Buhawind Energy assesses port facility for offshore wind project

Buhawind Energy, a joint venture of Yuchengco-led PetroGreen Energy (PGEC) and Danish firm Copenhagen Energy (CE), has kicked off evaluation of the port support facility for the development of its 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind farm (OSW) project in Ilocos Norte.

The company said collaboration meetings have already been carried out with key agencies, such as the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

“The initial high level ports evaluation outlined additional woks, improvements, and costs needed to make candidate ports in Ilocos Norte suitable for offshore wind power development and operations,” Buhawind Energy noted.

It qualified that the ports authority in particular, had been tasked “to validate the initial findings in order to make the facility ready by 2026.”

The construction of the firm’s offshore wind installation has been programmed for 2027 in time for the targeted commercial operation by 2028.

Policy and infrastructure development that appropriate port capacity are very significant components In developing the country’s immense offshore wind potential, both for fixed bottom and floating offshore technology applications.

Apart from the actual wind farm installation, it is widely perceived that additional capital investments will have to be funneled to upgrade candidate-ports that will then underpin various offshore wind projects that are up for development in various resource-endowed sites of the country.

According to Buhawind Energy, “such public investment will benefit not only specific offshore wind power projects but other non-energy related businesses such as fishing, cargo and passenger shipping, cruise tourism, storage and supply chain.”

It also emphasized that “the potential of an economic zone development around the ports for industrial and commercial activities powered by clean energy from the Northern Luzon offshore power project was also raised.”

Buhawind Energy is one of the ‘brave soul’ prime-mover investors that is now advancing its planned projects that will potentially yield additional 4,000MW of power capacity. it aims not just to help the Philippines on meeting its energy needs, but also in concretizing its decarbonization goals.