
Banpu Power preps US battery venture
The company proposed a BESS project to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees and manages the electrical grid to serve most of the southern US state, said Issara Niropas, chief executive of Banpu Power.
He did not reveal the development cost, saying only that the project may be partially funded by a subsidy programme aimed at supporting BESS businesses.
"The global market for BESS is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing adoption of renewables and the need for grid stability and energy security," said Mr Issara.
The market growth is attributed to declining battery costs, technological advancements and supportive government policies, he said.
BESS plays an important role in storing electricity generated by the sun and wind, which are intermittent sources of energy generation dependent on weather conditions and seasons.
BESS can be developed via a battery farm to ensure a stable supply of clean energy.
Electricity demand in the US is rising, driven by the development of data centres and greater use of artificial intelligence technology.
BESS represents a new area of business for Banpu in the US after it embarked on on-shore gas production and distribution, as well as power generation businesses in the country.
Banpu Next, the energy technology arm of Banpu, said earlier it plans to expand the BESS business into Asia-Pacific nations.
Through its subsidiary Banpu Japan, Banpu Next operates a 58-megawatt-hour BESS farm in the city of Tono. The facility is designed to supply electricity to 5,800 houses.
Banpu owns 40 power plants, either in operation or under construction, both in and outside the US.
These plants have a combined electricity generation capacity of 3.6 gigawatts, based on the company's shareholding in energy firms developing these facilities.

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19 hours ago
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Banpu Power preps US battery venture
SET-listed Banpu Power, the power generation arm of energy conglomerate Banpu Plc, is planning to venture into the battery energy storage system (BESS) business in the US, its second country for the business after Japan where it developed a battery farm. The company proposed a BESS project to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees and manages the electrical grid to serve most of the southern US state, said Issara Niropas, chief executive of Banpu Power. He did not reveal the development cost, saying only that the project may be partially funded by a subsidy programme aimed at supporting BESS businesses. "The global market for BESS is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing adoption of renewables and the need for grid stability and energy security," said Mr Issara. The market growth is attributed to declining battery costs, technological advancements and supportive government policies, he said. BESS plays an important role in storing electricity generated by the sun and wind, which are intermittent sources of energy generation dependent on weather conditions and seasons. BESS can be developed via a battery farm to ensure a stable supply of clean energy. Electricity demand in the US is rising, driven by the development of data centres and greater use of artificial intelligence technology. BESS represents a new area of business for Banpu in the US after it embarked on on-shore gas production and distribution, as well as power generation businesses in the country. Banpu Next, the energy technology arm of Banpu, said earlier it plans to expand the BESS business into Asia-Pacific nations. Through its subsidiary Banpu Japan, Banpu Next operates a 58-megawatt-hour BESS farm in the city of Tono. The facility is designed to supply electricity to 5,800 houses. Banpu owns 40 power plants, either in operation or under construction, both in and outside the US. These plants have a combined electricity generation capacity of 3.6 gigawatts, based on the company's shareholding in energy firms developing these facilities.

Bangkok Post
6 days ago
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Banpu Next aiming to expand beyond Japan
Banpu Next, the energy technology arm of energy conglomerate Banpu Plc, is planning to expand its battery energy storage system into Asia-Pacific nations other than Japan where it has established a battery farm to support the state grid, which increasingly depends on renewable power. Known as BESS, a battery energy storage system holds electricity from the sun and wind, which are intermittent sources of energy generation depending on weather conditions and seasons. Banpu Next sees potential in the BESS business enhancing grid stability and supporting power trade in countries that promote more use of clean energy, said chief executive Smittipon Srethapramote. The company, through subsidiary Banpu Japan, started the operation of a 58-megawatt-hour BESS farm in the city of Tono last month. The facility is designed to supply electricity to 5,800 houses. "We set a goal to develop more BESS farms, bringing total capacity to 1 gigawatt-hour throughout Japan by 2030," said Mr Smittipon. "We are also seeking new opportunities to invest in this business in other Asia-Pacific countries." BESS development aligns with the Japanese government's decarbonisation campaign. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) grants subsidies to investors venturing into BESS projects in the country. Last year the METI launched a programme to support large-scale BESS installations, especially those linked with solar farms, to ensure renewable power will be smoothly supplied to customers. Banpu Next is among the companies receiving financial assistance from the Japanese authorities. The company is developing three other BESS projects in Japan, scheduled to start commercial operations by 2028. They include a 104-MWh battery farm in Tsuno in Miyazaki prefecture. The project, co-invested by Banpu Japan, lending firm Fuyo General Lease and Global Engineering, costs 1.3 billion baht. METI offers a subsidy worth 450 million baht for the installation. Another project is a 104-MWh battery farm in Aizu in Fukushima prefecture. The project requires 1.2 billion baht in investment and is partly funded by 400 million baht from METI.

Bangkok Post
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Association upbeat on growth outlook for amusement parks
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