P360 billion Ilocos Norte offshore wind project on track –BOI

The plan of Danish renewable energy developer Copenhagen Energy A/S (CE) to put up a P360-billion or roughly €6 billion (P360 billion) offshore wind project in Ilocos Norte was on track to be in operation in the next five years, the Board of Investments (BOI) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the BOI said the offshore wind project, BuhaWind Energy, is expected to be in commercial operation by 2028.

BuhaWind is a joint venture of CE with PetroGreen Energy Corp.
The project involves the development of offshore wind power with wind turbine generators of about 15 to 20-megawatt capacity each in the waters off Burgos, Bangui, and Pagudpud towns.

The BOI said that the BuhaWind project had secured a service contract.

It added that CE was also on track and progressing with its community engagement, financial impact assessment, and national strategy.

“With proper government support, we will be able to implement the project according to plan, noting Ilocos region as definitely one of the best resources for wind power,” said CE CEO Jasmin Bejdic.

For his part, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the BOI was working closely with concerned government bodies such as the Office of the President (OP) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to further accelerate the start of the company's commercial operations.

"I am looking forward to the implementation of this project, especially since CE has already secured a Service Contract," said Pascual. 

"They also already submitted a system impact study last week, which already included the electrical design and proposals on how to bring power to the grid.” — DVM, GMA Integrated News