Fluence’s battery-based energy storage system in the Philippines begins commercial operation
Energy storage technology and applications provider Fluence has announced that the first 20 MW 'next-generation' battery-based energy storage system in the 470 MW portfolio the company is deploying for SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMCGPH) has entered commercial service.
The Kabankalan system is located at Negros Island in Visayas is the second grid-scale battery project to serve the Philippines electricity network, the first one being the 10 MW Masinloc Power Plant in Zambales, also supplied by Fluence's team in 2016.
The project is the first operational energy storage asset on the Visayas regional grid, which has the largest amount of solar PV generation in the country. In addition, the system is also the first such asset to be directly controlled by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines through Automatic Generation Control (AGC). This provides critical grid stability services, including managing frequency and voltage, and supplying reactive power.
"Fluence is proud to help SMCGPH reach this milestone and support the Visayas network with the Kabankalan project," said Fluence president for Asia Pacific Jan Teichmann. "Each new battery asset we and SMCGPH bring online strengthens the Philippine grid, adding flexibility in the right places and with the right capabilities to support the nation's energy transition."
Both the storage systems provide ancillary services with faster speed of response and accuracy than thermal ancillary service providers – such as hydropower, diesel, or natural gas generation – as proven during NGCP's testing and accreditation process, says Fluence.
In the event of generation, transmission, or distribution lines going offline as occurred in Cebu during August of 2021, fast-responding battery assets can be dispatched by their operators – or in the case of Kabankalan, the grid operator directly – to stabilize the grid and help prevent widespread outages.
SMCGPH's battery-based energy storage portfolio remains the largest such procurement to date in Southeast Asia, aimed at reinforcing key areas of the Philippine electricity grid to facilitate greater adoption of renewable resources nationally.
Fluence will continue deploying additional energy storage systems for SMCGPH's portfolio of projects across the Philippines through July of 2022, with additional systems targeted for commissioning and testing within early 2022, the company said in a statement.
Spotlight
