UK firm to build Southeast Asia’s first tidal energy plant

Project & Tenders

January 31, 2024, by Nadja Skopljak

San Bernardino Ocean Power Corporation (SBOPC), an affiliate of Energies PH, has awarded the UK’s Inyanga Marine Energy Group with a contract to build Southeast Asia’s first-ever tidal power generation plant.

The project will be located at the remote Capul Island of Northern Samar in the Philippines, along the San Bernardino Strait, a passage well-known for the strength of its marine currents.

Inyanga Marine Energy Group was awarded the contract for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). SBOPC launched the request for proposals for the EPC contract in January 2023.

The 1 MW project, expected to deploy in late 2025, will use Inyanga’s HydroWing tidal stream technology, which will be connected to the electrical network of the off-grid island Capul, currently relying on a 750 kW diesel power plant.

The first stage of the project consists of a 1 MW tidal power plant, to be connected to a microgrid network coupled with solar PV and energy storage.

“This exciting project will create a step change for the remote community on Capul. It will bring tidal energy to the region of Southeast Asia for the first time,” said Jean-Christophe Allo, Commercial Manager at Inyanga.

“As the project incorporates an onshore storage facility, the tidal turbines will provide continuous 24/7 power supply. Right now, Capul has only 8 to 16 hours of energy per day, with several blackouts. We will provide a 24/7 reliable and renewable electricity.”

Other tidal power generation sites planned for subsequent deployment by SBOPC are in San Antonio Island, also in Northern Samar, and Calintaan Island in Matnog, Sorsogon.

The company has been conducting studies to assess the ocean power resource in the area and the feasibility of supplying electricity to Capul Island since 2014. In 2020, the Philippines Department of Energy confirmed the project’s viability by issuing its Certificate of Commerciality, a crucial milestone for Philippine renewable energy projects.

“As we embark on this pioneering tidal power plant for the Philippines, our vision is to replicate this in several off-grid sites all over the country to provide electricity in the hinterlands,” said Antonio Ver, Co-Chairman and CEO of Energies PH.

“We see the initial project in Capul as a catapult to achieving our goal of helping create sustainable communities across the Philippines. The electric power that reaches families in remote areas enables them to have better access to education, health services as well as livelihood opportunities.”