Up for grabs: 3,300 megawatts in offshore wind auction

MANILA, Philippines — The government is offering 3,300 megawatts of offshore wind capacity for the fifth green energy auction (GEA-5) in a bid to deliver the first kilowatts before the end of President Marcos’ term.

For this auction round, the Department of Energy (DOE) is focusing exclusively on fixed-bottom offshore wind technology due to its “established global track record, cost-efficiency, and scalability.”

“By prioritizing fixed-bottom offshore wind for GEA-5, we are investing in a technology that is ready to deliver,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

The approach is expected to help the government accelerate the deployment of offshore wind projects in line with efforts to generate large-scale clean power for the national grid.

“This allows us to set a strong and credible foundation for the country’s offshore wind sector, one that can deliver first power by 2028,” Lotilla said.

The fixed-bottom offshore wind technology is directly anchored to the seabed, unlike floating offshore wind projects, which are mounted on floating platforms.

Despite the potential of floating offshore wind projects, the DOE said the technology is still in the early stage of development.

However, the agency remains open to offering floating offshore wind capacity in the future.

“As global experience grows and the technology matures, the DOE will reassess its inclusion in future auction rounds,” Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said.

“For now, our focus is to build momentum with fixed-bottom projects that can succeed under current technical, regulatory, and infrastructure conditions,” Guevara added.

The conduct of offshore wind auctions supports the government’s target of scaling the share of renewables in the energy mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040 from the current 22 percent.