SN ABOITIZ POWER Group has tapped a Chinese firm to build the second phase of its Magat Battery Energy Storage System in Ramon, Isabela with a capacity of 16 megawatts.

The company awarded the engineering, procurement and construction agreements to international engineering company GEDI China Energy, a unit of state-owned China Energy Engineering Corp., it said in a statement on Monday.

The expansion builds on the first phase of its 24-MW Magat battery storage system, which started commercial operations in January.

The company is targeting to start the construction of the second phase in the first half of 2025, with commercial operations slated by the first half of 2026.

Chuangang Guo, deputy general manager at GEDI international branch, vowed to deliver the project “with high-quality performance.”

SN Aboitiz Group President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph S. Yu said the Magat battery storage expansion underscores the company’s “mission to lead in the renewable energy space and accelerate the country’s transition to a more sustainable energy future.”

SN Aboitiz is a joint venture of Aboitiz Power Corp. and Norwegian company Scatec ASA.

It owns and operates the 112.5-MW Ambuklao and 140-MW Binga hydroelectric power plants in Benguet and Magat hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of up to 388 MW on the border of Isabela and Ifugao.

It also owns and operates the 8.5-MW Maris hydro and 24-MW Magat BESS in Isabela. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera