IPHI to build battery project in Rizal
By Lenie Lectura – August 8, 2024
from Business Mirror
Ingrid Power Holdings Inc., (IPHI) a joint venture between ACEN Corp. and Marubeni Asian Power Corp., has proposed the construction of a 150-megawatt (MW) battery energy storage system (BESS) in Pililla, Rizal.
The battery project is meant to store electricity from the grid and time-shift electricity supply to other time interval. Also, it will serve as a source of ancillary service for the Luzon grid and power quality improvement for distribution utilities to help ease the frequency and voltage problems.
“The Pililla BESS shall be operated with energy time-shifting as its primary function. The plant will charge from the grid where there is energy surplus, and the electricity marginal prices are low.
The stored energy will then be discharged and sold to the grid in periods of high-power demand and high electricity market prices,” IPHI told the environmental management bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
A public hearing has been set on August 23 for IPHI’s application for an environmental compliance certificate.
It will be connected to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) Malaya substation in Brgy. Malaya, Pililla for charging and discharging of electricity. It will be operated independently from the adjacent IPHI diesel power plant.
“The charging and discharging from the grid will be via the 230kV NGCP Malaya substation through a direct connection to the Ingrid substation,” added IPHI.
The construction for the proposed BESS is expected to finish in the second quarter of 2025 while the commissioning is set in the third quarter of the same year. Commercial operation is targeted in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The proposed project site is owned by Tabangao Realty Inc. and leased by Buendia Christiana Holdings Corp. (BCHC). An agreement was signed between IPHI and BCHC for the sublease of the project site.
The Energy Regulatory Commission granted interim relief to implement the modified ancillary services procurement agreement (ASPA) of NGCP and IPHI.
IPHI will continue to supply ancillary power to NGCP from the 150MW Ingrid diesel plant in Pililla, Rizal that it leased from British company Aggreko International Projects Ltd. (Aggreko).
The Ingrid diesel plant has been providing critical services to the Luzon grid since October 2021, and has been helping stave off severe power outages especially during the dry season months. Ingrid has maintained 100 percent availability during the peak dry season months from March to date.
