BPP Doubles Its Megawatts in the US, Acquiring the "Temple II" CCGT Power Plant

The acquisition of the new operational plant offers exceptional growth prospects for BPP in the United States, benefiting from synergies with the Temple I power plant and the ability to generate immediate cash flow.
 
The agreement was made through Temple Generation Intermediate Holdings II, LLC,1 a subsidiary of BPP. The acquisition will augment BPP's production capacity in proportion to its investment by an amount of 378 MW.

Kirana Limpaphayom, Chief Executive Officer of Banpu Power Public Company Limited, said, "This investment, aligning with BPP's Greener & Smarter Strategy, marks a significant milestone in the ongoing expansion in a strategic country."

The acquisition also extends business ecosystem, which is currently expanding into other sectors along the entire value chain in the US market. This includes the Temple I gas-fired power plant, a power trading business in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) merchant power market, one of the top seven electricity markets with the highest utilization rate in the US, and electricity sales to household customers (Power Retail).

"The strategic proximity between Temple I and Temple II power plants will generate synergistic value enabling us to operate and manage both more efficiently, resulting in improved flexibility and reliability in electricity generation. Consequently, we can seize greater profit opportunities in the merchant market and optimize resource utilization, leading to economies of scale," Kirana said.

The Temple II gas-fired power plant has four key strengths:

1) It is a large power plant with Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology, renowned for its innovation, efficiency, flexibility, and advantageous merit order, making it well-suited to meet the demands of the dynamic merchant market like ERCOT. Additionally, it employs advanced emissions-control technology, establishing itself as one of the leading environmentally friendly gas-fired power plants in the United States;

2) The Temple II gas-fired power plant has the electricity capacity to support approximately 750,000 households across central Texas, playing a vital role in meeting the region's demand for electricity;

3) The strategic location facilitates efficient power distribution, allowing the plant to respond to the real-time, dynamic demands of the merchant power market. Being co-located with the Temple I gas-fired power plant enhances the Temple II plant's operational efficiency, optimizes resource utilization, and affords BPP greater opportunities to capture profits in the merchant market;

4) The additional capacity strengthens BPP's competitive position in managing breakeven points and diversifying risks along the Company's power business value chain.

"BPP expects to realize revenue from this asset by the third quarter of 2023. Our Company remains committed to expediting investment opportunities in environmentally friendly power plants that use HELE technologies in eight strategic countries. This approach aims to encourage balanced growth in our business portfolio, which encompasses both conventional fuel-based (Thermal Power Business) and renewable energy (Renewable Power Business) while accelerating our effort to achieve a capacity target of 5,300 MW by 2025," concluded Kirana.