Marcos, SMC inaugurate energy storage system in Bataan

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 31) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday led the inauguration of San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Bataan, which he said will help ensure stable power supply in the country and aid in the transition to a clean energy future.

The battery storage station in Limay, Bataan is one of 32 such facilities being built by SMC nationwide.

According to the company, battery energy storage will enable reliable power to reach even remote areas. It said that BESS currently contributes to the ancillary services of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

"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," SMC President and CEO Ramon Ang explained.

Marcos said the BESS technology will also help the country reach its target of increasing the share of renewable energy in the power generation mix to 35% by 2030.

“This technology is carving a distinct path towards a more energy secure and sustainable future of the country,” the President said during the inauguration ceremony.

“It is safe, has zero noise pollution, zero carbon emissions, zero water extraction, and generates zero waste. It also remedies the challenge with wider adoption of renewable sources, which is intermittence,” Marcos was also quoted as saying.

According to the company, its nationwide BESS network — which has a combined capacity of 1000 megawatt-hours — is the first and largest of its kind in the Philippines and is among the biggest integrated battery storage networks globally.

"With a total 1,000 MWh of BESS in 32 sites nationwide, San Miguel Global Power, a proudly Filipino company, is poised to become one of the largest grid-scale battery storage system operators in the world — something our nation can truly be proud of," Marcos said.

"This puts us ahead of so many countries in terms of adoption of this technology, which is crucial to our clean energy future,” he added.