SMC to power 1,000 MWh of battery energy

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is targeting to complete this year a nationwide battery energy storage systems (BESS) network with a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatt hours that will propel the Philippines as one of the world’s leaders in the use of BESS technologies.

Led by President, SMC inaugurated BESS facilities in Limay, Bataan which have a combined total capacity of 90 MWh.

The facilities are part of the total 32 battery storage stations being built by SMC, through subsidiary San Miguel Global Power all over the country.

“Now, we have around 640 MW that are ready. The balance of 360 MW by December, “ SMC president and CEO Ramon Ang said.

“This is a game changing technology that will bring down the cost of electricity the fastest way because you can build a battery storage in 12 months and the cost of investment is so low compared to other technologies,” he said.

SMC’s battery storage stations are the first and largest of such network in the country, and among the largest integrated battery storage networks in the world.

The project is part of SMC’s aggressive medium-term goal for power system decarbonization and resilience.

According to Ang, battery energy storage is an important global innovation in the energy sector, one that will enable stable and reliable power to reach even far-off areas.

“Our BESS facilities will support the country’s power grid by storing excess power from existing plants, and injecting this power back, when and where it is needed, within milliseconds – ensuring power quality is stable, and reaches users all over the country,” he said.

Ang said the BESS network can likewise enable the integration of capacity from small-to-medium scale renewable energy sources into the grid, and help encourage more investments in renewables in the future.

“With battery energy storage, we can solve the problem with most renewable energy sources, which is intermittence, due to the irregularity or seasonality of solar and wind power sources. Over the next couple of years, we estimate the integration of up to 5,000 MW of renewable power into the grid, due largely to our BESS facilities,” he said.

BESS technology, which enables the storage of energy both from renewable and non- renewable sources, was pioneered in the Philippines in 2016 by what is now SMC’s Masinloc power facility.

The pioneering BESS project introduced the use of advanced lithium-ion battery technologies in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

SMC said BESS currently contributes to the ancillary services of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for grid stability and security.

Ang said BESS could also be one of the solutions to the looming power crisis as it can bridge the energy security gap by storing excess energy when it is available, and releasing it when demand is high.