St Baker Energy Innovation Fund (StBEIF), an Australian electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer, has signed a lease contract with FCGC Corporation to establish a $10-million lithium-ion battery and manufacturing plant at the Filinvest Innovation Park-New Clark City (FIP-NCC).
CONTRACT SIGNING FOR BATTERY MANUFACTURING -- Trevor St Baker (seated second from right) founder and director of the StBEIF shakes hands with Filinvest Land PCEO Tristan Las Marias after signing a lease contract with FCGC Corporation on July 17, 2023 to establish a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant (StB Giga-Factory) at the Filinvest Innovation Park, New Clark City. In the photo (Seated L-R) are StBEIF Director Stephen St Baker, Filinvest Land PCEO Tristan Las Marias, StBEIF Founder and Director Trevor St Baker, CEO & Pure-EVs Director of St. Battalion Paul G. Johnston, (Standing L-R) FLI SVP Francis Ceballos, BCDA Director Reghis M. Romero III, Filinvest Development Corporation PCEO Josephine Gotianun Yap, Australian Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu, Board of Investments Executive Director Corieh Dichosa and BCDA Executive Vice President Gisela Z. Kalalo. (BOI PHOTO)
Trevor St Baker, founder and director of the StBEIF signed a lease contract, with Filinvest Land PCEO Tristan Las Marias at the Crimson Hotel in Alabang on Monday, July 17. The lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant - St. Giga-Factory - is the first locator of FCGC’s FIP-NCC. FCGC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of full-range property developer Filinvest Land Inc.
The StB Giga-Factory is capable of producing batteries annually to store more than 1 gigawatt-hour of electricity and provide energy storage backup for solar PVs in homes, sporting and entertainment venues.
The batteries would also support public electric vehicle fast charging stations and batteries for small vehicles. The plant will begin commercial production from the first quarter of 2024 with an initial output of 150MWh per annum, rising to full first-stage production capacity of 1.2 gigawatt-hours by 2030.
The contract is a five-year renewable lease of two ready-built factory (RBF) unit, each measuring 2,500 square meters in gross leasable area.
Aside from the Philippines, StBEIF will be ready to export globally, including neighboring ASEAN countries, Australia, US and India.
“StB Giga-Factory is positioned to capture the once in a century transition towards a renewable energy electricity system, in which lithium-ion batteries are expected to play a pivotal role,’’ St Baker said.
“Our battery products will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel independence, improve electricity reliability, decrease the grid reliance for EV charging at peak system demand times, and with major electricity cost savings for households and businesses, and transport users generally.”
Employing approximately 150 Filipino engineering, technical, finance and administrative positions, the StB Giga-Factory will produce EV battery products to cater for residential and commercial-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), and for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station power control and back-up.
"Filinvest Innovation Park-New Clark City warmly welcomes StBattalion as its very first locator. Their presence underscores the park's vision as a leading sustainable business hub,” said Las Marias in a statement.
“At Filinvest, we are committed to building large-scale, integrated projects to become the stage for diverse developments, including businesses that will catalyze progress and employment for the local community,” he added.
"We are excited to take advantage of the strategic location and growth prospects offered by FIP-NCC. With this partnership, we aim to revolutionize the Philippine transport industry through transportation powered by our high-quality EV batteries,” said St. Baker.
Also present during the lease contract signing ceremony were Delfin Lorenzana, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Chairman, and HE HK Yu PSM, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines.
For his part, Lorenzana commented, "The arrival of StBattalion at Filinvest Innovation Park is a testament that New Clark City, along with the whole of Clark, is primed for investments due to its strategic location, vast natural resources, and large pool of human capital. We are excited to welcome StBattalion, whose goal is aligned with ours, which is to enable a sustainable and smart community that contributes to the nation’s social and economic growth.”
An emerging sustainable hub measuring 120 hectares, FIP-NCC boasts of a strategic location – only 30 minutes away from Clark International Airport, 45 minutes away from the Subic Bay International Seaport, and only 90 minutes away from Manila.
FIP-NCC’s RBF compound will feature 10 Prime model RBF units to be built on a 40,000-square meter lot tailor-fit for this purpose.
Each of the 2,500-square meter Prime RBF units is designed for logistics, e-commerce, and light manufacturing locators, with value-adding amenities such as unparalleled accessibility, a build-to-suit option for industrial facilities customization, high-tech communications, and expansive RBF infrastructure such as an eight-meter ceiling clearance, a two-bay loading dock, and three tons-per-square meter floor load capacity.
Further, the entire FIP-NCC is registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, allowing locators to enjoy tax perks, simplified import-export procedures, and visa facilitation assistance for foreign employees.
The FIP-NCC sits inside New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac - a 9,450-hectare greenfield development inside the Clark Special Economic Zone positioned to be an inclusive, resilient, sustainable, and smart city.