A consortium led by Seawind Asia AG, Stream Invest Holdings AG, and Triconti ECC Renewables secured the first-ever grid connection agreements for offshore wind projects in the Philippines, a development that may accelerate the country’s shift toward large-scale renewable energy.

In a statement, Triconti said on Monday, Feb. 23, that the agreements cover three projects with a combined potential capacity of 1.65 gigawatts: the 450-megawatt Frontera Bay, the 600-megawatt Guimaras Strait, and the 600-megawatt Guimaras Strait II.

Triconti said the commitments were a turning point for the regulatory framework, which has long sought to attract the heavy capital investment required for offshore wind.

Securing grid access is often the most biggest hurdle for energy developers, where the aging transmission infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with the surge in renewable interest. By locking in these agreements, the Seawind-Triconti partnership moves closer to commercial viability ahead of the government’s fifth Green Energy Auction (GEA5), which is slated for later this year.

The projects are expected to bolster the country’s long-term energy security, as it is traditionally dependent on imported coal and gas. As the government aims to increase the share of renewables in the power mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040, offshore wind has emerged as a cornerstone of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategy.

Sascha Lindemann, Sea Wind Management GmbH and Triconti ECC managing director, said the grid commitments were a “breakthrough” that transitions offshore wind from a conceptual vision to “tangible reality.” The issuance of these agreements provides a necessary level of de-risking for the consortium as it prepares its bids for the upcoming auction.

The partnership’s success relied on coordination with national authorities and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

Theo C. Sunico, Triconti director for regulatory and markets, said the milestone sends “strong signal” to the international investment community regarding the government’s willingness to support the capital-intensive offshore sector.

The consortium said it will now “intensify development activities” to meet the technical and financial requirements of GEA5.

While the total investment cost for the 1.65-gigawatt portfolio has not been disclosed, similar regional offshore projects typically require hundreds of billions of pesos in capital expenditure. The partners intend to advance the projects toward a final investment decision to help meet the state's aggressive decarbonization targets.