THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is allocating P2.11 billion to improve Jose Panganiban port in Camarines Norte to make it suitable for servicing the offshore wind industry.
The port regulator is inviting interested parties to submit bids for the port improvement project on or before Feb. 4, it said in a bid notice.
According to the PPA, the winning bidder for the project will have 840 calendar days or approximately two years and three months to complete the upgrade of the port.
The Energy department has identified Jose Panganiban port as one of three lined up for repurposing to service the offshore wind industry.
Situated close to 14 offshore wind energy service contracts (OWESCs), the Port of Jose Panganiban is expected to service wind farms with an estimated capacity of 8,150 megawatts (MW). Two projects in the area are in the advanced pre-development phase.
The port of Jose Panganiban is among PPA’s 14 big-ticket flagship projects valued at a total P16 billion, scheduled for completion by 2028.
The Department of Energy has awarded 92 offshore wind energy service contracts to 38 renewable energy developers with combined potential capacity of 66.10 gigawatts (GW).
According to the Philippine Offshore Wind Roadmap, the Philippines has a potential capacity of about 63 GW if it taps offshore wind resources.
Also identified as priorities for redevelopment as offshore wind service bases are Currimao, Ilocos Norte and Sta. Clara, Batangas City.
Last year, the PPA awarded the P839.18-million Currimao Port expansion project to a Davao-based construction company Khan Kon Chi Construction and Development Corp. — Ashley Erika O. Jose