Mactan battery storage ready by 2026

Aboitiz Power Corp., through its subsidiary East Asia Utilities Corporation (EAUC), is targeting the first half of 2026 to commission a 30-megawatt (MW) hybrid Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) within the Mactan Economic Zone to enhance power reliability in Central Visayas.

“This project will allow us to respond to imbalances in real-time, helping the grid absorb fluctuations and minimize disruptions,” AboitizPower Transition Business Group Chief Operating Officer for Operated Assets Aldo Ramos said Monday.

“The integration of BESS with our existing facility will materially enhance this capability, enabling faster and more efficient responses,” he added.

The EAUC hybrid BESS was among the energy projects approved by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in January 2025.

Once completed, the facility will be among the first large-scale energy storage systems in the region. 

“Investors heavily consider the reliability of power supply, and so we work to efficiently facilitate these innovative energy initiatives to support resident businesses and encourage more investments in the Mactan Economic Zone,” PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said.

“The EAUC hybrid BESS will help in the stability of the power supply, and more so as the share of variable renewable energy increases in our power mix,” he added.

BESS stores excess electricity and dispatches it to the grid when needed, improving grid quality and reliability. 

Hybrid BESS units are designed for high availability, capable of responding to grid imbalances within seconds while requiring less maintenance compared to traditional thermal plants.

In the Visayas, coal-fired plants such as AboitizPower’s Therma Visayas, Inc. continue to provide dispatchable capacity as the grid transitions.

The Department of Energy projects the share of variable renewable energy to rise to 16 to 28 percent by 2031.