NGCP still studying where to put Project Airbag battery storage in Mindanao
The grid operator says it has several candidate sites for the battery storage project but has not picked them, as PAGASA warns of a very strong El Niño into 2027.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has not yet decided where in Mindanao it will build its Project Airbag battery storage facilities, according to Mindanao Times.
Garri Mikhail C. Yu, NGCP planning and engineering transmission manager, said on Tuesday, Nov. 10, that the company is still evaluating possible locations. He said there are several candidate sites but did not name them, because NGCP is still weighing which would be the most strategic.
Project Airbag is a battery energy storage initiative on the transmission side of the grid. The batteries store available electricity and release it when the grid is under strain. NGCP said this gives it a fast-response tool during short-duration shortages and system disturbances.
According to NGCP, battery storage can be set up faster than new power plants and can reduce immediate risks to the system while other infrastructure is being built. The project has already been rolled out in Luzon and the Visayas.
Yu said NGCP is constantly studying how Project Airbag could help Mindanao's current situation. "But along the way, maybe this year or next year, we'll be focusing also on the development of that Airbag project here in Mindanao," he said.
The project is meant in part to prepare the country for possible supply constraints linked to El Niño. DOST-PAGASA has warned that a strong El Niño is active in the tropical Pacific. Climate models and expert assessments expect it to become a very strong El Niño between September and December 2026 and to last through the first half of 2027.
Yu said, however, that Project Airbag would not directly solve El Niño-related problems, because NGCP does not propose generation projects. As the transmission provider, its job is to deliver power from generating plants to consumers and keep the lines running without faults. He said hot weather increases the load on transmission lines, and NGCP must work to prevent line trippings.
NGCP also expects to finish several substation projects in Mindanao before the end of the year, mostly transformer upgrades. This year it completed and energized the Tacurong-Kalamansig 69kV transmission line, which serves the remote town of Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat.
Why it matters for Davao
Davao City draws power from the Mindanao grid, so the timing and location of battery storage could affect how well the grid handles short shortages and disturbances. NGCP's own statements make clear that the project will not add new generation during the expected El Niño.
This article was written by the DavaoNews desk with AI assistance, using reporting by Mindanao Times. Facts come from the original report, which we credit and link below. Our editorial policy
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