More wind energy projects planned in Ilocos Norte

MANILA, Philippines - More wind projects are being planned in Ilocos which would help the government fulfill its goal to put up 200 to 400 megawatts of wind power in the country by 2015. Ilocos, specifically the northern part, has the biggest potential for wind power facilities in the country, Energy department director for energy utilization Mario C. Marasigan told reporters on Friday last week. A 24.75-megawatt wind farm in Bangui Bay run by Filipino-Danish consortium North Wind Power Development Corp. currently supplies 40% of the energy requirement of Ilocos Norte. Mr. Marasigan said the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp. plans to build a 140-megawatt wind power plant in Ilocos Norte. He explained that the project has four phases, composed of three 40- megawatt wind power-generating facilities and one 20-megawatt facility in Burgos and Pagudpud in that province. UPC Asia Wind — formed by principals of UPC Group, one of Europe’s largest wind farm developers, to pursue projects in Asia — is looking at putting up a wind power-generating facility with at least 100 megawatts in Pagudpud. Energy Logics Philippines, Inc. is also looking at a 40- to 60-megawatt wind power facility in Burgos. The National Transmission Corp., or TransCo, is now rehabilitating and expanding the province’s transmission lines to 230-kilovolt capacity from the current 115 KV, at a cost of P2 billion, TransCo branch head Nick Ventina told reporters in a briefing. — BusinessWorld