Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. expects to complete 31 battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatts by 2023, a top executive said Monday.
San Miguel president and chief executive Ramon Ang said during the annual stockholders’ meeting 21 BESS projects would likely be completed this year and the rest by next year.
Ang said the BESS projects would improve power quality and distribution, especially in off-grid communities.
The projects will also facilitate the company’s transition from coal to renewable energy and liquefied natural gas, he said.
San Miguel announced last year it would discontinue future coal projects, except those already committed and required by the government as part of the country’s long-term energy sufficiency plan.
Ang, meanwhile, reported that Metro Rail Transit Line 7 would likely start commercial operations by early next year.
San Miguel started the construction of a train depot for the MRT 7 on a 20-hectare property in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.
The depot will have the capacity to accommodate up to 150 train cars, exceeding the 36 trainsets or 108 rail cars set initially targeted for the project to ensure enough room for future expansion.
MRT-7’s trains are made in South Korea by rail systems provider Hyundai Rotem, which is expected to deliver 108 MRT-7 train cars by end-2022.
Once completed, the line will be 22.8 kilometers (14.2 miles) long, with 14 stations from San Jose Del Monte to North Triangle Common Station in North Ave., Quezon City.
Ang also reported that construction of the P740-billion Bulacan airport project was in full swing. He said about 1,500 workers from Royal Boskalis were working in the area to finish the airport platform by the third quarter of 2024.
The conglomerate will then start building the runway, taxiway, passenger terminal, car park and other road network. Ang said barring any delays due to lockdown, the airport would be completed by 2026.
San Miguel is also building a mixed-use aerocity within the 2,500 hectare land in Bulakan, Bulacan. The property will have dedicated zones for agriculture and food production, education, health and wellness, commerce, logistics, finance, aeronautics, science and technology and recreation.
