Therma Marine Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower), started on 29 November 2022 the commercial operations of its 49-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System 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," AboitizPower President and Chief Executive Officer Manny Rubio said. "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 releases that energy when customers need power the most. It will complement TMI's existing diesel engines by providing ancillary services to sustain the transmission capacity and energy that are essential to 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 this decade. AboitizPower is one of the largest energy and ancillary services providers in the Philippines.

Another AboitizPower BESS project under SN Aboitiz Power Group 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 expanding to geothermal and solar 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 global renewable energy goals.