AboitizPower Transition Business Group (TBG), through its subsidiaries Therma South, Inc. (TSI) and Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI), sustained its undertaking to foster higher learning and a deeper understanding of the energy sector by partnering with Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) during March and April 2025. This collaboration encompassed AdDU’s Just Energy Transition Awareness Week and the annual Science, Engineering, and Architecture (SEA) Fair.
As part of the Just Energy Transition Awareness Week, Green Juris, AdDU-College of Law’s environmental advocacy organization, organized a symposium, an essay writing contest, and an insightful tour of Southeast Asia’s pioneering Floating Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) located at Therma Marine, Inc. Mobile 1 in Maco, Davao de Oro. This BESS exemplifies energy storage technology, capturing surplus electricity in batteries for later release to bolster supply and enhance power system quality.
The essay writing contest recognized Andrew Min Yeop Pajaron Kim for his compelling piece, “Just Energy Transition: A Multidimensional Framework for the Philippines.” Kim’s essay articulated that the “global shift towards renewable energy is not just a technological upgrade; it is a reimagining of economic, social, and ecological systems.” He underscored the necessity of structural reforms, economic diversification, technological innovation, social equity, education, and global-local synergies to achieve a just energy transition.
Building on this engagement, AboitizPower actively participated in the annual SEA Fair of the AdDU College of Engineering and Architecture on April 11-12, by delivering informative talks on the Just Energy Transition and the strategic integration of BESS technology within its oil-fired power plants in Maco, Davao de Oro, and Nasipit, Agusan del Norte.
Dr. Randell U. Espina, Dean of the School of Engineering and Architecture, inspired attendees, stating, “Engineers, architects, scientists, and technologists are not just builders of structures and systems; we are builders of hope and resilience.”
AboitizPower TBG’s Corporate Affairs Manager, JK Huyatid, further elaborated on the concept of a Just Energy Transition during his presentation to senior high school and college students at the SEA Fair 2025. He emphasized its potential to foster more robust, inclusive, and future-ready discussions. “The Philippines has a bright economic future ahead of it that will improve the lives of many Filipinos. We also acknowledge that although our country is not a key contributor to climate change, we must contribute to a just energy transition. To support a human-centered transition, AboitizPower has set ambitious goals towards a 50:50 capacity mix between renewable and thermal energy by 2030,” Huyatid affirmed.
Adding to this, Engr. Joanne Laniba-Millares, Project Development and Executive Manager for Energy Storage System (ESS), detailed the ways in which BESS contributes to a just energy transition through its rapid response and responsibility, high efficiency, scalability and ease of deployment, integration with renewable energy sources, and decreasing costs coupled with improved safety features.
Through these initiatives, the AboitizPower Transition Business Group reinforces its pivotal role in securing a stable, accessible, and dependable power supply for the Philippine grid, driven by its purpose to “Transform Energy for a Better World”.
