A grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping speed up the upgrade and retrofitting of an initial set of offshore wind (OSW) projects pursued by various proponents across the country, the Department of Energy (DOE) said on Tuesday.
DOE assistant secretary Mylene Capongcol, at the sidelines of an energy forum hosted by NIRAS and the Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in Pasig City, told reporters the grant covers an initial set of ports that include Currimao in Ilocos Norte, Port Irene in Cagayan, the Philippine National Oil Co. port in Mabini, Batangas as well as ports in Mindoro, Iloilo and Bacolod, among others.
The DOE said the ports were initially selected based on their size as the shipment of OSW parts and equipment requires large areas.
Capongcol said the study should complete soonest, likely by next year.
He also said funds for the port upgrades will be shouldered by their owners who are a mix of private firms, local government units and state-run companies.The DOE in 2022 launched the Philippine OSW roadmap when some 178,000 megawatts (MW) worth of OSW capacity was identified.
The DOE has thus far awarded 79 OSW contracts with total potential capacity of 61,931 MW.
