Aboitiz tops rivals amid battery race

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

The Aboitiz Group has beaten its rivals in the battery storage business as it opened a 49-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System or BESS in Maco, Davao de Oro, which is 1the first of its kind in Southeast Asia — has officially started its operations early this week to further strengthen the Mindanao grid.

Project proponent and operator Therma Marine Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power, said the facility serves as a model for future battery investments and hybrid renewable energy projects, especially since it is the first to be built on a floating platform.

“AboitizPower sees battery technology as a great opportunity to address concerns about the reliability, affordability, and sustainability of energy supply,” AboitizPower president and chief executive officer Manny Rubio said Wednesday.

BESS is a type of energy storage using a set of batteries to store electrical energy when there is a supply surplus in the grid.

“We are excited to finally begin commercial operations of our first BESS facility, which will help reinforce the Mindanao grid… We respond to the needs of our customers and communities while supporting economic growth by ensuring the stability of the Grid,” he added

BESS is a type of energy storage using a set of batteries to store electrical energy when there is a supply surplus in the grid and releases when customers need additional power supply.

The project will complement Therma Marine’s existing diesel engines by providing ancillary services to sustain the transmission capacity and energy essential in maintaining the power quality, reliability, and security of the Mindanao grid.

12 plants in 10 years

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

Relatedly, AboitizPower is also undertaking a 24-megawatts MW Magat BESS project in the province of Isabela, another BESS project under SN Aboitiz Power Group.

The Magat BESS began construction last August. It is initially scheduled to commercially operate in the first quarter of 2024.

AboitizPower aims to grow its Cleanergy portfolio to help strengthen the country’s renewable energy market and contribute to the global renewable energy goals.