New Aster unit inks Sembcorp Solar deal for power worth 17,000 cars’ emissions

[SINGAPORE] Chemical and energy solutions firm Aster on Monday (Oct 27) said its new unit has secured an agreement with Sembcorp Solar Singapore to deploy about 16 megawatt-peak of solar capacity across Aster’s integrated infrastructure on Bukom and Jurong Island by end-2026.

Once operational, the projects will generate enough renewable energy to reduce 169,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions over their lifetime. That is the equivalent to the removal of nearly 17,000 internal-combusion engine cars off the road for one year, it said on Monday (Oct 27).

Aster, which is jointly owned by Indonesia’s Chandra Asri and commodities giant Glencore, also on Monday announced the formation of a dedicated energy business, Aster Power.

The new unit will focus on advancing power and steam generation, as well as renewable power solutions across the assets of Aster, which is a joint-venture between Indonesia’s Chandra Asri Group and Switzerland’s Glencore.

“The establishment of Aster Power marks a pivotal step in expanding our renewable energy footprint,” said Erwin Ciputra, Aster’s chief executive. “These initiatives uniquely position Aster Power to serve both the energy and chemicals sectors and support Singapore’s maritime ambitions for cleaner, greener port operations.”

Aster Power is also looking to “upscale its deployment of solar energy systems”, including a nearshore solar photovoltaic system. It is also seeking to explore new energy infrastructure such as electric ferry charging stations and tailored green power supply solutions.

Sembcorp on Monday also unveiled Singapore’s largest ground-mounted solar project on the island, the Jurong Island Solar Farm, with an installed capacity of 118 megawatt-peak.

In September, Aster said it was investing US$125 million to upgrade its single buoy mooring and pipeline infrastructure near the Bukom refinery.