EDC to increase 550-MW wind power generation capacity

LOPEZ-led Energy Development (EDC) is making its wind energy portfolio stronger as it plans to achieve an additional 550 megawatts of wind-power capacity.

Based on the concessions that currently have, including Iloilo and the ones in Ilocos Norte, there’s a potential of about 550 MW. That’s additional, says, Richard Tantoco, president, COO, EDC.

Earlier, EDC had gained contracts from the Department of Energy (DOE) for Batad and San Dionisio in Iloilo and Capiz wind projects respectively; Concepcion in Iloilo; Matnog and Magdalena in Sorsogon; and Manapla and Cadiz in Negros Occidental.

Tantoco has not yet decided the time on when EDC plans to start developing these projects. However, it will take a long time for the feed-in tariff (FIT) and now EDC is focusing on its 150-MW wind farm in Ilocos Norte.

EDC Burgos Wind, a unit of EDC, had received a certificate of endorsement (COE) from the DOE for its Burgos wind project’s (BWP) eligibility under the FIT scheme.

With this COE, the company is waiting for the issuance of a certificate of compliance (COC) under FIT from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and upon issuance the wind farm can commence its commercial operation.

EDC had commissioned the wind farm last week.

Once operational, the BWP will be the largest wind farm in the Philippines comprising a total of 50 large-scale Vestas V90-3.0-MW wind turbines.

The project also includes a 115-kilovolt transmission line connecting the wind farm from the Burgos substation to the Laoag substation of the National Grid of the Philippines.

EDC has invested $450 million in the project, out of which $315 million was provided by local and international banks.

EDC reported the other day that profit shoot up by 94 percent to P10.4 billion at end-September this year, as against P5.3 billion in the same period a year ago on account of higher revenue.

Sabeena Wahid
[email protected]