Yuchengco-led EcoSolar Energy Corporation (ESEC) has energized its 22.5-megawatt (MW) Panitan Energy Storage Project (PESP) in Capiz, marking the start of testing and commissioning ahead of full commercial operations.

In a disclosure dated November 10, parent company PetroEnergy Resources Corporation (PERC) said the 22.5-MW/45-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) began testing and commissioning as a generation facility on November 5, following the approval of its market registration by the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP).

The facility also secured a Provisional Certificate of Approval to Connect (PCATC) from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), allowing the project to proceed with its testing and commissioning activities.

According to PetroEnergy, Panitan is the first BESS installation in Capiz and the first in the Philippines to utilize Huawei’s LUNA2000-5015-2S Smart String Grid-Forming Energy Storage System units, selected for their safety, thermal stability, operational lifespan, and charge-discharge efficiency.

Grid-forming battery technology is designed to help support electricity system stability, while energy storage facilities can store electricity for later use when additional supply is needed.

ESEC President F.G. Delfin Jr. said the project’s energization comes at a critical time for the Visayas, where electricity supply and reserve constraints have contributed to power interruptions and high retail electricity costs.

“This energization milestone is very timely as our Panitan BESS facility can help alleviate the protracted blackouts and high retail power costs in the Visayas due to limited energy and reserve supplies in the region,” Delfin said.

He also thanked the Department of Energy (DOE), NGCP, and IEMOP for their support in reaching the milestone, expressing hope that the facility would complete its remaining testing requirements soon enough to contribute to the region’s electricity supply during the upcoming Christmas holiday period.

Meanwhile, ESEC is advancing the development of its 90-MWdc Panitan Solar Project, which qualified under the DOE’s fourth Green Energy Auction (GEA-4) and is targeted to add renewable electricity to the Visayas grid by mid-2028.

ESEC is a subsidiary of PetroGreen Energy Corporation (PGEC), a joint venture between the Yuchengco Group’s PetroEnergy Resources Corporation and Japan’s Kyuden International Corporation.

The Panitan battery facility’s energization marks a step toward expanding energy storage capacity in the Visayas, although full commercial operations remain subject to the completion of its remaining testing and commissioning requirements.