With BNPP not in operation, Marcos now keen on battery energy farms

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is keen on having more battery energy farms in the country, noting their significant role in ensuring enough energy supply and lowering the power cost.

At the inauguration of San Miguel Global Power's Battery Energy Storage System in Limay, Bataan, on Friday, Marcos said that the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant "was never in operation."

The President said since a nuclear power plant cannot really be turned on and off very easily, "we had to find a way to store the energy." He explained that if there are battery farms, there is no need to construct huge facilities such as power plants.

"Unfortunately the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was never in operation but you can see the advancements that we are – that we have now. That was a very – shall we say involved kind of energy storage system because it was at a very large scale. However, now we no longer need to construct all of those facilities, we no longer need to put in that kind of infrastructure. All we need now are these battery farms that we are seeing today," Marcos said in his speech.

"As I said, the BESS or the Battery Energy Storage System, certainly will form a very important part of that formula that will solve these problems that I had just gone through," he said.

"Because it is novel, it is innovative, it is full of promise this Battery Energy Storage System. This technology is carving a distinct path towards a more energy-secure and sustainable future for the country. It is clean, it is zero-emission, zero-water extraction, no noise pollution," Marcos said.

In his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos expressed his desire to adopt nuclear energy as part of the country’s power mix, but said the government’s strategy has to be rethought.

The President said battery energy farms could generate sufficient, reliable, and clean energy, adding that it could also provide employment for the public.

The Presidential Communications Office said San Miguel Group’s 50-MW Battery Energy Storage Systems Facilities in Bataan is one of the company’s 32 facilities with a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatts that it is building and targeting to complete by the end of this year.

Ramon Ang, president and CEO of San Miguel, said the BESS can have a transformative impact on the Philippine economy and the lives of Filipinos.

"Equally important, our facilities combined can support the integration of over 5,000 MW of renewable power sources into the grid," Ang said. 

"They can store excess energy from traditional and renewable energy during low demand and release it back to the grid when demand [increases or peaks]," Ang added. —AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News