South Tarawa Large Energy Storage Battery

What is the current electricity demand in South Tarawa?

Source: ADB. III. 22. The present yearly electricity demand in South Tarawa is around 29 GWh and is expected to grow by 2% annually. The total power rating available to PUB is around 5MW, sufficient to meet the above yearly demand when all diesel generation sets are operational.

Why is South Tarawa project important?

This is a critical natural asset for South Tarawa and the project will help to reduce the decline in water availability and water quality as well as avoid the risk of further encroachment of incompatible land uses and contamination.

Does a battery energy storage system produce energy?

The battery energy storage system (BESS) to be installed accounts for a large portion (over 60%) of the cost and by itself does not produce any energy, but rather enables renewable energy to be utilized.

How much does a kilowatt-hour supply cost in Pacific?

“Utilities Benchmarking Report, 2017 Fiscal Year”, indicates the average supply costs across Pacific utilities is $0.32 per kilowatt-hour compared to 0.395 per kilowatt-hour for South Tarawa. only around 9% of demand on South Tarawa. Diesel generation supply the remaining 91%.

What is the poverty rate in South Tarawa?

South Tarawa has the highest number of poor people with a poverty rate of 24%.6 Around 20-25% of households are headed by women. Overcrowding is stressing the natural environment, housing, land management, sanitation services and underground water reserves.

Why is electricity so expensive in Kiribati?

Of the 7,877 households in South Tarawa (44% of total households in Kiribati), 72.4% are connected to grid electricity. Access is largely for lighting, and that lighting is often insufficient, inefficient, and expensive. The high electricity cost has suppressed demand and has hindered growth in the commercial and tourism sectors.