PhilCarbon to build 15MW wind facility in Mountain Province
August 28, 2011 in Cordillera, energy
www.nordis.net
By ROBERT PANGOD
SAGADA, Mountain Province — Renewable energy firm PhilCarbon, Inc. is set to put up a wind energy project in Mt. Province.
The project is a 15-MW wind facility that will tap wind stream at Pilao ridge in the boundary of Sagada and Besao.
Ruth Yu-Owen, president of PhilCarbon, said that the estimated project cost for building the wind facility is $25-30 million.
Under the proposed wind project, a series of 25 units of 70-meter high wind turbines, each capable of producing electricity up to a maximum of 600 KW, shall be built along the Pilao ridge.
The output will then be conveyed to the existing 69-kilovolt transmission network in Pegeo, Sagada.
At present, the company said that it is in the process of re-appraising the feasibility studies conducted by teams of experts earlier. “Additional technical studies of the project are ongoing”, Yu-Owen said.
Eng’r. Rufino Bomas-ang, chairman of the Board of Directors of PhilCarbon, said that Sagada, Besao and Tadian towns, all in Mountain Province were identified as potential areas for wind energy based on a feasibility study they prepared during his term as energy undersecretary in 1993-1995.
Their findings were later confirmed by a team of Japanese investors who visited the country, particularly Mountain Province, to look at potential wind energy technology.
“There is a constant flow of wind in these areas throughout the year which is the key factor in the generation of wind energy,” Bomas-ang said.
Jude Domoguen, general manager of the Mountain Province Electric Cooperative (MOPRECO) said that the total electricity consumption of Mountain Province is only 4 MW. Once the project pushes through, the excess power could then be sold to the national government.
Sagada Mayor Eduardo Latawan Jr. said that the entry of PhilCarbon will revitalize the development of renewable energy sources in the province.
“Any kind of alternative energy, such as solar or wind power, should be supported because they are more sustainable, economical and environment friendly as exemplified by the Bangui Wind Plant in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, which generates 33 MW of clean electricity,” Latawan said.
“The local tourism industry will also greatly benefit because the wind farm will add a graceful landmark to the panorama of the Pilao mountain ridge which is frequented by tourists,” he added.
As a local host to the wind energy source, Latawan said that the LGU is willing to enter into a partnership with PhilCarbon in the establishment of the wind energy facility and use it as a channel to expand development opportunities in Sagada and Besao.
PhilCarbon is a local company engaged primarily in the development of renewable energy sources for power generation as well as carbon credit trading and documentation for eligible projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. Under the CDM, projects that displace carbon emissions, such as renewable energy projects, may earn credits that can be traded to countries that are heavy polluters. # nordis.net
I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole project will push through. Philcarbon is a subsidiary of the Sagada and Besao Corporation. Nevertheless, I am still crossing my fingers that it won’t. How can PhilCarbon release such statement that the project will not destroy the environment and that it is beneficial to the community? Undeniably, it is beneficial in a way of “financial gains” for the LGU of both host towns. The LGU of Sagada and Besao will then receive royalty shares, 25% will go to the village, 40% to the municipality and 35% to the province. But how can they plan something without any concrete and explicit proposal which discusses details such as its adverse effects on nature as well as how these royalty shares can be put to use by the LGU of the host towns.
This country already has its own share of issues of where do really our taxes go. They should at least present a concrete plan on how these shares will be put to use and how the community can really benefit from it. But if it is something that can disrupt the ecology of the place, it is surely NOT A WIN-WIN situation between man and nature, we will all just have to wait for its adverse effects in the long-run and regret what we have done.
I’m sorry but it somehow sounds dodgy to me. It comes across as more of a money generating scheme instead of advocating the use of renewable energy for protecting the environment, especially when they said that Mt. Province consumes only 5-6 MW of electricity, and that the excess power the windmills will generate will be sold to the Luzon grid. Sometimes green business with all its vision of minimizing man’s carbon footprint on earth can be actually be detrimental to nature, especially when nature is displaced for man’s benefits.
Lastly, they say it will become another tourist attraction in Sagada and Besao, are we in need of another one to attract tourists? I don’t think so.