New wind power project to rise in Mindoro

CALAPAN CITY , Philippines   â€“ After the national government recently issued an official service contract to a private company to speed up construction of wind power facilities in Oriental Mindoro, another renewable energy resource developer is set to construct a 33.4-megawatt wind power project here, making this island province producer of electricity using wind as its main source.

PhilCarbon Inc. president Ruth Y. Owen said her company’s wind farm – which will be built in the municipality of Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro – is currently in the pre-development stage and the facilities for it, including its power plant, would start construction in 2016.

“We are currently in the permitting process.  We have already secured the ECC (environmental compliance certificate) for the project,” she said on the sidelines of the Powertrends 2013 International Exhibition and Conference which was recently held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

“We plan to construct the project in three years or in 2016 and that will take a year and a half before being operational,” Owen added.

According to her, the said wind power project – which would cost a staggering P3.4 billion – would be funded through debt and equity, and noted that the wind farm is estimated to generate 73.146 gigawatt-hour of power annually.

PhilCarbon received its wind energy service contract from the Department of Energy in 2011. In December last year, the company secured approval from the Board of Investments (BOI) to avail of incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.

“The BOI has approved our application for registration as a renewable energy developer of wind power to avail incentives such as duty-free importation of capital equipment as we prepare for construction of our wind power project,” Owen said.

Besides the wind project in Oriental Mindoro, the company also has plans to rehabilitate the 50-kilowatt Pasonanca hydro power plant in Zamboanga City, under a memorandum of agreement it signed with the water district of the city.