The Department of Energy (DOE) is working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to assess the nine initially identified ports as supporting infrastructure for offshore wind projects.
DOE assistant secretary Mylene Capongol said at the sidelines of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce Philippines Wind Energy forum the ADB study would be funded by a grant and a series of meetings to determine port readiness for OSW.
Capongcol said based on international experience, there are no ready ports for OSW and new ports should be built or existing ports needed to be re-purposed.
“The ports for offshore wind, it will also become a staging area to house the turbines, blades,” Capongcol said.
Capongcol said the initial port locations are in Currimao in Ilocos Norte, Mabini in Batangas, Mindoro and Port Irene in Cagayan Valley.
She said the ADB study would determine the feasibility of the ports. The initial nine locations were based on the advanced OSW projects.
She said the existing ports should be upgraded to serve the technical requirements of the OSW developers such as the size of the wind turbines and water depth of the port to allow for large vessels.
“We have not planned for it, even the environmental, even our service contracting we need to amend it, the omnibus guidelines to address the specific requirements and support for offshore wind,” Capongcol said.
She said the ADB study was expected to be completed next year.
