MANILA, Philippines--The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded three pre-commercial wind power development contracts to Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corp., a local firm identified with former energy secretary Vince Perez.

The contracts, signed on Dec. 24, 2008, gave Alternergy the right to assess the wind power potential in Caliraya in Laguna, Pililia in Rizal and Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro.

According to the DOE's 2008 accomplishment report, the three pre-commercial wind resource assessment contracts were the first in a string of wind power deals that it would award in the coming months.

This year, the DOE plans to award six pre-commercial contracts for wind resource development to three local companies.

The potential sites to be awarded include four in Ilocos Norte, one in Negros Occidental and one in Negros Oriental.

The DOE has pre-qualified Energy Development Corp. to assess and develop the Nagsurot site, and has likewise approved the firm's entry into the pre-qualification stage for the Pagudpud site, both in Ilocos Norte.

Two more sites in Pagudpud are up for award to Northern Luzon UPC Asia Corp.

Although the company has already submitted all the requirements for its pre-commercial contract applications, the DOE still has to resolve the issue of overlapping areas, as part of its application covers an area that overlaps with the Pagudpud site that EDC is eyeing.