Solar Philippines Batangas Baseload Corporation (SPBBC) has received the original proponent status for the world’s first gigawatt-scale solar-battery baseload project in Batangas.
SPBBC will supply Meralco with 200 megawatts (MW) of baseload from 1800 MW of solar and 1800 MWh (megawatt-hour) of battery storage that it is developing in Nasugbu, Tuy, and Balayan, Batangas.
Unlike other solar-battery projects, the company said the project would be able to operate on a 24/7 basis and at a much larger scale — replacing the need for a 200 MW coal power plant.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to show that solar with batteries can deliver cost -competitive baseload. We thank Meralco for leading the market in the adoption of renewable energy, and look forward to seeing this project realized for the benefit of consumers,” said Solar Philippines founder Leandro Leviste.
SPBBC is a subsidiary of Leviste’s Solar Philippines and would be added to the portfolio of Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corporation (SPNEC) as part of SPNEC’s approved asset-for-share swap.
All-weather plant
SPBBC intends to supply reliable power in all weather conditions, with a plant designed to produce the contracted energy even during cloudy days and with the excess generated during sunny days to be sold through the wholesale electricity spot market.
It may also source backup power from a portfolio of other plants to maximize availability of supply.
At a fixed price of P4.65 per kWh for 20 years, inclusive of value-added tax and other charges, SPBBC’s supply is estimated to be around 20 to 40 percent cheaper than the cost of fossil-fuel generated electricity.
In 2016, Solar Philippines began developing this project in Western Batangas, in light of its landbank and history in the area.
The project site is near the company’s Calatagan 63-MW Solar Farm, which became the largest in Luzon when it began operations in 2016.