Norway’s Scatec plans 2.4 gigawatts of wind energy projects in PHL

NORWEGIAN renewables company Scatec ASA has lined up five wind energy projects in the Philippines with a combined capacity of 2.4 gigawatts (GW), its regional head said.

“We have a wind energy service contract of 2.4 GW. Five contracts we have, which in total gives you 2.4 GW,” Torbjørn Elliot Kirkeby-Garstad, Scatec general manager for Southeast Asia, told reporters on the sidelines of the Norway-Philippines Maritime and Energy Conference on Friday.

“Four of them [are offshore]. Then we have [an] onshore [project] close to the offshore ones,” he added.

Asked about the value of investments that Scatec is setting aside for the projects, he said: “We’re talking of billions [of dollars] to develop and build those.”

On its website, Scatec describes itself as “a leading integrated independent renewable power producer, delivering affordable, rapidly deployable and sustainable clean energy worldwide.”

The company develops, builds, owns and operates solar, wind and hydropower plants and storage solutions.

It placed the capacity of its projects in operation at 3,355 megawatts (MW) and 1,266 MW under construction. It also said that it has 15.5 GW “in project backlog and pipeline.”

“Our presence in the Philippines is together with Aboitiz, where we own SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) — it’s largely hydropower, it’s Magat, Ambuklao,” Mr. Kirkeby-Garstad said, referring to the joint venture with Aboitiz Power Corp.

“We’re a partnership with them and we’re also discussing growth opportunities with Aboitiz, also through SNAP,” he added.

He said Scatec is doing the five projects with local partners, and that it will not insist on having a controlling stake.

“My approach to this is shoulder-to-shoulder,” he said. “This can be structured in many ways. You could even have three partners in it.”

“We will be doing these with [a] good local partner, and obviously Aboitiz is our partner,” he said. — VVS