ACEN Forges Alliances With Marubeni, ZEN Energy

(Left) At the signing of the agreement with Marubeni are Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, ACEN President and CEO Eric Francia, Lumea Executive General Manager Craig Stallan, Smartest Energy Australia CEO Robert Owens, and Marubeni Asian Power Singapore CEO Moroo Shino; (right) Francia with ACEN Australia Head of Operations and Trading Michael Connarty and ZEN Energy Chair Raymond Spencer and CEO Anthony Garnaut

ACEN Australia’s vision is clear: We aim to supply affordable, clean electricity while maintaining our steadfast commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

DAVID POLLINGTON
ACEN Australia Managing Director

At the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held on March 4 in Melbourne, ACEN, through its subsidiary ACEN Australia, forged a partnership with Marubeni Asian Power Singapore to develop a 200 MW/400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The cooperation agreement was presented to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during the Philippine Business Forum.

New England Solar is a 720 MW solar and battery project being built in stages near Uralla in NSW's New England region. This agreement marks the initial stage of the 200 MW BESS, with potential for significant future expansion. The 400 MW Stage 1 of the solar facility began generating clean, renewable electricity for NSW and Queensland in 2023, and Stage 2 will start construction this year. The entire project is being delivered with the support of host landholders, First Nations, and the Uralla community.

ACEN also signed an 11-year cooperation agreement with Australian-owned ZEN Energy Retail to advance the power purchase agreement documentation for an offtake of up to 220 MW of New England Solar. ZEN Energy is Australia’s first 1.5oC electricity retailer, under the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and emissions reduction goal.

Representing up to 52 percent of the output of New England Solar's first stage, the new alliance ensures a steady revenue stream through the creation and sale of large-scale generation certificates (LGCs), a mechanism used to reduce the cost of renewable energy and encourage the use of clean energy sources.