SEMBCORP Industries : U96 0% has commissioned a 285 MWh (megawatt hour) energy storage system (ESS) facility on Jurong Island within six months, which the group on Friday (Dec 23) said is South-east Asia’s largest.

Sembcorp expects the ESS to be accretive to earnings, though not material to the earnings per share and asset value per share of the group for the financial years ending December 2022 and 2023.

The latest announcement comes after the group’s utility unit, Sembcorp Utilities, was appointed by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) in June to develop a facility with a contracted capacity of 200 MW (megawatt) of power for one hour.

That is enough capacity to meet the daily electrical needs of nearly 17,000 four-room Housing and Development Board flats in a single discharge, Sembcorp said.

One MWh is equivalent to 1,000 kilowatts of electricity generated per hour. An electric kettle, for instance, runs at about 1.5 kilowatts per hour.

“ESS is an essential technology to support solar deployment, and enhance grid reliability and energy supply security in Singapore, especially with the ongoing volatility in the global energy market,” Sembcorp said.

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The ESS technology enhances grid resilience by actively managing mismatches between electricity supply and demand, according to information from EMA’s website.

It addresses the issue of solar intermittency as well, which refers to less solar power being generated on, for instance, overcast or rainy days.

In a speech at the Singapore International Energy Week in October, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling noted that the ESS facility will create the need for more people trained in green jobs.

She said: “With the growth of ESS, the energy sector will be looking for ESS engineers, system designers, and software developers as well as those who can provide procurement, construction and project management services.”

With the Jurong Island facility online, Sembcorp’s battery storage portfolio will stand at 709 MWh in Singapore and the United Kingdom.

The counter closed Thursday 0.9 per cent or S$0.03 higher to S$3.41.