President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos believes that the Philippines no longer needs large-scale energy projects such as the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant with the birth of battery farms. Marcos made the statement as he graced the inauguration of Global Power’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facilities of the San Miguel Corporation in Bataan on Friday, March 31. "Unfortunately, the Bataan power plant was never in operation, but you can see the advancements 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, that now we no longer need to construct all 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," he said in his remarks. The President expressed that the government "highly encourages and approves" projects like the BESS, especially amid the problems of energy supply in the country, including energy cost which is one of the biggest obstacles in attracting potential investors to come to the country. He said that "this is now the solution to the problem" as it applies to all kinds of power that we are able to use. He stressed that introducing a storage component into the overall energy infrastructure "provides the crucial support mechanism that shall optimize these resources, make them more efficient and reliable." With this technology in place, he said, storage of power is made possible. "Power could be stored when not needed or in times of oversupply and released whenever required when there is under supply," Marcos said. "In my SONA, I stressed the importance of increasing the use of renewable energy. It is why I am glad that we are making strides in this area. But as much as we desire to rely on renewable energy, we know that electricity generated from sources such as solar, wind, water are sometimes can be considered intermittent. They cannot function continuously and perfectly because of inherent factors and other circumstances beyond our control such as the wind blowing or the sun shining,"  he further said.

'Full of promise'

The chief executive said the BESS is not only innovative but full of promise, prompting him to encourage more of this project. "And that is why it is extremely encouraging for those of us who are always trying to find ways to one, increase the supply of power; secondly, decrease the cost of power; and thirdly, improve the mix of traditional sources of power and renewable sources of people," Marcos said. "Again, the battery energy storage system certainly will form a very important part of that formula that will solve these problems that I had gone through. It is noble. 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 of the country," he further said. Marcos labeled the battery system as the "wave of the future" that is already existing. He said it holds many of the keys of survival and self sufficiency of the country. He noted that it is clean, has zero emission, zero water extraction, and no noise pollution. "Given the increasing generation of renewable energy, it is vital that we advance and incorporate energy storage systems in our overall energy infrastructure. Indeed it promises great rewards for our country. Not only will we be able to generate sufficient, reliable and clean energy, leading to more affordability of energy and generate jobs for our people, green jobs in the process," he said. Marcos lauded the San Miguel Corporation for the innovation and pledged support in undertaking projects that would benefit the country and its people.