First turbine installation starts at Kalayaan, Laguna wind farm

SPANISH renewable energy developer Acciona Energia has started installing the first turbine of an P8.7-billion wind farm in Kalayaan, Laguna.

The wind farm will eventually have 17 turbines, due to enter commercial operations by the end of this year, Acciona Energia said in a statement on Friday.

The turbines were supplied by Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind.

Once completed, the facility is expected to generate enough power to supply around 85,000 homes while avoiding approximately 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

The Kalayaan 2 Wind Power Project was among those bid out during the fourth green energy auction round. It was awarded a 20-year power purchase agreement by the National Transmission Corp.

The project is the first phase of the larger 350-MW Kalayaan project.

Last year, Acciona Energia, announced a pipeline of more than 2 gigawatts (GW) under development in the Philippines.

Aside from a wind farm, the company is also developing a 180-megawatt-peak solar power project in Daanbantayan, Cebu.

Acciona Energia, a unit of Spanish conglomerate Acciona SA, has a portfolio of 14.6 GW of renewable energy and presence in 24 countries. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera