Wind power drives Camarines Sur’s energy shift

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — The province of Camarines Sur is emerging as a key player in the country’s renewable energy shift, with a landmark 500-megawatt (MW) offshore wind power project in San Miguel Bay being developed by Nexif Ratch Energy.

The project, which spans the municipal waters of the towns of Calabanga, Tinambac, and Siruma, is expected to be among the Philippines’ first and largest utility-scale offshore wind farms.

Governor-elect Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte said the project’s rollout comes ahead of the Department of Energy’s Green Energy Auction 5 (GEA-5), which is dedicated exclusively to offshore wind.

“Once operational, it is expected to displace approximately 1.35 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is equivalent to taking hundreds of thousands of vehicles off the road,” Villafuerte told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

Nexif Ratch Energy (NRE), a renewable energy company based in Singapore and jointly owned by Nexif Energy and Thailand’s RATCH Group, secured its Wind Energy Service Contract from the Department of Energy in August 2021.

“This is a transformative initiative that will not only bring clean power to the grid but also generate lasting benefits for local communities. We’re proud to support the Philippines’ green energy transition,” said NRE CEO Cyril Dissescou in a statement on April 24.

Nicolo Subido, NRE Philippines country director, said NRE’s 74-MWp Calabanga Solar Power Project, commissioned in 2024, is being cited as a model for the firm’s community-centered approach.

“Beyond environmental impact, the San Miguel Bay project is designed to create economic value,” Subido said in a statement, also on April 24.

READ: CamSur’s renewables drive to boost economy, tourism, environment

‘Major leap forward’

Host communities will receive P0.01 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) generated, while 1 percent of the project’s gross income will be remitted to the government, with 40 percent earmarked for local government units, he added.

“This is about empowering communities as much as it is about powering the country. In Calabanga, 90 percent of the workforce was local. We aim to do the same with offshore wind,” Subido stressed.

Incumbent Gov. and Camarines Sur 2nd district Representative-elect Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte described the project as “a major leap forward for Camarines Sur,” noting its potential to create jobs, increase provincial revenues, and boost the region’s profile as a renewable energy investment hub.

The younger Villafuerte said the site is considered ideal for offshore wind due to its favorable wind conditions, proximity to transmission infrastructure, and relative shelter from typhoons compared to other coastal areas.

In addition to NRE’s offshore wind project, the province is home to other renewable initiatives, including a 58.5-MW onshore wind farm under development by Mainstream Renewable Power and Cornerstone Energy Development Inc. in the municipality of Libmanan.

Danish firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has also begun its $3-billion investment in a 1-gigawatt San Miguel Bay offshore wind development in Camarines Sur.

“As Camarines Sur pushes forward with both offshore and onshore wind investments, it is quickly becoming a focal point in the country’s efforts to meet its renewable energy targets—35 percent of the total energy mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040, in line with the Philippine Energy Plan,” Villafuerte added. /cb

(2025/06/05-04:34)