ADB to assess 9 ports for offshore wind projects

MANILA, Philippines — The government has secured the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to ensure port infrastructure readiness for upcoming offshore wind projects.

Energy Assistant Secretary Mylene Capongcol said the ADB would assist in the assessment of nine initial identified ports.

Capongcol said the initial identified ports are located in Iloilo, Bacolod, Batangas and Cagayan, among others.

She said the ports, which are a mix of private and local government-owned, would undergo screening to see if they can be used to serve the requirements of offshore wind developers.

The Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), for one, has declared plans to partner with a port developer to repurpose its 19.2-hectare property in Mabini, Batangas into a dedicated integrated port for offshore wind.

Offshore wind energy has been identified by the Department of Energy (DOE) as one of its top priorities in the country’s renewable energy sector.

Capongcol, however, said that based on international experience, there are no ready ports for offshore wind.

She said either new ports are built or existing ports are repurposed.

Capongcol said suitably sized and strategically located ports are essential for the storage, assembly, construction and operation of offshore wind farms.

“We have an increasing number of service contracts, which shows the interest of players to develop offshore wind. We have lifted the 60-40 requirement to allow 100 percent (ownership) and there are really a lot of foreign companies interested to develop offshore wind,” she said.

The DOE to date has awarded 79 offshore wind contracts with a total potential capacity of 61.931 gigawatts (GW).

These are spread mainly in northern Luzon, west of Metro Manila, north and south of Mindoro, Panay and Guimaras Strait.

The DOE said the contracts are in the development stage, wherein activities being undertaken are mainly wind data gathering, application for endorsements, and request for system impact studies.

A Philippines Offshore Wind Roadmap was launched last year, showcasing the country’s potential offshore wind resources estimated at 178 GW.

Under the draft Philippine Energy Plan 2023 to 2050, a clean energy scenario includes two options for offshore wind capacity: a clean energy scenario one with a 19-GW capacity by 2050, and a clean energy scenario two, which has a much higher capacity addition of 50 GW by 2050.