Wind research project eyed in Batanes

ITBAYAT, Batanes — A P300-million wind research project is being proposed in this country’s northernmost island-municipality.

Provincial officials and representatives of the Itbayat Island UPC Asia Corp., the project proponent, met here last Tuesday with the locals to discuss the proposed wind assessment research project and clean development mechanism (CDM) here.

Gov. Vicente Gato, a native of this town, and former education secretary and Batanes congressman Florencio Abad led the provincial delegation that inspected the proposed site and briefed the islanders on the wind research project’s benefits.

Itbayat Island UPC Asia Corp. is just awaiting the approval of their request for a 200-square-meter site on the island as pilot and testing area.

A hitch in the company’s timetable, though, is Republic Act 8371, or the National Indigenous People’s Act, which provides that an area covered by a certificate of ancestral domain title could only be developed with a clearance from the National Commission on Indigenous People.

Under the project, at least 200 wind masts will be erected to generate electricity. The island’s 3,000 residents only enjoy 12 hours of electricity, starting at 8 a.m., from the National Power Corp.

"With 200 wind masts dotting the island, we would actually feel like being transported to the Scandinavian countries where windmills abound," Gato said.

The project proponent proposes to operate the wind masts for 25 years to recoup its planned P300-million investment.