Yuchengco eyes to complete 2-GW wind farm by 2030

MANILA, Philippines — Yuchengco-led PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC) wants to unlock the full potential of its massive offshore wind project in Northern Luzon by 2030, fueling the country’s bold push for clean energy.

PGEC, through Buhawind Energy Philippines, is advancing the development of its two-gigawatt offshore wind farm in Ilocos Norte, marking a crucial step forward in its nationwide expansion.

Upon completion of the project in 2030, PGEC president and CEO Francisco Delfin Jr. said the company is poised to achieve a power capacity of roughly 2,500 megawatts (MW).

“We are shifting from modest capacity to larger capacity sizes. Additionally, we are considering expanding into different geographic regions, not just in Luzon and the Visayas,” Delfin told The STAR.

PGEC is looking to secure a pre-development environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for the Ilocos wind farm within the first quarter this year, Delfin said.

The clearance will enable the company to conduct pre-development activities such as offshore geotechnical works and geophysical surveys to determine the size and layout of the project.

The pre-development ECC is a prerequisite to obtain the ECC to jumpstart the project’s construction stage.

Delfin said PGEC is also interested in joining the government’s fifth green energy auction round (GEA-5) for offshore wind projects that is targeted as early as July this year.

Facilitated by the Department of Energy (DOE), GEA-5 aims to help offshore wind developers secure market access to ensure long-term demand for their generation capacities.

PGEC’s Ilocos project is among the frontrunners identified by the DOE that are expected to deliver the country’s first kilowatt-hours of offshore wind power.

According to Delfin, the construction of critical infrastructure like ports would further support the rollout of offshore wind projects.

The DOE has teamed up with the Philippine Ports Authority to repurpose three priority ports, namely the Currimao port in Ilocos Norte, the Port of Batangas and the Jose Panganiban port in Camarines Norte.

Under the deal, the ports regulator will lead the detailed engineering designs to upgrade the facilities to ensure that they could handle the installation, commissioning and operational requirements of offshore wind projects.

Delfin said the Currimao port would play an important role in the completion and operation of the Buhawind project, said to be among the most advanced offshore wind projects in the country to date.

Buhawind Energy is a joint venture between PGEC and Denmark’s Copenhagen Energy.

Apart from the Ilocos project, the company is also developing two other projects – each with a potential capacity of 1,000 MW – in northern Mindoro and East Panay.