Danish firm’s offshore wind project secures pre-dev’t ECC

Manila: Danish firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has secured its pre-development environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for its offshore wind energy project in Camarines Sur. The Royal Danish Embassy in Manila said in a statement Friday that CIP's 1-gigawatt San Miguel Bay Offshore Wind Project is the first of its kind to receive the pre-development ECC from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). 'With this in place, we have initiated offshore site surveying, a critical step in advancing the project's development,' Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP) offshore wind co-chief executive officer Rune Damgaard said. All renewable energy (RE) projects are required to secure an ECC from DENR to ensure that they adhere to the government's environmental rules and regulations, as well as the global industry standards. 'DOE's service contractor, CIP, can now proceed with exploration and pre-development activities that are essential in jump-starting the growth of offshore wind in th e country and contribute to achieving the Philippines' long-term energy security objectives,' Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said. Danish Ambassador to the Philippines Franz-Michael Mellbin also welcomed the issuance of a pre-development ECC to CIP's offshore wind project. CIP will be the first foreign company in the country to operate an RE project on 100 percent foreign equity after the Marcos administration opened the RE sector to full foreign ownership. 'Wind power is one of the ways the government can bring abundant, affordable, and reliable way to every Filipino and ensure continued growth and prosperity for the nation,' Mellbin said. CIP is investing about PHP170 billion in the San Miguel Bay Offshore Wind Project, targeted to be operational by 2028. Source: Philippines News agency