By
Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
BURGOS,
Ilocos Norte—More trees have to fall, to give way to the on-going construction
of the largest wind farm in the Philippines, which is targeted for
commissioning in the last quarter of this year.
After
eight months of full construction work, the Burgos wind project (BWP) of the
Lopez-led Energy Development Corporation (EDC) in Ilocos Norte has started
installation work and transportation of huge wind turbines in the area
following grounds excavation and backfilling operations along the sprawling
600-hectare coastal and mountainous areas covering Brgys. Saoait,
Poblacion and Nagsurot here.
“For
any kind of development, some things have to be sacrificed,” said provincial
environment and natural resources officer Juan delos Reyes in allowing the
cutting of 848 trees and earth balling of 1,944 tree saplings more to make way
for the 87-MW Burgos wind farm .
To
date, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has granted at
least two special cutting permits to EDC for the cutting of these towering
trees covering several barangays of Burgos town where the large scale Vestas
V90-3.0MW wind turbines and ancillary plant will be erected.
EDC’s
special cutting permit no. 2013-04 and 2013-05 covers the cutting of 848 trees.
About 732 of these have already been felled.
Early
this month, Reman Chua, project manager of the BWP has requested for the
extension of the permit as more than 100 trees included in the inventory have
yet to be cut under the special cutting permit.
According
to Chua’s letter, the request for extension was due to a delay in meeting the
scheduled cutting activity because workers had a hard time passing through the
slope and stony formation surrounding these trees while mitigating soil
erosion.
Once
operational, the BWP is expected to generate about 233GWh of electricity a
year, enough to power more than a million households and augment the Luzon
grid’s dependable capacity.
In
the next ten years, the Luzon grid is expected to be in need of additional
4,200MW.
Aside
from the wind farm, the project also includes 1,115kV transmission line
connecting the wind farm from the Burgos substation to the Laoag substation of
the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, as well as the expansion of
the switchyard/substations.
The
BWP broke ground on April 17 last year and started the major civil works of
constructing at least 29 large footings with a volume of approximately 500 cu.
M per footing foundation.
First
Balfour signed a P2.4 billion deal with Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark, the
world’s largest wind manufacturer for the civil works of the 87 MW wind power
farm. It is expected to be completed in October 2014.
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