Singapore-based Equator Renewables Asia (ERA), a new venture of former Sunseap co-founder Frank Phuan, has received the backing of CRE International Co., Ltd (CREI), a subsidiary of China’s nuclear giant, China National Nuclear Corporation, for a multi-billion-dollar project to generate and export clean energy to Singapore from the Riau Islands.
Both parties today signed a Cooperation Framework Agreement to jointly invest and develop a utility-scale solar and battery project. The 900MWp photovoltaic and 1.2GWh battery energy storage system is expected to generate around 830GWh of clean energy per year when completed by 2029.
The project is the first to be announced under ERA’s flagship Singapore-Indonesia renewable energy programme, for which ERA is among six companies granted conditional licences by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to import clean energy into Singapore. The Republic is committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and plans to import about six gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity by 2035 to meet a third of the country’s energy needs.
The ERA-CREI Agreement was signed this morning at the Asia Clean Energy Summit 2025 in Singapore by Mr Phuan and Mr Sun Jinfeng, Singapore Country Manager of CREI, in the presence of senior representatives from both companies.
Under the Agreement, CREI will lead the generation-side investment, construction and operation of the solar PV and BESS facilities, while ERA will manage transmission and offtake coordination.
Mr Phuan, Founder and CEO of ERA, said: “We are exceedingly bullish on the demand for low-carbon energy in Singapore and our vision from day one has been to position ourselves to meet this burgeoning need. This utility-scale project is the first and major step for ERA to turn vision into impact.
“We are delighted that an established company like CRE International is willing to back our vision and contribute its expertise and resources towards this project, which will create many jobs, foster local expertise and support economic growth in the Riau islands.”
Mr Sun, Singapore Country Manager of CREI, said: “We are delighted to partner ERA in this exciting project. Frank is a veteran in Southeast Asia’s renewable energy industry. His deep understanding of the region and extensive on-the-ground experience are invaluable in ensuring the success of this project.
“Leveraging CNNC’s global engineering experience and ERA’s regional experience, this project will showcase the potential of large-scale solar and storage integration in Southeast Asia.”
ERA was formed this year after Mr Phuan bought over its assets from EDP Renewables APAC, Portugal’s leading renewal energy company which acquired Sunseap four years ago. He has been working on the Indonesian project for more than three years as part of the Sunseap- EDPR regionalisation drive.
Under the EMA’s conditional licence, ERA can import 400MWac of renewable electricity into Singapore via a subsea cable.
Once operational, the full project is expected to contribute approximately 2,100GWh of renewable electricity annually—enough to power more than 350,000 Singapore households and offset over one million tonnes of CO₂ each year.
CREI is the renewable energy arm of CNNC, a state-owned enterprise that manages China’s nuclear power industry and related sectors. China accounts for 40 per cent of global renewable capacity expansion, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.
About Equator Renewables Asia (ERA)
Equator Renewables Asia is a Singapore-headquartered renewable energy platform focused on delivering large-scale solar, energy storage, and cross-border power transmission projects across Southeast Asia. As one of Singapore’s Conditional Licence awardees for renewable electricity imports, ERA is pioneering the region’s first commercial-scale clean-energy export from Indonesia to Singapore. The company’s leadership team has successfully developed over 1 GW of renewable projects across 10 countries.
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