CEBU CITY – The Department of Energy (DOE) is its review and enhancement of the policies and guidelines on the offshore wind (OSW)
projects to ensure the efficient and optimal development of the subsector.
DOE secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, in an
advisory released to renewable energy developers and stakeholders on November
7, 2022 said, the refinements to the existing policies, framework and
guidelines governing the administration of Wind Energy Service Contracts (WESC)
cover the technical, financial, operational, and administrative risks and
challenges of OSW development.
Lotilla, however said that existing OSW service
contractors are still bound to comply with their obligations under their
contracts. As such, they will have to continue to work on their commitments
based on their approved work programs.
To date, the DOE has awarded 42 OSW service
contracts with an indicated 31.5 GW of installed capacity with prime areas
identified are in Northern Luzon, Verde Island Passage, Northern Mindoro, and
Southern Mindoro.
The DOE has been receiving considerable amount
of interest both from local and foreign investors in the OSW potential. One of
the biggest projects is in offshore Ilocos by Buhawid Energy Philippines, a joint
venture (JV) of Copenhagen Energy, a Danish company and PetroGreen Energy
Corporation, a Filipino-owned company.
It has an indicative potential of 1.65 to 2.2
GW of installed capacity for the first stage. A robust OSW requires a long-term
vision, support infrastructure development, investments, and sound policies.
According to DOE, it is deemed critical to have
a well thought out regulatory framework to enable successful growth of this
newer technology. The Draft OSW policies
and guidelines and the schedule of the series of public consultations will be
posted on the DOE website. (Photos: DOE FB)
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