President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the inauguration of the StBattalion (StB) Giga Factory, the Philippines’ first plant for lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. During the event, he declared that this launch would help set the stage for the country to become a regional player in clean storage and renewable energy.
“It sends this message to the world: The Philippines is now ready to innovate, to lead, to become the go to destination for high-tech, high impact investments,” shared Marcos during his speech at the ceremonial switch-on event held at the Filinvest Innovation Park in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac.
The project is funded by the Australian investment firm St Baker Energy and was part of the investment commitments that the Philippine president secured during his March trip to Melbourne for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
The first production line at StB Giga can produce 300 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year, enough for about 6,000 electric vehicle (EV) batteries or around 60,000 home battery systems in developing countries like the Philippines.
The manufacturing plant is expected to reach full production capacity by 2030, contributing over PHP 5 billion yearly to the local economy through businesses, suppliers, and partners involved in its operations. It will also create about 2,500 direct and indirect jobs for Filipinos in engineering, technical, finance, and administrative roles.
The plan is to export 70% of its output to Australia, Southeast Asia, and North America. The rest will be distributed within the Philippines.
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