AboitizPower unit switches on battery storage system in Davao

First in SouthEast Asia

MANILA, Philippines — Therma Marine Inc.(TMI), an Aboitiz Power Corp. subsidiary, has started the commercial operations of its first battery energy storage system (BESS) in the country, which is also the first of its kind in Southeast Asia built on a floating platform.

The 49-megawatt BESS located in Maco, Davao de Oro is seen as a model for future battery invest­ments and hybrid renewable energy projects by the company.

“We are excited to finally begin commercial opera­tions of our first BESS facility, which will help rein­force the Mindanao grid,” AboitizPower president and CEO Manny Rubio said.

A BESS is a type of energy storage that uses a set of batteries to store electrical energy when there is a supply surplus in the grid and released when custom­ers need power the most.

“AboitizPower sees battery technology as a great opportunity to address concerns about the reliability, affordability, and sustainability of energy supply, Powell Rubio said.

“We respond to the needs of our customers and communities while supporting economic growth by ensuring the stability of the grid.”

AboitizPower said the BESS would complement TMI’s existing diesel engines by providing ancil­lary services to sustain the transmission capacity and energy that are essential in maintaining the power quality, reliability, and security of the Min­danao grid.

The Maco facility is among 12 projects with a total capacity of 248 MW for regulating and contingency reserves that AboitizPower is targeting to develop within this decade.

Another BESS project under SN Aboitiz Power Group (SNAP) is the 24-MW Magat BESS project at the SNAP Magat hydroelectric power plant in Ramon, Isabela.

The Magat BESS started construction last August and is expected to commercially operate in the first quarter of 2024.

Aside from its entry into the battery market, AboitizPower said its growth strategy in the next decade would also be signifi­cantly driven by renewable energy.

The company, together with its part­ners, is the largest owner and operator of renewable energy in the Philippines based on installed capacity.

AboitizPower aims to further grow its Cleanergy portfolio, both domestically and internationally, in the next 10 years in an effort to help build the country’s renewable energy market and contribute to the global renewable energy goals.

Cleanergy is AboitizPower’s renew­able energy solutions brand that supplies communities and businesses with power derived from run-of-river large hydro, solar and geothermal.