LISTED renewable energy developer Alternergy Holdings Corp. has completed a sea-crossing transmission link for its 64-megawatt (MW) Alabat Wind Power Project in Quezon province, paving the way for the facility to deliver electricity to the Luzon grid.
In a statement on Tuesday, Alternergy said the 1.4-kilometer overhead crossing forms part of the project’s 37-kilometer, 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line.
The company described the infrastructure as the country’s first overhead sea-crossing transmission link developed for a wind power project.
The crossing required the construction of two 100-meter-tall lattice towers and two 45-meter-tall towers to carry electricity from Alabat Island to the mainland.
“The Alabat sea crossing addresses that challenge and demonstrates our ability to deliver complex infrastructure that unlocks the potential of the country’s renewable energy resources,” Alternergy President Gerry P. Magbanua said.
The transmission line will connect the wind farm on Alabat Island to the Gumaca-Lopez (Hondagua) 69-kV transmission line operated by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
The Alabat wind farm will consist of eight turbines, each with a capacity of 8 MW. Alternergy said the turbines are the largest commercial wind turbines deployed outside China.
The company also described the development as the first wind farm in Quezon province and among the first projects under the Department of Energy’s second Green Energy Auction Program.
The Alabat project, together with the 128-MW Tanay Wind Power Project in Rizal, is expected to increase Alternergy’s operating capacity to about 311 MW from 119 MW by the end of the year.
In July, Alternergy entered into a P2.3-billion investment agreement with A Brown Co., Inc. involving the latter’s acquisition of a 40% stake in two wind farm projects.
Alternergy is targeting a renewable energy portfolio of 1,000 MW by 2030 under its Triple Play Portfolio strategy, which covers wind, solar, and run-of-river hydropower.
Shares in Alternergy declined by 1.56% to close at P0.63 apiece on Tuesday. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera