LOPEZ-LED Energy Development Corp. (EDC) is targeting to complete in the next two years its battery energy storage systems (BESS), which have a combined capacity of 40 megawatts (MW).
“Geothermal is still our main thing. And then, in addition, we are completing our binary projects,” EDC Assistant Vice-President Allan V. Barcena told reporters in a recent interview.
EDC is completing BESS projects in Leyte, Negros Island, and in Bacon-Manito (BacMan) in Sorsogon. “We hope to have them online to supply additional capacity.”
In October, EDC signed a contract with First Balfour, Inc., the engineering and construction arm of the Lopez group, for the BESS projects.
First Balfour will undertake engineering, procurement and construction works for the plant and connection assets of the BESS facilities.
EDC’s BESS facilities will be used to store excess power from its geothermal plants and deliver the stored energy when and where it is needed.
“I think storage will continue to be an opportunity to capture additional energy capacity, whether in hydro, solar, or geothermal,” Mr. Barcena said.
EDC is also expanding its geothermal power generation capacity by exploring new geothermal concessions.
“We also have recent additional geothermal concessions, mga dalawang bago (two new),” Mr. Barcena said referring to the new concession explorations in Laguna.
“We got a concession, one in Guimaras. But this remains to be like reserve projects of the company,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Barcena said the company is looking into putting up solar energy systems within its geothermal projects.
“We’re considering solar within our geothermal project sites so ‘di na kami lumalayo tutal may space naman sa (we are not going far since there is a space in our) geothermal project sites,” he said.
“We’re looking at how we can maximize some small solar facilities inside geothermal,” he added.
EDC has an installed capacity of 1,480.19 MW of renewable energy, of which 1,185.40 MW comes from geothermal sources. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera