Another wind energy project eyed in Ilocos

By Charlie Lagasca 

PAGUDPUD, Ilocos Norte – A leading energy firm is eyeing another windmill project here, which could be the third in the province after the Bangui Northwind power plant and the ongoing $300-million, 87-megawatt wind project in adjoining Burgos town.

This time, the northernmost town of Pagudpud is being considered as the site for the wind-generated energy project of the Energy Development Corp. (EDC), the country’s largest geothermal producer.

The Lopez group-owned EDC, formerly under the state-run Philippine National Oil Co., is also behind the Bangui and Burgos windmill projects. The $75-million Bangui wind farm is the first in Southeast Asia.

Reports said EDC experts are conducting feasibility studies and site inspections in Pagudpud for the proposed wind energy facility.

Pagudpud is one of Ilocos Norte’s major tourism destinations as it boasts fine white sand beaches and its long and winding coastal highway linking Ilocos (Region 1) and Cagayan Valley (Region 2).

Last April, local, energy and EDC officials led the groundbreaking of the windmill project in Burgos town, described to be bigger than the one in Bangui where the first wind farm project assisted by a Danish firm was inaugurated in 2005.

The Burgos windmill, expected to be operational next year, covers some 600 hectares across the villages of Saoit, Poblacion and Nagsurot. It is designed to generate at least 230 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply a million households. 

According to experts, wind farms, besides becoming major tourist attractions in the province, are the safest and environment-friendly source of energy. Its utilization also reduces the country’s dependence on imported oil for power generation.