Maldives invites bidders to install 40 MW of BESS

The government of the Republic of Maldives on Thursday launched a tender process to prequalify bidders on projects involving the supply and installation of battery energy storage systems (BESS) totalling 40 MW/40 MWh of capacity.

The capacity is divided in two lots -- one of 24 MW/24 MWh and another one of 16 MW/16 MWh -- and will be distributed between 22 island grids, the government said.

The projects are to be delivered on an EPC basis.

Interested bidders can find detailed information on the prequalification process on the state gazette’s website here: https://www.gazette.gov.mv/iulaan/view/153743

The Maldivian government was supported with a USD-23-million (EUR 19m) concessional loan from the Clean Technology Fund to cover for the installations under the BESS tender. The initiative is additionally backed by the World Bank through its Accelerating Renewable Energy Integration and Sustainable Energy (ARISE) project.

The World Bank is also running the Accelerating Sustainable Private Investments in Renewable Energy (ASPIRE) programme on the Maldives, which is directed as supporting investments in solar PV power.

The same islands covered by the BESS tender will also host PV systems, subject to separate contracts and to be developed on an independent power purchase basis, through ARISE and ASPIRE, the government said.

The atoll nation has set the target to become carbon neutral by 2030 and raise the share of renewable energy by 20% by 2023 compared to 2018 levels. While Maldives’ installed solar PV power capacity grew to 21.52 MW from 1.64 MW in 2009-2019, at present, renewables still account for only 4% of the national energy mix, according to the Maldivian government.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.825)

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