Group gets contracts for 2 offshore wind power projects

The Triconti Windkraft Group of Companies said it had secured from the Department of Energy (DOE) two pioneering service contracts for offshore wind energy in the Philippines.

Triconti is a partnership between Filipino, Swiss and German companies founded to develop wind energy projects in the Philippines.

The Makati City-based group said the DOE had gran­ted them contracts related to a project in Aparri Bay off Caga­yan province in northern Luzon and another in Guimaras Strait off Negros Occidental in the Visayas.

The two projects, to be undertaken with Switzerland-based Steam Invest Hol­ding AG, potentially have a combined output of up to 1,200 megawatts.

The Aparri project is designed to rate at 500 MW to 600 MW while the Guimaras project is designed for 600 MW.

“We are excited to bring the benefits that offshore wind power promises to the Philippines,” Steam Invest managing director Stefan Simon said in a joint statement.

“With its scale and efficiencies, we believe that it offers a cost-competitive and greener alternative to conventional fuel power plants,” Simon said.

According to Triconti, with the service contracts granted to them, they now hold the exclusive rights to studying and developing the very first offshore wind projects in the country

“Guimaras Strait and Aparri Bay showcase excellent, consistent wind speeds and are very accessible from the foreshore in terms of grid connectivity and maintenance” Triconti president Lila Rosenberger said.

“With the quickly evolving wind turbine and offshore technology, it is quite realistic to expect that these projects can bring more than 1.2 gigawatts of much needed clean and affordable power into the market,” Rosenberger said. INQ