San Miguel, which is now behind its original plan to deliver 1 GW/1 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) by the end of 2022, continues to deploy large batteries at 32 sites in the Philippines. to integrate up to 5 GW of renewable energy sources into the island nation’s grid.
“BESS technology supports our goal of generating 35 percent of our total energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2030,” Marcos said at the opening ceremony last week.
San Miguel’s battery storage portfolio began to take shape back in 2018 when it acquired the country’s first BESS project – the 10 MW Masinloc Power Plant. In January 2022, the conglomerate announced it was ready to start operating the first 690MW of battery storage as part of a plan to deliver a 1GW BESS fleet by the end of the year.
Last week, Star of the Philippines San Miguel CEO Ramon S. Ang said the company had already delivered 640 MW of projects, with the final amount expected to be completed by December this year.
“The government is working to avoid a power crisis,” Ang said. “But we know that new power plants take time to complete. The BESS network is already here and can provide immediate relief to the power crisis.
San Miguel partnered with ABB Philippines, Fluence and Wartsila and its engineering, procurement and construction contractors for the project. This week, Fluence confirmed that it has completed 570 MW of BESS projects for San Miguel. These projects provide critical grid stability services across the national transmission grid in the Philippines, including frequency response, standby power and voltage regulation.
“In the next couple of years, we estimate to connect up to 5,000MW of renewable electricity to the grid, largely thanks to our BESS facilities,” Ang said.
At his inauguration, President Marcos vowed to extend significant support to investors in the renewable energy space and streamline national and local regulations.
“We will improve the policy and regulatory framework for the renewable energy sector, especially ESS technology, to encourage the development of the nascent renewable energy industry,” he said.
Marcos added that his administration will continue to work with San Miguel. He noted that the company has “other BESS projects in the pipeline, covering 95 percent of BOI-approved projects with a total capacity of 2,000 MW spread across the country… I and the rest of the Filipino people look forward to the commissioning of these projects in the near future.”
