THE Department of Energy (DoE) said the initial findings of the pre-feasibility study on ports that will be repurposed to service the offshore wind energy industry are expected by the end of next month.
Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo J. Bacordo said recently that findings on five of the 10 ports being considered will be available by that time, while the rest of the findings will be out by November.
The pre-feasibility study is being carried out with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to determine which ports can service the offshore wind industry’s needs.
The ports for which the early findings are expected are Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro; Culasi, Capiz; Tabaco, Albay; and Pulupandan and San Carlos, both in Negros Occidental.
Mr. Bacordo said NIRAS, ADB’s consultant, has conducted site visits to these ports, collecting data from local government units and port authorities.
The other ports being studied are the Energy Supply Base port of the Philippine National Oil Co. in Batangas; Bauan International Port, Inc. Batangas; Subic; the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex; and Port Irene, Cagayan.
“These ports will cater to the offshore wind front-runners in the northwest Luzon, west of Manila, north and south Mindoro areas,” Mr. Bacordo said.
He said that “the road to first kilowatt-hour in 2028 is, without a doubt, very challenging” but he added that the DoE aims to support their development by ensuring that the ports are adequately prepared and equipped to handle the specific requirements of the industry.
Mr. Bacordo has said that the funding to make ports ready for the offshore wind industry needs to be budgeted for in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“While the GAA 2025 is being considered as a potential funding mechanism, further evaluation of financial requirements and budgetary allocations will be necessary to solidify project timelines and expenditures,” Mr. Bacordo said.
Offshore wind farms need to be serviced from specialized ports hosting maintenance facilities and equipment.
Mr. Bacordo has said that the DoE is hoping to conduct a Green Energy Auction specific to offshore wind in the first half of 2025.
To date, the DoE has awarded 92 offshore wind energy service contracts to 38 renewable energy developers with a total potential capacity of 66.101 gigawatts (GW).
According to the Philippine Offshore Wind Roadmap, the Philippines has a potential capacity of about 63 GW from tapping offshore wind resources. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
