The joint venture of Copenhagen Energy (CE) and PetroGreen Energy Corporation as developer of the frontrunner 2.0-gigawatt (2,000 megawatts) Buhawind offshore wind farm project in Ilocos Norte is now seeing the finish line clearer for 2028, following government declarations of resolving hurdles on port support facilities as well as on its capacity integration to the grid.

The major milestone that raised the project-sponsor firm’s hopes of advancing the project’s commercial operation date (COD) prior to the end of the Marcos administration by 2028 had been the affirmation of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on repurposing of the Currimao port in Ilocos Norte, which is a major requirement not just for the construction but for the full development cycle of the Buhawind project.

Apart from Currimao port, the CE-PetroGreen tandem is also enthusiastic about planned re-development of the Sta Clara port in Batangas as announced by the Department of Energy (DOE), because that will also support their other 1,000MW offshore wind venture in Northern Mindoro. The other priority port already cast for repurposing for the offshore wind industry is San Jose Panganiban in Camarines Norte.

The third development that the CE-PetroGreen tandem will be advancing to commercial development is the blueprinted offshore wind project in East Panay that will also be of 1,000MW capacity.

Copenhagen Energy CEO Jasmin Bejdić conveyed that “over the last four years, CE and our partners from PetroGreen have been engaged in a constructive dialogue with the representatives from the DOE and the PPA, and we applaud them for this important step in advancing offshore wind in the Philippines.”

For a Danish company like Copenhagen Energy, it had seen the transformative shift of their major port in Esbjerg as a hub for offshore wind development – not just for the shipment of giant turbines, but also as storage and pre-assembly sites for key components that are utilized in the construction of projects within this technology sphere.

PetroGreen President and CEO Francisco G. Delfin, Jr. echoed that “repurposing these ports is a game-changer for the Philippine offshore wind industry,” specifically citing that “the Currimao port’s involvement in the BuhaWind project is crucial for establishing the Philippines as a significant player in the regional and global offshore wind market.”

He added that “BuhaWind Energy Philippines is committed to advancing its three offshore wind projects in the Philippines,” while noting their appreciation on “the commitment and ongoing support from the government and local stakeholders.”

Beyond the warranted port support facilities, the other offshore wind investment anchors being batted for by serious project-sponsors would be for the grid connection facilities to be concretized by system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), as well as addressing market risk via the targeted green energy auction (GEA) program for offshore wind capacities that shall be administered by the DOE second quarter next year.

“Commitment on the selection and repurposing of the three ports is part of a series of recent positive developments, such as the announcement on the upcoming offshore wind Green Energy Auction expected in Q2-2025 and the NGCP’s grid extension plans,” Bejdic said.

Without grid integration of these offshore wind installations, their generated capacities could just be stranded at sea and they won’t be able to make meaningful contribution to solving the country’s recurring dilemma of tight power supply.

And given the scale of financing that these cavernous infrastructure facilities would be requiring, one essential deliverable from the government is providing market for these ventures – and that can be done through the award of GEA-underpinned long term power supply agreements.