OMNI Features｜Southeast Asia's First 49 MW Floating Hybrid BESS Begins Operation．Natura 2000 Permit Granted to Aurora OWF by OX2 and Ingka Investments

Codling Wind Park
The floating hybrid BESS constructed by Aboitiz Power in Davao de Oro Mako, with the power plant on the left.
(Source: Aboitiz Power)

｜Southeast Asia's First 49 MW Floating Hybrid BESS Begins Operation
Aboitiz Power, a major power company in the Philippines, commenced construction of the floating Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Maco, Davao de Oro in March 2023. The project, with a capacity of 49 MW, is Southeast Asia's first floating energy storage system installed on an offshore barge and marks Aboitiz Power's inaugural energy storage system project. Named the "Hybrid BESS," the project is situated near the fuel-fired power plant (100 MW) operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI).

Aboitiz Power initiated the construction of hybrid battery storage systems in 2021. The Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services are provided by its subsidiary, Aboitiz Construction and Finland's Wärtsilä. Wärtsilä will be responsible for 12 Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) projects for Aboitiz Power over the next 10 years, including the "Hybrid BESS" project. The total installed capacity of these projects will be 248 MW. These BESS projects are considered a crucial part of Aboitiz Power's growth strategy for the next decade. In the future, Aboitiz Power plans to implement energy storage batteries for renewable energy applications such as hydroelectric power.

｜Natura 2000 Permit Granted to Aurora Offshore Wind Farm by OX2 and Ingka Investments
The County Administrative Board of Gotland has granted a Natura 2000 permit for the offshore wind farm Aurora that OX2 and Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group are developing outside the islands of Gotland and Öland in Sweden. If the government gives final approval, construction could start by 2028 and production start before 2030.

Aurora is situated about 22 kilometers south of Gotland and more than 30 kilometer east of Öland in the Baltic Sea. The wind farm could produceup to 24 TWh if the entire area is constructed. The Baltic Sea is also an area of importance for the Swedish Armed Forces and with the help of sensors on the turbines the wind farm could assist with surveillance and control in the area.

Reference: Nikkei BP｜OX2