First Gen mulls putting up wind power plant in Antique

First Gen Corp., the power generation arm of the Lopez group, is looking at the possibility of putting up a wind power plant in Antique, a top company official said.

First Gen chief executive officer Peter Garrucho said the project will be undertaken by First Gen Renewables Inc. (FGRI), First Gen’s renewable energy subsidiary.

Garrucho said FGRI is coordinating with Worldwide Fund Philippines, a leading environmental group, in conducting a wind resource assessment on a 100-hectare site in Pandan, Antique to determine the suitability of the site for a wind farm.

Pandan, a fishing and farming community, is only 32 kilometers from Caticlan, the jump-off point to the world famous Boracay island resort.

The Philippines has a potential wind power equivalent of 76,600 megawatts (MW), leading other wind-power producing countries like Germany (14,000 MW potential wind power), Spain and US (6,000 MW each), Denmark (3,000 MW) and India (2,100 MW).

The wind data assessment was an offshot of a Sept. 26, 2003 memorandum of agreement between FGRI and Kabang Kalikasan ng Pilipinas, a local chapter of the Worldwide Fund, wherein FGRI was given priority to develop a wind power project in the area.

According to FGRI, Aklan Electric Cooperative Inc. (Akelco) has signified interest to source some of its power requirements from the Pandan wind facility if this would push through.

Garrucho said aside from Antique, FGRI is also conducting similar studies in Atok, Benguet and Lobo, Batangas.

“Though we are always in search of viable projects using wind and solar, First Gen expects to generate projects sooner in mini hydro. Already, we are looking at a number of sites in Panay and Northern Mindanao which have good possibilities for run-of-river hydro projects,” Garrucho said.

In 1995, FGRI first ventured into new and renewable technologies technologies as a distributor of BP Solar.

The company maintains a strong presence in the country’s solar photovoltaic business until today. Its business extends to the supply and installation of solar photovoltaic systems for village electrification, telecommunications, water-pumping systems and navigation, among others, for both government and private companies.

Five years ago, FGRI commenced the design, procurement, installation, testing, commissioning and operation of a 180-kilowatt wind-diesel hybrid system for Batan Island, the largest island in Batanes.

The hybrid system, assisted by a 1.2-MW diesel plant, is designed to reduce diesel consumption and provide a sustainable electric service to the island, which has an average load demand of 300 kw.

The hybrid diesel/wind facility was inaugurated in August 2004 and was the first commercially operated wind-diesel hybrid system in the Philippines.

At present, the National Power Corp.-Small Power Utilities Group now operates and maintains the facility which sells power to Batanes Electric Cooperative Inc.