Bongbong Marcos says battery energy farms may be a ‘solution’ to PH energy needs

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (2nd from left) during the inauguration of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Global Power’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Bataan on Friday, March 31, 2023. With him are San Miguel Corporation’s Ramon S. Ang (2nd from right), Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla (left) and Speaker Martin Romualdez (right). Photo from Presidential Communications Office

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he sees battery energy farms as a “solution” to the country’s energy needs.

He made the statement during the inauguration of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Global Power’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Bataan.

With this technology, Marcos said power could be stored when not needed or during times of oversupply and it can be released when needed, especially when there is a shortage.

“The most important problem was that precisely the peak supply does not necessarily coincide with the peak load. And there was also the very simple problem of how we can guarantee supply of the base load,” he said in his speech.

“This is now the solution to that problem. And it doesn’t necessarily apply only to wind farms, it doesn’t necessarily apply to only solar, it applies to all kinds of power that we are able to use,” Marcos added.

He dubbed the technology as “novel,” “innovative” and “full of promise,” saying it could help the country be more “energy-secure.”

“It is clean, it is zero-emission, zero-water extraction, no noise pollution. Given the increasing generation of renewable energy, it is vital then that we advance and incorporate Energy Storage Systems, or ESS, in our overall energy infrastructure. Indeed, it promises great rewards for our country,” the President said.

Marcos also noted the role of battery energy farms in ensuring enough energy supply and lowering the cost of electricity in the country, unlike nuclear power plants.

Mentioning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which he said “was never in operation,” Marcos said a nuclear power plant cannot really be turned off and on very easily.

He explained that if there are battery farms, there is no need to construct huge facilities such as power plants.

“Unfortunately the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was never in operation but you can see the advancements that we are – that we have now. That was a very – shall we say involved kind of energy storage system because it was at a very large scale. However, now we no longer need to construct all of those facilities, we no longer need to put in that kind of infrastructure. All we need now are these battery farms that we are seeing today,” Marcos said.

The corruption-hit Bataan Nuclear Power Plant built during the dictatorship of the President’s father and namesake never went into operation because of safety concerns.

In his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos expressed his desire to adopt nuclear energy as part of the country’s power mix, but said the government’s strategy has to be reconsidered.

READ: PH ramping up talks on nuclear power deals

The President said battery energy farms could generate sufficient, reliable, and clean energy, as well as jobs.

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