The Energy Department awarded Triconti Windkraft Group, a joint venture of Filipino and European companies, the first service contracts for offshore wind energy with a combined potential output of 1,200 megawatts.
The projects will rise off the shores of Aparri Bay in Cagayan and Guimaras Strait in the Visayas.
“We are excited to bring the benefits that offshore wind power promises to the Philippines,” said Stefan Simon, joint venture partner and managing director of Stream Invest Holding Switzerland in a statement.
The Triconti Windkraft Group is a partnership between Filipino-Swiss-German companies that develop wind energy projects in the Philippines.
“With its scale and efficiencies, we believe that it [offshore wind] offers a cost competitive and greener alternative to conventional fuel power plants,” Simon said.
Following the issuance of the service contract, the Triconti Windkraft Group now holds the exclusive rights to study and develop the very first offshore wind projects in the country. While the Philippines has several wind power projects, all are located onshore.
Triconti Windkraft Group president Lila Rosenberger said the management is very optimistic about the country’s offshore potential, specifically the Guimaras Strait and Aparri Bay which showcase excellent, consistent wind speeds and are very accessible from the foreshore in terms of grid connectivity and maintenance.
“With the quickly evolving wind turbine and off-shore technology, it is quite realistic to expect that these projects can bring more than 1.2 GW of much-needed clean and affordable power into the market,” Rosenberger said.
Aside from these new service contracts, the Triconti Windkraft Group currently has 500 MW of onshore wind under development, bringing its portfolio to over to 1.7 GW in various areas around Visayas and Luzon.
These projects are in different stages of pre-development, with the first project in Nabas, Aklan slated to come online by 2022.
Stream Invest, based in Kerns, Switzerland, provides comprehensive economical and technical knowledge along the whole value chain of renewable energy projects in Europe and worldwide.
