The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has given Aboitiz-backed Lihangin Wind Energy Corp. (LWEC) the green light to link its large-scale wind farm in Northern Samar to the Visayas grid.
LWEC, a joint venture of Aboitiz Renewables Inc., Vivant Energy Corp. and Singapore-based Vena Energy, is now authorized to build point-to-point limited transmission facilities for its 206-megawatt (MW) San Isidro Wind Power Project (SIWPP).
The project’s interim grid connection will be through the Calbayog substation of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), pending completion of the proposed 138-kilovolt San Isidro substation for its permanent link.
The ERC, however, denied LWEC’s request to manage the dedicated transmission facilities, assigning full operational and maintenance responsibility to the NGCP.
‘In case the subject assets shall be required for competitive purposes, the ownership of the same shall be transferred to NGCP using the fair market price of the said facilities, subject to optimization,’ the ERC ruled.
In evaluating the merits of LWEC’s application, the regulator said it focused on several aspects, including the wind project and the company’s technical capability to construct the proposed transmission assets.
Located in the municipality of San Isidro in Northern Samar, SIWPP is targeted for commercial operations in February next year, based on the application.
The project’s capacity, the ERC said, is expected to help meet the country’s growing power demand. It is likewise aligned with the government’s push to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources.
SIWPP’s generation output will be dispatched through a power supply agreement with retail electricity suppliers, the commission noted.
The actual system peak demand in the Visayas grid reached 2,654 MW as of end-April, while the region’s dependable capacity stood at 3,252 MW, latest Department of Energy data showed.