Philippines approves 3 wind farm projects to generate 208 MW

Philippines has approved three wind farm projects that will generate 208 MW, enough to power more than 40,000 middle-class homes, an energy official said on Monday.

The wind energy projects will be the first to benefit from an incentive scheme that aims to ensure half the country’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2030, compared with about 39 per cent currently, the official said.

The three projects are due to be operational by early 2015, said Mr Mario Marasigan, the energy department’s renewable energy bureau chief.

“We approved their declarations of commerciality. They (guaranteed) to us that they are viable under the rate of 8.53 pesos (26 Singapore cents) per kilowatt hour”.

The Energy Department declared the 54-megawatt wind power project of Trans-Asia Renewable Energy Corp. in San Lorenzo, Guimaras commercially viable.

Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., the mother of Trans-Asia Renewable, disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange that the declaration converted the wind energy service contract into a development and commercial stage from a pre-development status.