By Leilanie Adriano, VERA Files Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte---Steady winds make Caparispisan village in this northern most part of Ilocos Norte town a favorite destination of thrill-seeking foreign and domestic tourists who love to play with the waves while kite surfing. And, soon, tourists can look forward to an added attraction: windmills--- just like those in neighboring Bangui wind farm that have lured thousands of people to the area for ‘selfie’ or photo ops. has tapped Siemens Wind Power A/S and Siemens Inc. for the supply and installation of the project’s wind turbines. While welcoming independent power producers eager to develop wind farms here, Ilocos Norte Gov. Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos told renewable energy stakeholders to help Ilocanos understand that the impact of green energy here may not be felt outright. “I hope you understand that we are on your side. We welcome renewable energy. It’s clean and green. However, due to experiences in the past when we were being asked, ‘Why is it that our electric bill is not going lower?’ [I appeal to you to] help us explain to our constituents by giving us facts such as the specific break down of prices, data costing and the benefits of energy campaign,” Marcos said. Despite the booming tourism industry in Pagudpud that boasts of crystal clear beaches, waterfalls, bat caves and other natural resources, Marcos said that Pagudpud remains one of the poorest municipalities in Ilocos Norte. Aside from the 33-MW Bangui wind farm situated along the shoreline of Bangui bay, other renewable energy players have ongoing wind and solar projects in the municipalities of Burgos, Pasuquin,Vintar, Currimao and Badoc, Ilocos Norte. The Bangui windmills, the first in Southeast Asia, constitute one of the main sources of electricity in the province and have become a tourist attraction in the province. For local residents here, the wind that blows freely and being harnessed by independent power producers could just have a significant impact on their lives should there be an equal and fair distribution of what makes it truly essential, that is, clean air nurturing everyone. LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—A total of 40 wind turbines, expected to generate 80 megawatts of electricity from wind power, will soon be erected in Pagudpud, a town in the northernmost part of Ilocos Norte province, after the Northern Luzon UPC Asia Corp., an affiliate of UPC Renewables, one of the fastest-growing wind developers in the world, launched its wind-power development here. Troels Carstensen, managing director and vice president of UPC wind management, said on Tuesday at least 102 hectares in Pagudpud have been leased by UPC with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for 25 years. Under the lease agreement, UPC will utilize the government land for the renewable-energy project with an annual land lease of P2.7 million. That same day, Carstensen handed over two checks amounting to P2.7 million as first-year payment of the land-lease agreement to the DENR, represented by regional director Remillio Atabay, at the office of Ilocos Norte Gov. Michael Keon. By June, the initial first phase of the project is expected to be connected to the grid with at least 32 wind turbines and having double the strength of the 33-MW Bangui wind power plant. The joint venture company has a portfolio of 200 MW of wind energy projects under development Earlier, wind developers from UPC Asia had conducted wind survey in the municipalities of Pasuquin, Burgos and Pagudpud , showed that Pagudpud has the best wind source, Carstensen said in an interview. The second wind-power farm in the province cost about $480 million, which was obtained through a combination of export credit from Europe and in cooperation with local banks for renewable-energy projects, Carstensen added. He reported that development in the 102-hectare land area will commence before the end of this year while the construction of the first UPC wind turbine will start in early 2010. For his part, Keon told residents here that with the increasing number of foreign and local developers interested in renewable energies such as the establishment of wind farms, he expects that electricity rates will definitely be lowered. WITH the specter of blackouts to hit Luzon grid customers Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and her sister, Governor Imee Marcos along with other guests and visitors, a ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony and blessing of one of the 27 wind turbines was led by Father Franklin Gorospe of the St. Jude parish here. Siemens will deliver and install 27 direct drive wind turbines of the type SWT-3.0-101, with a 3 MW output and a rotor diameter of 101 meters. 27 wind turbines with a full capacity of 3-megawatt each are now connected to the grid. “So far, we can produce at the full capacity of each turbine but it depends on the wind and grid condition. We can produce up to 81-megawatts but we have to consider several factors as the grid is current being upgraded,” Francia said. Following the successful inauguration of the over USD200-million wind project, Francia said the company is planning to expand more up to 150-megawatt as next phase of the project. Aside from sustaining Ilocos Norte’s trademark as home of green technology through the development of more wind and solar projects, the Pagudpud wind farm situated at the rolling hills of Caparispisan village overseeing the West Philippine Sea is being eyed as an additional eco-tourism destination in this northern gateway of Luzon. The 81MW Meantime, the 81-megawatt Pagudpud wind farm project of the Northern Luzon UPC Asia Corp. is set to resume its operation before the end of the first semester in 2015. Also, a four-megawatt solar farm in the towns of Burgos and Currimao in the province are expected to begin its construction this year. The solar farm in Burgos town is an expansion project of EDC. Caparispisan Wind Energy project, which has a project cost of $220 million, is a joint venture of Ayala’s investment arm–the AC Energy Holdings Incorporated, the Philippines Alliance for Infrastructure (PNAI) and the UPC Philippines Wind Holdco. Senator Marcos, who initiated the construction of the first in Southeast Asia’s 33MW Bangui Wind Farm with its developer, NorthWind Power Development Corporation in 2005, expressed optimism these renewable energy wind farm projects will greatly contribute for the easing of the looming power shortage on summer period by 2015. The Pagudpud wind farm, which has 27 wind turbines lined atop a hill in the 625-hectare land area in the coastal village, was realized a few days after the commissioning of the 150MW Burgos Wind Farm constructed by the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) in nearby Burgos town. LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte: The Energy Development Corp. (EDC) on Friday said a portion of the 150-megawatt Burgos Wind Project (BWP) is scheduled to start operating this month to help ease the looming power crisis in the country. The FIT for wind technology had been set at P8.53 per kilowatt hour, yet for the succeeding projects, the degression rate may already apply. Amid the reports of an impending electric power shortage of about 300 megawatts in the summer of 2015 comes the welcome news that 250 megawatts from wind energy will be available starting this year until early 2015. Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla of the Department of Energy said he visited three wind projects in Ilocos Norte – the 33-mw Bangui Windmills of Northwind Power Development Corp., the 150-mw Burgos wind farm of the Energy Development Corp., and the 81-mw Pagudpud project of the North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp. The Burgos Wind Project will be providing 370 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity to power approximately two million households, Tantoco said. This is enough to displace about 200,000 tons of carbon emissions annually
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 13:46:31 +0000
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