EDC wind power project ready for commissioning by October

Business Mirror

28 Jan 2014 

 

Written by Lenie Lectura

THE Energy Development Corp. (EDC) is proceeding with the target commissioning of its 150-megawatt (MW) wind power project in Burgos, Ilocos Norte this year.

In a report the Department of Energy (DOE) said the $291-million project of EDC Burgos Wind Power Corp. is targeted for commissioning in October this year.

EDC President and Chief Operating Officer Richard B. Tantoco said the company is on track to complete the said project in the last quarter of the year.  “Chairman [Federico R.] Lopez, Director Ernesto Pantangco and I were in Burgos the whole day [on Monday]. The progress of the project is substantial and very impressive. We are laying all the groundwork for the expansion and have been moving ahead,” he added.

This is EDC’s first foray in the wind-energy business, which is said to be one of the largest investments in Ilocos Norte. EDC broke ground in  April last year after signing an EPC (engineering procurement construction)  contract with Vestas, a leading wind-turbine manufacturer, in March last year.  The Burgos wind project will utilize the Vestas V90 3-MW wind turbines. 

“We have the distinction of having over seven years of accurate wind data so we are absolutely certain of our site and the wind resource.  Because of this, we are rapidly taking all necessary steps to increase the capacity of the Burgos wind project from 87 MW to 150 MW,” Tantoco said, adding that the project will be the largest wind farm in the Philippines.  

The facility is expected to generate approximately 233-gigawatthours annually, enough to supply the energy demand for over 1 million households.  It will also augment the Luzon grid’s dependable capacity, which needs an additional 4,200 MW in the next 10 years and displace 129,000 tons of carbon emissions.

Also in the same report, the DOE said the 81-MW Caparispisan wind energy project of Northern Luzon UPC Asia Corp. is targeted for commissioning in September this year. The project will cost $255 million to put up.   source