More in the Wind in Thailand & Vietnam for The Blue Circle

The Blue Circle, primarily operating in the Mekong region (Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia), announces the signing of a joint-development agreement with EREN Renewable Energy’s Southeast Asian subsidiary to develop more than 300 MW of wind projects in Thailand. Earlier,  the Singapore-based renewable energy developer had set up meteorological masts in three different sites in Vietnam to find the best  locations for wind farming in that country and has hired more engineers to do the job. Read More

Media release (20 July 2015):

The Blue Circle and EREN Renewable Energy

to develop more than 300 MW of wind projects in Thailand

EREN Renewable Energy and The Blue Circle will partner to develop a significant portfolio of wind projects in Thailand.

Singapore-based renewable energy developer The Blue Circle Pte Ltd, primarily operating in the Mekong region (Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia), today announces the signing of a Joint-Development Agreement with EREN Renewable Energy’s Southeast Asian subsidiary on 15 July.

EREN Renewable Energy (“EREN RE”) is a global independent renewable energy power producer, which recently opened its regional headquarters in Singapore to manage its business activities across Southeast Asia.

The Blue Circle has been developing wind power projects in Thailand since 2013 with its subsidiary The Blue Circle Thailand and its Bangkok-based team of project managers. With a pipeline of more than 300 MW of wind projects at different stages of development, The Blue Circle Thailand is now partnering with EREN RE to bring these projects to completion.

“We are pleased to partner with The Blue Circle and their team in Thailand to combine our expertise and financing capacity with their strong regional knowledge. As we are building a worldwide portfolio of renewable energy power plants, we see Southeast Asia as one of the most promising regions for wind and solar expansion” said Fabienne Demol, Head of Business Development of EREN RE.

“As EREN RE’s team is made of real wind professionals with an impressive track record, we are thrilled to announce this partnership” stated Olivier Duguet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Blue Circle. He added “Thailand is one of the most advanced countries in Southeast Asia in terms of wind installed capacity and together with EREN RE, we want to invest and participate in its future growth.”

In addition to Armstrong Asset Management’s commitment to invest US$40 million in The Blue Circle wind energy projects, the deal signed with EREN RE’s further strengthens The Blue Circle financial capabilities. Thus, EREN RE will share, along with The Blue Circle, the project development costs and is positioned to invest up to US$60 million into wind projects themselves.

About The Blue Circle

The Blue Circle is a developer of wind and solar energy projects in Southeast Asia. The Singapore based company looks to bridge the gap in project development in the region by bringing international project development experience, financial expertise and capabilities together with local market understanding. Its growth strategy is twofold: through the development of its own projects and through partnership with local developers. By being vertically integrated and having its own wind engineering team, The Blue Circle can identify green field sites, pursue project development milestones up until financing and operating of the generating assets.

About EREN Renewable Energy

EREN RE is a 100% subsidiary of EREN, founded in 2012 by Pâris Mouratoglou and David Corchia, who both show a significant successful track record in the renewable energy industry. Capitalized with EUR 600 million, EREN Groupe is the first company dedicated to natural resources efficiency, investing in and promoting innovative technologies in the sectors of water, infrastructure and energy. EREN RE develops power projects in countries where renewable energy represents an economically viable response to growing energy demands. Through partnerships established with local developers, EREN RE has accumulated a portfolio of over 525 MW of renewable energy assets in operation and under construction and over 1,500 MW of assets under development.

Source: www.thebluecircle.sg  and www.eren-groupe.com

Wind Energy Projects in South East Asia

Singapore-based renewable energy developer The Blue Circle, operating in the Mekong region (Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia), has strengthened its wind engineering team by hiring two Singapore-trained engineers.

They are:

Irving Paul Girsang, Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University, who studied at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He was a recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Energy Innovation Programme Office (EIPO) of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

His research interests include structural dynamics, vibration analysis, and control system design with focused application to wind turbine components (i.e. shafts, gearbox, generator, and blades) and machine tools for manufacturing (e.g. turning and milling machines).

Besides Irving’s assignment to work for three months at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Wind Technology Center, Colorado in the United States, he was also a research intern at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Felix Lin Chenghong, who graduated with a diploma in mobile technology from the Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2005, went on to study in the United Kingdom at the Renewable Energy University of Exeter, where he achieved a BSc (Hons), CSM, First Class.

Before joining The Blue Circle, he worked for two years as a project engineer for Goldwind Science and Technology in China, also undertaking projects in Romania, Thailand and Australia.

“Along with Glendon GIam, Intern Wind Engineer, we have a unique set of professionals in Singapore to support our development teams all across the region” reports CEO of the company, Olivier Duguet, himself an expert with many years’ experience in the renewable energy field in Europe.

Wind engineering is a core business for The Blue Circle and its key competitive advantage.

“We do not intend to subcontract this as we are investing in staff training and computer software to further enhance our capabilities,” confirms Gilles Beau, who is the Blue Circle’s Senior Wind Engineer and Chief Development Officer.

Prior to his position at The Blue Circle, Gilles was Senior Wind Engineer for Windlab from 2008 to 2012 and also managed the technical support team for Windlab project developments in Australia, South Africa and North America. As part of his position, he was responsible for wind data analysis, turbine layout and energy yield calculations as well as in charge of relationship with partners and suppliers.

The Blue Circle is the only regional wind project developer in Southeast Asia with an in-house wind engineering team. Based in Singapore, the team comprises of four engineers working solely on wind modelling tools, wind data crunching, sites micro-sitting and turbines optimization.

“With current available computer technology using meso-scale data, we can model wind flows and meteorological patterns all over Southeast Asia to spot the best available wind resources, ” says Gilles Beau.

When crossed with onsite wind data gathered by The Blue Circle meteorological masts, the long term accuracy and predictability of the wind projects revenues are significantly enhanced as is the financial viability of these projects.

Forecasting  the average wind speed of a particular onshore site is not only needed to select the best location to install a project but is also required by banks and investors to forecast the future cash flows of the wind farm to be able to finance its construction.

Pictured is the installation of the third 100 metre high meteorological mast by The Blue Circle in Vietnam – this one is the Dam Nai project in Ninh Thuan Province.

Source: www.thebluecircle.sg