Wednesday, May 06, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
ENERGY Development Corp. (EDC) said it plans to put up the largest wind farm in Southeast Asia in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.
Paul Aquino, EDC president, said the company is eyeing an 86-megawatt wind farm, and added that it began soliciting proposals for the project.
EDC had targeted to put up a more modest wind farm with an output of 40 megawatts to 60 megawatts but decided to increase its capacity to make it a more viable investment.
“We decided on 86 megawatts . . . so that we can get the attention of the suppliers and it will be more cost efficient for us,” Aquino said.
Once completed, the project will easily eclipse the 33-megawatt wind farm of NorthWind Power Development Corp., which touts the biggest yet in the region.
NorthWind’s wind farm is located in Bangui, also in Ilocos Norte.
Aquino declined to give the timeline for EDC’s wind project, adding the local government in Ilocos Norte has its own schedule to follow regarding the proposed facility.
Besides the Burgos wind project, EDC is also looking at putting up a 5-megawatt wind farm in Boracay Island, Aklan.
EDC is the largest geothermal producer in the country with an installed capacity of over 1,100 megawatts. This represents 60 percent of the country’s total geothermal capacity.
The company is majority owned by the Lopez Group, a local conglomerate with investments in power, property, manufacturing, construction, and communications.
EDC’s shares closed higher at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday at P3.90 per share from P3.75 per share previously.-- Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo
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