Therma Marine BESS now online in Mindanao
ABOITIZPOWER unit Therma Marine Inc. has commenced the commercial operations of its 49-megawatt (MW) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Maco, Davao de Oro.
The facility, which the company sees as a model for future battery investments and hybrid renewable energy projects, is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia 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,” said Manny Rubio, AboitizPower president and chief executive officer. “We respond to the needs of our customers and communities while supporting economic growth by ensuring the stability of the grid.”
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. The BESS will complement TMI’s existing diesel generators 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 the decade.
AboitizPower is one of the largest energy and ancillary services providers in the Philippines, and is thus well-positioned to support its continued growth moving forward.
“We are excited to finally begin commercial operations of our first BESS facility, which will help reinforce the Mindanao grid,” Rubio said.
Another AboitizPower 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 began construction in August 2022 and is expected to commercially operate in the first quarter of 2024.
In addition to its entry into the battery market, AboitizPower’s growth strategy in the next decade will also be significantly driven by renewable energy.
AboitizPower, together with its partners, is the largest owner and operator of renewable energy in the Philippines based on installed capacity. It has been leading in the renewable energy space since the 1970s, beginning with hydro then later on expanding to also add geothermal and solar to its Cleanergy portfolio.
In the next 10 years, AboitizPower will further grow its Cleanergy portfolio, both domestically and internationally, in an effort to help build the country’s renewable energy market and contribute to the global renewable energy goals.