Burgos, Ilocos Norte. Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has recently concluded the groundbreaking ceremony for their 87-MW Burgos Wind Project (BWP) following its announcement of the signed deal with leading wind turbine supplier Vestas last March 1, 2013. This is EDC’s first foray into the wind energy business after being a geothermal leader in the past 36 years.
The groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of early works development for the Burgos Wind Project. EDC President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Tantoco said that the support of the local government units and regional government agencies has been an invaluable help for EDC to have successfully secured all required documentation to deliver the project. The BWP project which is expected to be operational next year will ensure power stability in the Luzon grid, generate jobs and livelihood opportunities in the region, further boost tourism in the province, and improve economic activity for the country.
Once operational, the Burgos Wind Project (BWP) is expected to generate approximately 233 GWh annually and power over a million households. It will augment the Luzon grid’s dependable capacity which needs an additional 4,200 MW in the next ten years due to the projected 4.5 per cent annual increase in electricity demand.
The BWP project cost of $300 million covering the costs of the wind farm, substation and transmission line will be one of the largest investments made in Ilocos Norte. EDC’s pursuance of this project also reaffirms Ilocos Norte as the country’s wind energy capital.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Tantoco stressed that “the project will spur development in Ilocos Norte by attracting more investments and eventually create more and better opportunities for the residents. In all the areas where EDC operates, we take pride in being able to help improve the living conditions of our host communities in parallel with the progress of their barangay, municipality, city, and province.”
He also announced that EDC remains in cooperation with the provincial government for the implementation of projects that will address health, education, livelihood, and environmental concerns- beyond compliance with Energy Regulation No. 1-94 which stipulates the required assistance to local communities by power developers.
In the next three years, EDC will implement sanitation programs in 55 schools representing 30 per cent of the total millennium development goal schools in the province as identified by the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals Commission. Following the groundbreaking ceremony, EDC distributed certificates of entitlement to the initial batch of twelve (12) schools for their sanitation program. Previously, the company has already conducted medical missions in Burgos.
EDC will also sponsor a job fair that will be attended by several companies based in the province. In the next few months, the company looks forward to implementing a manpower skills training program to equip more than 500 qualified residents with skills relevant to wind farm construction and operations.
The BWP, which will be the largest wind farm in the Philippines once completed, will contribute to the displacement of the equivalent of 129,000 tons of carbon emissions or roughly half a million barrels of oil to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The project covers approximately 600 hectares across three barangays: Saoit, Poblacion, and Nagsurot. The wind farm will have large scale Vestas V90-3.0 MW wind turbines and ancillary plant to be supplied and constructed by Vestas of Denmark which is the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. EDC and Vestas have entered into an EPC Contract and a long term Maintenance Agreement last March 01, 2013. Both contracts are conditional until certain conditions have been satisfied or waived, including the issuance of a Notice to Proceed by EDC. Aside from the wind farm, the BWP also includes a 115 kV transmission line connecting the wind farm from the Burgos substation to the Laoag substation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), as well as the expansion of the switchyard/substations.
EDC is the world’s largest integrated geothermal producer and one of the leading renewable energy companies in the Philippines with a portfolio of 1,130 MW of geothermal, 132 MW of hydroelectric plants, and soon the 87 MW Burgos wind project.
The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is a pioneer in generating 100% clean, renewable, and reliable power as an electricity supplier in the Philippines for over 40 years. With power plants all over Visayas and Mindanao, the company is one of the biggest producers of geothermal energy in Asia and is expanding its reach in the international market, allowing it to offer customers affordable energy rates. EDC also strives to provide the best customer service it can to all its clients by having helpful salespeople and easy to understand contracts. Because of all of this, it is poised to become the premier supplier of electricity for the Philippines’ Green Energy Option Program. EDC takes its mission as a renewable energy provider seriously and goes beyond sustainability by investing in programs that enhance the environment and empower its partner communities, thereby fostering regenerative development. The company has also been working toward being carbon-neutral by improving its energy efficiency, as well as implementing various greening projects to ensure that its mission to provide future generations with a better life remains intact.
