SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) has plans to construct a 20 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) within the Magat Hydro Electric Power Plant (HEPP), mounted between the provinces of Ifugao and Isabela.
“The facility will be used to boost SNAP’s ancillary services and standby power supply that can be tapped in case the regular supply falls short of the requirement,” said SNAP Group President and CEO Joseph Yu in a press release issued on Monday.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has shown its support for energy sources that can uplift the country’s power supply.
During one of the department’s events, DOE has presented the company that manufactures energy storage as an alternative way of keeping excess power.
The excess power can be used in cases that power supply cannot meet the power demand.
Yu said the USD 28 million BESS project will provide an additional 20 MW more to the Luzon grid’s power supply, as well as the company’s 633.5 MW Northern Luzon capacity from Magat (HEPP), Binga HEPP in Itogon, Benguet, Ambuklao HEPP in Bokod, Benguet, and Mariz HEPP in Isabela.
“You can think of battery energy storage as a giant power bank,” Yu said.
“With BESS, we will have a battery facility that is connected to the grid, where we can draw power from when necessary.”
Yu added that the SNAP’s Board of Directors has approved the conduct of the feasibility study for the BESS in 2019. By 2020, construction is expected to begin and is targeted to have its first operations in 2022.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) identified BESS as a new source of frequency control ancillary services.
Ancillary services are to support the transmission capacity and energy resources to loads, while maintaining reliable operation of the transmission system.
