United Nations Issues Tender for Construction of 10-MW Hybrid Minigrid in Papua New Guinea

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has issued an invitation to bid on a 10-MW hybrid minigrid in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

The minigrid will be located on Buka Island, one of two main islands comprising the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

A popular tourist destination, Buka Island is known for its secluded beaches, dormant and active volcanoes and for its numerous World War II relics. Most of the island’s population live in small villages outside the region’s main urban areas.

Minigrids, sometimes referred to as remote microgrids, are typically constructed in remote areas without access to a central grid. Software is used to control distributed energy resources like solar panels and battery storage, providing reliable, clean and affordable power.

The Buka island project joins an expanding fleet of microgrids and minigrids across the Pacific. Recently Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands celebrated the launch of solar and energy storage microgrids.

In each case, the projects have aimed to enhance access to reliable, clean energy and reduce the consumption of diesel fuel for power generation.

Project to be completed in phases

The minigrid will be built adjacent to existing power plant and construction will be completed in multiple phases. Phase 1 will include construction of 2 MW of solar PV and an 8 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). Site development and construction of the control building will also be accomplished during the initial phase.

Phase 2 will add an additional 4 MW of solar and 4 MWh of battery energy storage to the plant, bringing cumulative capacity to 6MW of solar and 12 MWh of storage.

During phase 3, the existing grid infrastructure, including substations, transmission lines and other infrastructure, will be upgraded and extended to support and integrate the hybrid minigrid into the grid.

The project master plan calls for the Buka hybrid minigrid to ultimately have 10 MW of capacity.

The project is funded by the Australian and New Zealand governments. UNOPS will be the prime implementing agency, working in collaboration with the national and regional governments and PNG Power, the state-run electric utility.

The deadline to express interest is March 24. The full tender can be viewed here.