Acciona Energía enters Thailand with 436MW of wind power awarded

Construction by Spanish company of five wind projects in southeast Asian country comes after last-year’s deal to buy nearly half of Singapore-based developer The Blue Circle

Acciona Energía wind turbine.
Acciona Energía wind turbine.Foto: Acciona Energía

Acciona Energía and its The Blue Circle unit have been awarded a long-term clean energy supply contract (PPA) for five wind projects in Thailand with a combined capacity of 436MW.

The projects were allocated by the country’s energy regulator (ERC) in an auction and will have a staggered development schedule. Construction of the first wind farm is expected to begin in 2024, with the projects gradually being completed between 2026 and 2030.

State-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will buy all electricity generated by the projects through a 25-year PPA as part of the Thai government's plan to secure up to 30% of renewable energy by 2037.

Acciona Energía didn’t reveal which turbine producer it will choose. The company often picks Nordex, in which it holds a near-50% stake, but the German OEM at this point couldn't confirm an order in Thailand when asked by Recharge.
The award of the five Thai projects comes after the energy unit of Spanish conglomerate Acciona last year had agreed to buy nearly half of Singapore-based The Blue Circle, which has a 3.8GW wind energy portfolio in Southeast Asia – next to Thailand in Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Sri Lanka.

Four of the Thai projects will be located in the northeastern provinces of Ubon Ratchatani and Amnat Charoen, while the fifth will be built in the Chaiyaphum region.

Once operational, the wind farms are slated produce 1.14TWh a year, reducing CO2 emissions by 645,000 tons annually – the equivalent of removing 250,000 cars from circulation or planting 19 million trees, Acciona said.

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Published 8 May 2023, 13:16Updated 8 May 2023, 13:16
South East AsiaAsia-PacificThailandAcciona Energy