Nod to solar plant projects in Japan
The board of Thai Solar Energy (TSE) has approved investment in solar power plants in Japan, raising its overseas production capacity to 100 megawatts, chief executive officer Dr Cathleen Maleenont said.
She said the company would continuously enhance its solar-power generation capacity both in Thailand and overseas, especially Japan, where it has identified opportunities for future investment in solar farms.
The company is in the process of negotiating with a few Japanese business alliances in order to invest in solar farm projects with total capacity of 40-50MW. The results of the negotiation should be finalised by midyear.
At its most recent meeting, the board of directors approved a contractual agreement with Prospec Holdings Inc for the construction of solar farms with installed operating capacity of 17.5MW in Ishikawa prefecture. The estimated budget for the projects’ development is Bt2 billion and construction is due to commence this quarter, with completion expected next year.
Currently, the combined capacity of TSE’s projects in Japan is about 42MW.
“We are at the forefront in the expansion of renewable-energy power plants in Asia, both solar power and other types of energy sources, through collaborations with project-development alliances to lift TSE as a leading corporation in the energy business in Asia, especially Japan and AEC member states,” Cathleen said.
She added that TSE aimed to reach a target capacity of 100MW in its overseas projects this year, and to raise that to 300MW within three years.
Meanwhile, TSE announced a 139-per-cent surge in power sales in 2015, while net operating profit (exclusive of special items) increased by 38 per cent from 2014 after full-year realisation of revenue from rooftop solar panels installed on commercial buildings.
