DMCI Power plans  to build wind farm  on Semirara Island

DMCI Power Corp. is planning to build a wind power plant on Semirara Island, its listed parent firm DMCI Holdings, Inc. told the stock exchange on Monday.

“We are also looking at solar energy to augment the supply in the island, but we are prioritizing wind resource development because it has shown the most promise,” DMCI Power President Antonino E. Gatdula, Jr. said in a media release.

The power generation company said it has yet to finalize its intended capacity for the wind power project but is looking at between 8 megawatts (MW) and 12 MW.

The project will be funded and undertaken independently by DMCI Power, which expects it to be operational within a year to 15 months.

“Current studies suggest that wind power could potentially deliver a 33% plant utilization rate, compared to just 17% for solar. Capital expenditure per megawatt for both wind and solar projects are also roughly the same,” Mr. Gatdula said.

DMCI Power is validating wind resource estimates for Semirara Island to determine the final location and capacity of its wind power project.

It said the wind corridors between Luzon and Panay, which include the Semirara and Cuyo islands, were found to have abundant wind power density and speed for a utility-scale wind project.

In 2022, DMCI Power said it was targeting to include solar energy in its energy mix this year, with at least a 4-MW solar plant set to operate in Masbate by the fourth quarter of 2023.

Established in 2006, the company is primarily engaged in energizing off-grid small and remote islands. Its portfolio includes diesel, bunker, and thermal energy plant. — Ashley Erika O. Jose