SMC Global Power Holdings, the power generation arm of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), has signed multiple energy storage contracts with Finland-based Wärtsilä Corporation, through its subsidiary Universal Power Solutions Inc., for the completion of its energy storage projects in the Philippines.
Wärtsilä said the first two projects — the 200-megawatt (MW) Integrated Renewable Power Hub-Toledo and the 40MW BCCP in Limay, Bataan — have achieved final commissioning in May.
The energy storage systems are delivered on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis and include Wärtsilä’s propriety software and hardware solutions.
BESS facilities are seen as a solution to help stabilize a grid and prevent rotating brownouts like what happened earlier this week, as they can store energy produced by a power plant.
The technology group said the projects comprise the company’s GridSolv Max system, a standardized energy solution that provides flexible and modular storage for the core hardware assets of the systems, including the batteries, a safety and fire system, inverters, and the advanced GEMS Digital Energy Platform.
Wärtsilä’s GEMS Digital Energy Platform is used to manage the integration of intermittent renewables, thereby enabling the grid to become more responsive and stable.
“Our partnership with SMC Global Power, a company with technical experience in battery energy storage systems, has enabled us to reach this stage and be ready for operation in record time. These projects showcase our long-term commitment to be present in the Philippines and to continue delivering optimised solutions that support the energy transition in Southeast Asia,” Wärtsilä Energy Australasia director Kari Punnonen said.
Meanwhile, SMC Global Power also tapped global technology firm ABB to install BESS facilities in three sites this year — two 20MW sites this June and a 40MW site in July. ABB added that more BESS sites will be completely installed by 2022.
ABB’s BESS package includes the provision of battery enclosures, a medium-voltage switchgear, integrated skid units, transformers, and inverters in one single skid, with a connection to the grid.
SMC earlier said that its BESS projects are part of its Php124 billion capital expenditure for the year. It also announced in April that it is completing 31 BESS projects nationwide.
