Port evaluation starts for Northern Luzon offshore wind project

MANILA, Philippines — Port evaluation has started for the planned northern Luzon offshore wind power project to be undertaken by the joint venture of PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC) and Copenhagen Energy of Denmark.

The Department of Energy (DOE) led the first meeting between the Department of Transportation and its attached maritime agencies with Buhawind Energy joint venture PGEC and Copenhagen Energy for the port requirements of the 2,000-megawatt (MW) offshore wind power project in Ilocos Norte.

PetroEnergy Resources Corp., the parent company of PEGC, said the initial high level ports evaluation outlined additional works, improvements, and costs needed to make candidate ports in Ilocos Norte suitable for offshore wind power development and operations.

It said the Philippine Ports Authority, for its part, was tasked to validate the initial findings in order to make the facility ready by around 2026.

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

The company said the potential of an economic zone development around the ports for industrial and commercial activities powered by clean energy from the offshore power project was also raised during the meeting.

The project will involve the erection of wind turbine generators of about 15- to 20-MW capacity each in the waters off Burgos, Bangui, and Pagudpud towns, with a target commercial operation by 2028 to 2030.

The northern Luzon offshore wind power project is one of the largest and earliest offshore wind service contracts granted by the DOE in 2021.

PGEC is the renewable energy unit of publicly listed PetroEnergy, a member of the Yuchengco Group of Companies.

It has five operating renewable energy power plants in Luzon and Visayas utilizing geothermal, wind, and solar resources.

As an investor and developer of renewable energy projects in the country, the company has significant stakes in the 32-MW Maibarara geothermal facility in Batangas operated by Maibarara Geothermal Inc., the 36-MW Nabas1 wind power project by PWEI, and the 70-MWdc Tarlac solar power facility by PetroSolar Corp.

It also acquired three new offshore wind blocks from the DOE covering offshore northern Luzon, northern Mindoro, and eastern Panay.

Copenhagen Energy, meanwhile, is a Danish energy trader and developer of solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind projects incorporated in 2020.

Its offshore wind pipeline has grown to over 28 gigawatts, with projects across Denmark, Australia, Ireland, Italy, and the Philippines.

PGEC and Copenhagen Energy  formed three separate special purpose vehicles that will oversee the investment and development of their offshore wind service contracts awarded by the DOE in 2021.