CEREMONIAL SWITCH – ON — AboitizPower Thermal Business Group COO Ronaldo Ramos (5th from left) leads the switch-on ceremony of Southeast Asia’s first hybrid Battery Energy Storage System on a floating platform, together with Davao de Oro Governor Dorothy Gonzaga (4th from left) and Maco Mayor Voltaire Rimando (5th from right). With them are representatives from the Department of Energy, Wartsila Philippines, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Therma Marine, Inc., and other local government officials.
MANILA, Philippines – Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower), through its subsidiary Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI), held the ceremonial switch-on of Southeast Asia’s first 49-megawatt (MW) hybrid Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) built on a floating platform in Maco, Davao de Oro.
A BESS is a type of energy storage that uses a set of batteries to store electrical energy from the grid and released when needed to augment supply or improve the quality of the electricity in the system.
The hybrid BESS will complement TMI’s existing diesel engines by providing ancillary services, a system meant to sustain transmission capacity and grid stability, thereby helping secure an uninterrupted provision of good quality electricity.
BESS stores much-needed electricity for contingency or dispatchable reserves to replenish a reduction in generation output or even reactive support to ensure power quality.
Commercially available since November 30, 2022, the hybrid BESS opens opportunities to support the influx of more variable renewable energy sources into the grid.
As more renewable energy capacities penetrate the power mix, BESS can be a complement to these technologies as it can partially offset intermittencies when solar or wind power plants are unable to generate electricity.
“This groundbreaking initiative marks a significant stride towards revolutionizing the Philippines’ energy landscape,” said AboitizPower Thermal Chief Operating Officer Ronaldo Ramos.
According to Ramos, the hybrid BESS is an important addition to the growing and dynamic energy needs of the country, especially with the increase in intermittent renewable energy sources, the advent of a power reserves market, and the switch-on of the Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project.
The latter two would facilitate the trading of power reserves between connected islands.
“The power barge that TMI currently operates has been in Maco, Davao de Oro since 1994. It was installed as part of the solution to address the then power crisis in Mindanao. Thirty years later, who would’ve thought that we’d still find ourselves in the same mission of supporting our beloved Mindanao, this time with an innovative twist and a different need to address – the reserve requirements of the grid,” Ramos explained.
“The BESS inauguration ceremony is a great milestone where we see a significant contribution to improving the quality of life of Filipinos through innovative solutions. We recognize [AboitizPower’s] proactive efforts in the implementation of energy efficiency and conservation and renewable energy principles through a project that showcases the actualities of meaningful collaborations,” Department of Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said in a video message.
AboitizPower had indicated its goal to build 3,700 MW of new RE capacity on the way to 4,600 MW by 2030.
Aligned with the Philippine government’s target of a 35% RE share in the nation’s energy mix by 2030, this includes projects in solar, geothermal, hydro, and soon, wind.
AboitizPower is also exploring low-carbon technologies such as liquified natural gas or LNG, nuclear, and smart power plants en route to a balanced portfolio that supports the country’s energy transition while maintaining energy security.