Danish Fund CIP bets on Philippine ports to meet wind timeline
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S is proceeding with the development of the Philippines’ first offshore wind farms, betting that critical port upgrades will be completed in time to support a multi-billion peso construction schedule.
Rune Damgaard, chief executive officer of CIP’s offshore arm, Copenhagen Offshore Partners, said the Danish fund’s timeline remains intact despite the current lack of specialized port infrastructure needed to handle massive wind turbine components.
“Ports are due to be finished, let’s say early to mid 2027… We could probably utilize the port from the later quarter of 2027,” he told reporters on the sidelines of Energyear Philippines 2026.
Damgaard expressed confidence that domestic retrofitting projects will align with the project’s installation phase.
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is currently working to ready the Port of Pambujan in Camarines Norte and the Port of Sta. Clara in Batangas to serve as primary hubs for offshore wind logistics. Government projections suggest these facilities will be operational by early to mid-2027.
Damgaard noted that his firm could likely begin utilizing the ports by the final quarter of 2027, provided the PPA adheres to its current engineering and delivery milestones.
The stakes for the timeline are high as CIP, through its Growth Markets Fund II, moves forward with a 1,000-megawatt project in San Miguel Bay. The venture is a partnership with ACEN Corp., the listed energy platform of the Ayala group.
The San Miguel Bay project is considered a flagship development in the Philippines' push to diversify its energy mix away from fossil fuels and meet its ambitious renewable energy targets.
Developmental hurdles are clearing as COP nears the end of its pre-construction requirements. Damgaard confirmed the company has completed necessary site surveys, procurement strategies, and environmental studies.
The partners are now preparing to bid in the Department of Energy’s fifth round of the Green Energy Auction, known as GEA-5, which is anticipated to launch within the first quarter of this year.
In addition to the auction, the consortium plans to file its application for an Environmental Compliance Certificate before the summer. This follows the 2024 issuance of a pre-development award from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Once the auction and permitting phases are secured, the project will move toward a final investment decision and detailed engineering design.
The partnership with ACEN was bolstered in November after the Philippine firm approved additional development funding and CIP finalized the acquisition of a 25 percent stake in the venture.
Damgaard described the collaboration as a strategic necessity, merging CIP’s global technical expertise in offshore wind with ACEN’s localized operational experience and regulatory navigation in the local market.