Renewable energy plants rising in the Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY—Amid the constant thinning of power reserves in the Visayas region that leads to frequent brownouts since May, renewable energy plants are set to rise in Northern Samar and Negros Occidental provinces, raising hopes this could help ease the situation when these are completed.

In Northern Samar, a 200-megawatt (MW) wind power project is nearing construction phase, with its developer working with local governments on permits, site development and a proposed port facility to support it.

Representatives from Vivant Renewable Energy Corp. (VREC) recently met with Victoria Mayor Joey Ardales to discuss the latest developments in the Northern Samar Wind Project, which will cover parts of Victoria and the neighboring towns of Lavezares, Allen and Rosario.

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The project plans to install wind turbines in coastal and mountainous areas of the four towns, with VREC partnering with global turbine manufacturer Envision Energy.

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About 36 percent of the planned 200-MW capacity has already been covered by power off-take contracts under the government’s Green Energy Auction Program, according to a project information presented during the briefing.

VREC, the renewable-energy arm of Cebu-based Vivant Energy Corp., is targeting completion of construction and grid integration by 2028, subject to the completion of regulatory, technical and other development requirements.

Once operational, the wind farm is expected to generate about 695 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually, equivalent to the power needs of more than 190,000 households.

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Geothermal source

Engineer Jary Evangelista of VREC said the project was projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 487,000 metric tons each year, supporting Northern Samar’s efforts to expand renewable energy investments and reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based power generation.

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In Negros Occidental, a 5.6-MW binary power plant in Mailum, Bago City, is expected to be operational by 2027, according to Erwin Magallanes, head of corporate relations of First Gen’s Energy Development Corp. (EDC).

The plant is being built on the former site of the Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant. The 5.6-MW binary power plant, which will tap into the area’s geothermal resource, is capable of supplying electricity to approximately 100,000 households, Magallanes said.

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According to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the Visayas region posted an all-time peak demand of 2,779.37 MW on May 14 this year. To meet the region’s surging electricity needs, the grid imports 200 MW from Luzon and 450 MW from Mindanao, mostly from coal-fed capacities that are currently on extended maintenance outage. —WITH A REPORT FROM CARLA P. GOMEZ