Phinma unit’s wind farm tagged as ‘game-changer’ in Guimaras

MANILA, Philippines - Trans-Asia Renewable Energy Corp. (Tarec), a subsidiary of the Phinma Group’s Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., has transformed Visayas as a major wind energy source for the region while boosting tourism in the area.

It has marked the third month of commercial operations of its 54-megawatt San Lorenzo Wind Farm.

Tarec held a dedication ceremony last week for the farm, which commenced commercial operations in December last year.

The wind farm started delivering power to the grid since October 2014 and can supply 100 percent to the Visayas grid.

During last week’s ceremony, officials said the project has been tagged as a “game-changer” in the province of Guimaras as it sparked tourism and development in the island.

Danilo Panes, associate vice president for Wind Energy Development of Trans-Asia said the project has also been attracting tourists.

“Moving forward, we are planning to sustain the interest in our facility by helping design a tourism roadmap for the island. Tarec, together with the local government of Guimaras and San Lorenzo, is hoping that the wind farm will be a catalyst for change in the province,” he said.

Since its construction phase, the project increased local employment through contracting community residents for civil works. Now that the wind farm is completed, it is beginning to become an attraction to locals, evident by the 50 percent increase in incoming tourists to the island as compared to last year, according to the local tourism office.

The San Lorenzo Wind Farm is the second investment of Trans-Asia in Guimaras. The first was a 3.4-MW Diesel Plant which has a long-running bilateral contract with Guimelco, the sole electric cooperative in the island.

The San Lorenzo Wind Farm consists of 27 wind turbines, each generating 2-MW of power and spanning 14 kilometers across four barangays in San Lorenzo. It is the first wind energy project that can consistently deliver 100 percent of its capacity to the grid, the company said.