07/02/2006
- Wendy the Windmill is the affectionate name for Southeast
Asia’s first largescale windfarm. The 25 MW Northwind project
in Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines, was commissioned
in June 2005 with an adventure race organized by the Climate
and Energy Program of WWF Philippines. After 3 months of
successful operation during which it sold electricity to
consumers of the province at a rate 7% lower than prevailing
power rates, it’s viability was severely threatened by an
Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ruling to re-bundle transmission
charges that effectively increased Northwind’s transmission
cost from an average of $7,700 a month to $110,000 a month.
Based on Northwind’s estimate, their project would have
collapsed in less than 6 months if no solution was found.
WWF Philippines, with the help of a consultant from the
University of the Philippines – National Engineering Center
(UP-NEC) coordinated with Northwind and worked to reverse
the ERC ruling. Through persistent lobbying, the questionable
ruling was reversed, much to the relief of Northwind.
The reversed ruling affects all decentralized generators,
most of which run on renewable energies.
This means that, fortunately, Wendy the Windmill and her
ecofriendly sisters in the Philippines are safe! |
