Philippines could get a fifth of power from offshore wind by 2040: World Bank Group

The Philippines could by 2040 get one fifth of its electricity from a floating-dominated offshore wind fleet that would underpin the Southeast Asian nation’s energy independence, says a new roadmap for the sector compiled with the help of the World Bank Group.

The “regionally important” wind resources around the Philippines’ 7,000 islands would see 21GW installed by the end of the next decade under the high scenario of the roadmap, released by the nation’s Department of Energy (DoE).

That fleet would provide 21% of the country’s power needs and create more than 200,000 jobs and $14bn of gross value to the Philippines economy.

The high growth scenario is dominated by floating turbines in waters deeper than 50 metres in a nation where shallower sites for fixed-foundation deployment are limited. The World Bank Group study reckons all but a few gigawatts of the 21GW would be floating.

But that expansion depends on “long-term vision” and a wider, faster implementation of policies and infrastructure development, including for the grid, than foreseen under the wind element of the DoE’s current National Renewable Energy Programme. A build-out consistent with the latter sees a 3GW installation by 2040, accounting for 3% of power supplies.

The two scenarios come against the backdrop of what the World Bank Group assessed as a 178GW technical potential for offshore wind in the Philippines.

Ndiamé Diop, World Bank country director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, said: “The Philippines’ waters have conditions that are well-suited to offshore wind. This abundant, indigenous energy resource offers an opportunity for the Philippines to boost energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase renewable energy supply.”

The Philippines is among clutch of nations regularly cited as a candidate for the next wave of Asian offshore wind markets, following pacesetters such as China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

The early-stage projects have all secured a wind energy service contract – a key permit to begin development activities from the DoE, of which according to the World Bank study has already issued 30 covering plans for a cumulative 20GW of capacity.