Offshore wind plans hit snag

The ongoing study of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on at least three regional port facilities that will serve as support infrastructure for the emerging offshore wind (OSW) industry in the power sector has hit chokepoints, including budget constraints for two of them, while the plug has been pulled on the other due to a shaky geotechnical foundation.

- BY MYRNA M. VELASCO

The update on the ports study was directly shared with relevant industry stakeholders by Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo J. Bacordo at this year's Wind Energy Forum, convened by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Danish engineering firm NIRAS, and other partners.

In particular, the Energy official disclosed that "in Camarines Norte, the original site identified in Jose Panganiban was dropped due to poor soil conditions that rendered it unsuitable for OSW-related infrastructure."

Following the preliminary outcome of the PPA study, he specified that the focus had shifted to another targeted site in Pambuhan, located in the town of Mercedes in the province, with the hope that the planned port support facility in that area could be established on solid and stable load-bearing ground.