The 14-megawat second phase of the Nabas wind farm project of Yuchengco-led PetroWind Energy Inc. (PWEI) has started shoring up power supply for the energy-strained Panay island after securing warranted clearances from relevant authorities and entities in the market.

Prior to its injection of capacity to the grid, the operating entity of the wind plant secured first the required approval of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) for the plant’s registration at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM); as well as clearance from system operator National Grid Corporation of the {Philippines) for the dispatch call on the plant’s capacity. 

Out of the total capacity of the Nabas 2 wind plant, the initial scale of generation already wheeled to the grid had been from three of its Vestas wind turbines that are of 2.2MW capacity each.

“The commissioning followed the approval on April 3, 2024 by IEMOP and on April 4 by NGCP of the WESM registration of the project as a generation facility and its energization for power injection, respectively,” the company expounded.

As emphasized by Energy Secretary Raphael P. M. Lotilla, the wind farm “is the newest power station added to the system since the January 2, 2024 grid blackout” – in reference to that traumatizing incident which had not only caused extreme inconvenience to consumers in the area, but also resulted in economic losses to many of their industries and commercial establishments.

He added that the facility’s commissioning is a concrete testament “to the efforts of our private sector partners, working with the administration, to boost the country’s clean and renewable energy capacity in sustaining long-term economic growth particularly in northern Panay and Boracay.”

The plant capacity’s integration into the grid coincided propitiously with the reported completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay (CNP) transmission project of NGCP which is targeted for inauguration by President Marcos next week.

Francisco G. Delfin Jr., president and CEO of PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC), the renewable energy (RE) investment arm of the Yuchengco group, qualified that the commissioning of the facility “will eventually lead to the successful commercial operation of our Phase 2 expansion.”

By far, that is already the second wind farm development of PGEC; and the sixth RE venture to be completed in the combined portfolio of solar and wind farm installations of the Yuchengco group.

Together with the 36MW phase 1 Nabas wind farm, the Yuchengco firm will be injecting up to 50MW of capacity to the grid – and this is regarded as much-needed power supply boost to Panay island. In turn, the added energy sales from the plant will also beef up the company’s top and bottom lines.

“In supplying much needed electricity to Panay communities, we also look forward to the revenue stream from this investment,” Delfin stressed.

The advancement to commercial fruition of the Nabas 2 wind farm project had been concretized partly due to the P1.8 billion loan extended by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) which helped bankroll the project.