Offshore wind energy project in EB Magalona

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An offshore wind energy project is being eyed in EB Magalona, Negros Occidental, by the Triconte Windkraft Group (TWG), an alliance of Filipino-Swiss-German companies.

TWG director Theo Sunico, in his letter to EB Magalona Mayor Marvin Malacon recently, said that their company is currently developing the first round of Offshore Wind (OSW) energy projects in the country after being awarded their Wind Energy Service Contract by the Department of Energy in 2020.

Offshore wind energy is a clean and renewable energy obtained by taking advantage of the force of the wind produced on the high seas, where it reaches a higher and more constant speed than on land due to the absence of barriers.

One of the most critical activities for a wind project is the conduct of a resource assessment of the wind in the area, Sunico said.

He said that they are initially planning to put up a ground-based Wind Measurement Mast (WMM) in Brgy. Gahit, EB Magalona, and will complement this with floating wind measurement buoys in the future.

The TWG is proposing the construction and erection of a 118-meter WMM, Sunico said as he assured the EB Magalona officials that they will comply fully with all necessary building permits.

Prior to his letter of intent, Sunico and other representatives of the company presented their project and planned activities to the municipal officials of EB Magalona, through a video conferencing.

“We believe that this OSW project will help cement Negros Occidental as one of the provinces leading the country’s energy transition towards a greener and competitively priced energy, and as a means of bringing additional economic growth to your municipality of EB Magalona,” he added.

TWG has been doing pre-feasibility studies for offshore wind energy projects in Guimaras Strait, also in Region 6, and the Aparri Bay in northern Luzon, where wind farms with maximum capacity of about 1.2 gigawatts (GW) are being eyed.

At present, the company has 500MW of onshore wind under development, bringing its portfolio to 1.7GW in the country. These projects are at different stages of pre-development, with the first project in Nabas, Aklan expected to come online next year.– GB