The National Renewable Energy Board has endorsed a lower feed-in tariff rate for the additional 200 megawatts of wind projects at P8.49 per kilowatt-hour, an official said Wednesday.
The Energy Department earlier endorsed to the Energy Regulatory Commission the installation of an additional 200 MW of wind projects, doubling the approved installation target to 400 MW.
The ERC earlier approved a feed-in tariff rate of P8.53 per kWh for the first wind installation target of 200 MW.
“Yes, we complied with the ERC directive and submitted revised wind FIT of P8.49 per kWh last May 6. Many of the wind projects, which are over the initial 200-MW installation target, are either finished or nearing completion already,” NREB chairman Pete Maniego told reporters.
He said the proposed rate was equal to the digressed rate of wind projects.
Maniego said the NREB proposed rate would undergo hearings with the ERC starting on June 6.
Energy director Mario Marasigan earlier said the additional 200 MW “will contribute to the summer of 2015 and 2016 plus continuing program since wind installation target is already subscribed.”
He said the ERC would still review the FIT rate for the additional 200-MW capacity.
The NREB earlier proposed an increase of 300 MW due to the strong interest among wind farm developers.
Maniego earlier said the 200-MW allocation for wind projects would have been exceeded by December 2014.
“Total wind projects on the pipeline exceed 700 MW and can be finished by 2015,” Maniego said.
More companies have filed applications with the Energy Department to develop new wind power projects in Ilocos Norte province, which is already home to three major wind farms.
Energy Development Corp., owner of the 150-megawatt Burgos wind project, currently the country’s largest wind facility, has four other pending applications to develop wind projects in the province, according to data from the Energy Department.
EDC plans to build Burgos 3 and Burgos 4 wind power projects in Burgos town, Pasuquin wind power project in Pasuquin town and Ilocos Norte wind power project in the towns of Burgos, Bangui, Vintar and Pasuquin.
EDC started the operations of the 150-MW Burgos wind project in Burgos town last year.
Aside from EDC, other wind projects in Ilocos Norte that are now in operation are the 33-megawatt Bangui wind farm of NorthWind Power Development Corp. and the 81-MW Caparispisan wind project in Pagudpud of Northern Luzon UPC Asia Corp., a renewable energy company controlled by Ayala Corp.