Philippines to prepare offshore wind roadmap

The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) on Monday held a virtual launch of the Philippine Offshore Wind Roadmap project, it said yesterday.

The project is funded through the World Bank Group’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP). Its objectives include identifying areas in the country with high offshore wind development potential and setting offshore wind targets.

"As the country actively pursues the energy transition, broadening our offshore wind prospects would help fast-track meeting our goal of attaining a 35% renewable energy (RE) share in our energy mix by the year 2030,” said DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

Based on early estimates, the Philippines has more than 170 GW of offshore wind potential, according to Mark Leybourne, co-lead of World Bank Group’s Offshore Wind Development Programme.

The DOE has currently awarded five wind energy service contracts with a combined potential of 5 GW of offshore wind -- the Guimaras Strait, Aparri Bay, Guimaras Strait II, Frontera Bay and San Miguel Bay wind power projects, according to the statement.

This is one of a series of offshore wind roadmap studies as part of the joint ESMAP-International Finance Corporation Offshore Wind Development Programme.

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