Philippines to explore offshore wind power

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has approved a plan to explore and develop offshore wind potential as a source of clean and sustainable energy, a presidential official has confirmed.

The officer-in-charge of the Office of the Press Secretary, Under Secretary Cheloy Garafil, said the president had instructed Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and other energy officials to move forward with the government’s offshore wind energy production initiatives. Department of Energy (DOE), Xinhua reported.

DOE officials also proposed the creation of an Offshore Wind Investment and Development Council, made up of relevant government agencies that will serve as a one-stop shop for offshore wind developers.

The DOE said there are currently 42 approved offshore wind contracts in the Philippines, with an indicated capacity of 31,000 megawatts.

Garafil said Marcos is in favor of the proposal, but said the DOE should handle the regulatory functions to streamline coordination and simplify the approval process.

According to the World Bank Group, the Philippines has 178 gigawatts of technical offshore wind potential and can deploy 40 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity by 2050.

“This is more than enough” to cover the maximum projected demand the country will require by 2040 according to the DOE’s medium- and long-term energy outlook, Energy Secretary Lotilla said.