CREC ramps up wind push, eyes major Iloilo onshore project
Apart from growing its solar portfolio, Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) is looking to deliver its next wind asset within the next two years.
In an interview, CREC President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Oliver Tan said the company is scheduled to develop an onshore wind project in Iloilo province by 2029, a few years after the development of its smaller 45-megawatt (MW) wind project in Camarines Sur province.
According to CREC data, the Iloilo project could potentially bring in around 225 MW of capacity, larger compared with the company’s other wind assets. Its wind development in Camarines Sur is likewise expected to finish construction by 2027.
“The partnership with Levanta is on a per-project basis. So, we’re already doing the CamSur depths ongoing. I think we already awarded the EPC [engineering, procurement, and construction] contracts,” he disclosed to reporters.
These wind developments, which won in the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP) of the Department of Energy (DOE), are in partnership with Southeast Asian renewable energy (RE) firm Levanta Renewables, a partnership that was forged in October 2024.
Other upcoming wind developments include the 120-MW Pangasinan wind 2 and 150-MW Bataan-Zambales wind. Tan noted that wind developments take longer to construct, as these are given a three- to four-year time frame.
When asked if the company is looking to participate in the upcoming offshore wind (OSW) auction of the DOE, Tan remarked that this may not be in its near-term plans.
“Offshore wind? We’re still studying it. Maybe not in the short term, we haven’t solved it, and it’s a little hard to do. But of course, we’re interested in solar, battery, and onshore wind.”
Further ramping up its portfolio growth, the company has been awarded multiple projects under the fourth round of GEAP, totaling about 1,212 MW of ground-mounted solar and integrated RE and energy storage systems (IRESS). These are expected to be developed from 2026 to 2029.