stock Company (Phu Yen JSC) signed a $186 million loan on 9 October to install 257-megawatt solar power plant in Hoa Hoi in Phu Yen Province through the first certified green loan in the country. The project will help the country shift from its dependence on fossil-fuel and transform Viet Nam’s energy mix.Among the expected results that the project will bring is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 123,000 annually, electricity generation for Quang Ngai and Nha Trang cities and the attendant economic development in the area.

On 27 May, ADB signed a $116 million green loan with Lien Lap Wind Power Joint Stock Company (Lien Lap), Phong Huy Wind Power Joint Stock Company (Phong Huy), and Phong Nguyen Wind Power Joint Stock Company (Phong Nguyen) to build and operate three 48-megawatt (MW) wind farms, totaling 144 MW, in Quang Tri Province, Viet Nam.The loan forms part of a $173 million green loan project financing package arranged and syndicated by ADB as mandated lead arranger and bookrunner. It is ADB’s first financing of a wind power project in Viet Nam, and is certified by the Climate Bonds Initiativ

On 30 March, the Board approved a $300 million loan to finance the 300-MW  Balakot Hydropower Development Project in Pakistan.

On 23 December, ADB and the Nur Navoi Solar (NNS) signed loans of up to $I7.5 million to build a 100-megawatt (MW) solar power plant that will be the first public–private partnership renewable energy project in Uzbekistan.

ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA (22 April 2020) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million loan to help supply renewable energy to Mongolia by installing its first large-scale advanced battery energy storage system (BESS).“Mongolia is among the most heavily coal dependent developing member countries of ADB, and its energy sector is the largest contributor to its greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about two-thirds of the total,” said Director General of ADB’s East Asia Department James Lynch.

The Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED) Project in the Maldives led by SAEN’s Jaimes Kolantharaj has been hailed as the best renewable energy and energy efficiency at the 8th Greening the Islands (GTI) e-Convention – International Conference and Exhibition. The awarding ceremony was held on 21 October 2021. GTI is an innovative organization that supports self-sufficiency and sustainability of islands worldwide.

The Geothermal Power Generation Project that will help increase Indonesia’s geothermal power generation capacity by 110 megawatts was approved on 28 May 2020. The $300 million loan will finance the construction and commissioning of two geothermal plants at Dieng in Central Java and Patuha in West Java by GDE, a state-owned enterprise focused on geothermal exploration, development, and power generation. The project team is led by SEEN’s Shannon Cowlin.

On 3 September ADB and the Government of Uzbekistan signed a $60 million loan for the Sustainable Hydropower Project, approved by ADB on 30 September 2019.