Yunchengco-led PetroWind Energy Inc. on Wednesday assured stakeholders of the second phase of its wind farm project in Boracay, Aklan that it is employing extensive and effective impact mitigation measures in the development of the 13.2-megawatt wind project.
PetroWind is putting up the Nabas-2 wind power project, which received opposition from the Boracay Foundation, Inc. as it may affect the Nabaoy river, the main source of water for Boracay and Malay.
The Nabas-2 wind project is located in the same service contract block as the existing 36 MW Nabas-1 project of PetroWind commissioned in 2015.
“We presented in several public hearings and discussions to officials of Malay and Aklan our Ridge-to-River Restoration and Rehabilitation (R4) Program focused on several layers of slope stabilization and silt and erosion control measures, which were rigorously studied and recommended by local and international bioengineering experts,” the company said.
It said the R4 program was proven effective when the company completed the first phase of its road in October 2023 in preparation for the installation of six wind turbines.
PetroWind said inspections by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed that Phase 2 is compliant with the conditions set in the project’s environmental compliance certificate (ECC), special agreement on protected area (SAPA), and forestland use agreement (FLAG).
The company said it also completed all permitting requirements including local government endorsements before commencing with the development of Phase 2.
“We emphasize that this is a government project, undertaken by PetroWind as the service contractor of the Department of Energy (DOE). The recent power blackout in the Panay region has proven that there is a need to stabilize the power supply in the area through new and more sustainable sources of electricity,” it said.
PetroWind said “propaganda based on purely ideological grounds without hard scientific and technical basis can result in less investments in Aklan, loss of additional tax revenues for the LGUs, and loss of employment and business opportunities for host communities.”
PetroWind vowed to continue its strict adherence to its ECC obligations in keeping with its commitment on environmental protection and preservation, clean energy generation, jobs creation, tax and business fees payments to LGUs, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to host communities, and in support of our government to achieve its target of 35 percent renewable energy by 2030.