Fluence, a leading energy storage technology and digital applications provider enabling the global clean energy transition, announced today that the first 20-megawatt (MW) / 20-megawatt hour (MWh) battery-based energy storage system in the 470 MW / 470 MWh portfolio the company is deploying for SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMCGPH) has entered commercial service. The project sited in Negros Occidental is only the second grid-scale battery project to serve the Philippines electricity network, following a 10 MW / 10 MWh system sited at the Masinloc Power Plant in Zambales, also supplied by Fluence’s team in 2016.
Kabankalan energy storage project site. Image Credit: Fluence
The Kabankalan system is the first operational energy storage asset on the Visayas regional grid, which has the largest amount of solar PV generation in the Philippines. In addition, the system is the first such asset in the Philippines to be directly controlled by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines through Automatic Generation Control (AGC) to provide critical grid stability services known as ancillary services, including managing frequency and voltage, and supplying reactive power.
The Kabankalan system and its predecessor battery-based energy storage system in Masinloc 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.
Flexible, fast-responding resources like large-scale battery storage systems are critical for ensuring the stability of regional electricity grids across the Philippines. In the event of generating assets or 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, by the grid operator directly – to stabilize the grid and help prevent widespread outages.
The Kabankalan project was successfully delivered on time despite a range of challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain delays, worker travel restrictions and coordinating construction amid complex site restrictions. To protect essential workers at Kabankalan and subsequent project sites, Fluence and its contractors enacted a range of additional safety protocols, including supplying additional personal protective equipment, decontamination of equipment arriving on site, an increased focus on hygiene, and social distancing.
With this record-setting deployment, SMCGPH is strategically siting energy storage projects across the Philippines’ power network to make it stronger and more resilient, preparing the national grid to accommodate higher levels of renewable energy, and taking the Philippines into the leadership position in clean energy deployments in Southeast Asia.
“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.”
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.
Source: https://fluenceenergy.com/