More wind for Philippines

More companies have filed applications with the Energy Department to develop new wind power projects in Ilocos Norte province, which is already home to three major wind farms.

Energy Development Corp., owner of the 150-megawatt Burgos wind project, currently the country’s largest wind facility, has four other pending applications to develop wind projects in the province, according to data from the Energy Department.

EDC plans to build Burgos 3 and Burgos 4 wind power projects in Burgos town, Pasuquin wind power project in Pasuquin town and Ilocos Norte wind power project in the towns of Burgos, Bangui, Vintar and Pasuquin.

EDC started the operations of the 150-MW Burgos wind project in Burgos town last year.

Aside from EDC, other wind projects in Ilocos Norte that are now in operation are the 33-megawatt Bangui wind farm of NorthWind Power Development Corp. and the 81-MW Caparispisan wind project in Pagudpud of Northern Luzon UPC Asia Corp., a renewable energy company controlled by Ayala Corp.

Another company, Buduan Wind Energy Co., also has an application to build a wind project, also in Pasuquin and Burgos.

The Energy Department awarded wind projects with a potential capacity of 1,316.50 MW as of December 2014.

The awarded projects are located in Ilocos Norte but also in Pangasinan, Cagayan, Zambales, Bataan, Quezon, Rizal-Laguna, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Aklan, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Negros Oriental and Cebu.

Trans Asia Oil and Energy Corp. recently started the operation of the 54-MW San Lorenzo wind project in Guimaras.

The department, however, has only approved a 200-MW installation target for wind projects, which is not enough to accommodate all requests from potential investors.

Energy World Wind Farm alone wants to build a 200-MW wind farm in General Nakar, Quezon.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla earlier cautioned the National Renewable Energy Board against increasing the installation target for wind projects to 500 megawatts from the current 200 MW, pending more studies on price and grid integration impact.