PetroWind Energy starts 36-MW Nabas wind farm

By Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 20, 2016 - 12:00am
http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/01/20/1544243/petrowind-energy-starts-36-mw-nabas-wind-farm

MANILA, Philippines – PetroWind Energy Inc. (PWEI) recently inaugurated its 36-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Nabas, Aklan, as well a tourism center aimed to spur tourism and add livelihood in the area.

In a statement, PWEI said the ceremonial switch-on of the wind farm took place six months after its successful commissioning in June 2015, which has since been supplying clean and renewable power to the Western Visayas grid.

The inauguration was graced by Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, Commissioner Patricia Magpale-Asirit of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Undersecretary Donato U. Marcos of the Department of Energy (DOE), and Aklan’s key officials.

Following the ceremony, a groundbreaking ceremony of the planned Tourist Center and Viewdeck to offer new ecotourism and livelihood opportunities for the local government units and host barangays was also held.

In his speech, Sen. Drilon noted “electricity and a strong and stable supply of power are directly related to economic and social development and improve the delivery of public services.”

He also called for continuous support and encouragement for similar renewable energy projects that not only mitigate climate change but also reduce negative impacts to health and the environment.

PWEI is a joint venture company of CapAsia, EEI Power, and PetroGreen Energy Inc. (PGEC), wholly owned subsidiary of publicy-listed PetroEnergy Resources Corp. (PERC).

For Nabas-1, PWEI has started receiving regulatory-approved feed-in tariff (FIT) rate this month, which means it is eligible to receive a guaranteed off-take payment of P7.40 per kilowatt-hour from June 10, 2015 to June 9, 2035.

Meanwhile, the project company is already studying an expansion of capacity by 14 MW, called Nabas-2.