The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is finalizing new rules for energy storage systems (ESS) that will define the market for the next decade, with the goal of integrating more renewable energy into the country’s grid.
ERC Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan said the commission is deliberating on the draft rules to enable fair market access for storage, whether it is classified as a generation asset, a transmission asset, a distribution asset or simply an asset or device.
The regulations will also establish clear guidelines on ownership models, connection agreements and safety standards.
“We need regulations that recognize the unique, multi-faceted value of ESS. We need frameworks that enable fair market access for storage… We need clear guidelines on ownership models, connection agreements, and safety standards,” Juan said in his speech at the Energy Storage Summit Asia 2025.
Juan cited the vital role of ESS in efficiently and reliably integrating renewable energy into the generation mix and unlocking a resilient, decarbonized future.
“Renewable energy without proper storage is a vulnerability masked as advancement. For the Philippines, with its network of isolated grids, reliance on lengthy fuel supply chains, and susceptibility to climate-related disruptions, the implications are even more significant,” he said.
The Philippines aims to achieve a renewable energy share of 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
“The challenge we face is no longer about generating clean power. Instead, it lies in how we store, balance, and deliver it reliably — day and night, during calm seas or typhoons, and across more than seven thousand islands,” said Juan.
Juan said the ERC is also reviewing existing market and technical regulations—including the Philippine Grid Code, Philippine Distribution Code and Wholesale Electricity Spot Market Rules—to integrate storage into system planning, specify dispatch and scheduling protocols for ESS, establish distribution-level interconnection and smart-metering requirements, and strengthen data exchange, cybersecurity and safety standards for ESS operations.
He said the Philippines has already made progress in adopting energy storage, from the long-operating Kalayaan Pumped Storage Power Plant to the most recent Green Energy Auction Program, where many renewable energy projects now integrate storage components.
