NIRAS has been selected by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to prepare pre-feasibility studies to assess the expansion of several ports for use as offshore wind ports.
The Denmark-headquartered consultancy company has been commissioned by ADB on behalf of the Philippine government.
Under the contract, NIRAS will prepare the pre-feasibility studies for the expansion of ten ports to act as offshore wind ports.
The studies will consider multiple factors such as port upgrading cost, construction time, port scalability, social and environmental safeguard impact, financial sustainability, proximity to offshore wind sites, and grid connection access to identify the priority sites, said NIRAS.
The firm states that the final result will be a timeline-based action plan for the government, enabling the construction of offshore wind ports from 2028 onwards.
“This is an exciting time for the Philippines in the roll out of offshore wind, and we are delighted for the opportunity to build upon our previous offshore wind port commissions in the Philippines with this landmark study, which spells a step change in the Philippines’ preparation for wind power development in the future,” said Adam Sharp , NIRAS’ technical lead for the study.
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In April 2022, the World Bank and the Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Philippines Offshore Wind Roadmap , according to which the country has the potential to install as much as 21 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040 with the right governmental and policy support.
A year later, the Philippines’ President, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued an Executive Order directing the country’s DOE to put together a policy and administrative framework for offshore wind development and to commence work related to grid development.