ACEN eyes P34.5-billion Tayabas City wind park

ACEN Corp., the listed energy arm of the Ayala Group, seeks to scale up its wind power portfolio with a proposed P34.5-billion facility in Quezon province.

Based on a document submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the company’s subsidiary Gigawind4 Inc., has proposed to build the Banahaw Wind Power Project in Tayabas City.

The project, which may cover a land area of more than 4,000 hectares, is expected to have up to 247 megawatts (MW) of power-generating capacity.

The development is designed to have 38 wind turbine generators, each with 6.5 MW.

If approved, the wind park would straddle the barangays of Alitao, Anos, Baguio, Bukal Ibaba, Bukal Ilaya, Calantas, Calumpang, Gibanga, Ipilan and Malaoa.

No timeline was provided in the document, but it noted that construction works may take about two years. Full commercial operations is expected within five years.

While ACEN said that power is the “backbone” of the Philippines, driving economic growth, the country continues to suffer from insufficient energy supply as well as the environmental impact of continuous dependence on fossil fuel.

The firm also noted that solar power continues to dominate the renewable energy market, with more power producers investing in this technology. However, the synergy between solar and wind power sources is “noteworthy,” it added.

See Also

BIZ BUZZ: SM chases growing ‘experience market’

“Integrating the proposed 247-MW wind farm into the broader energy landscape creates a robust and balanced renewable energy mix, addressing the Philippines’ increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy,” Gigawind4 said.

“It aligns with the national trajectory toward renewable energy, addresses the necessity for a diversified and resilient energy mix and significantly contributes to the Philippines’ transition toward clean energy,” it added.

The government wants to expand renewables’ share in the electricity generation mix to 35 percent by 2030 from the current 22 percent.

ACEN, which has been aiming to have full renewable electricity, has about 7,000 MW of attributable capacity in operation, under construction and in committed developments.