Windmill Romblon
Despite being a coastal community, Romblon Island continuously developing through the years, attracting many tourists and improving the lives of the locals. It is especially true with the construction of the Windmill in Romblon, a project that aims to provide sufficient and reasonable energy rates.
Apart from that, the Windmill in Romblon is now a famous and must-see tourist spot when visiting the island. So if you’re wondering why you should see the Windmill in Romblon, read on as we share how a hundred million wind turbine project developed and its importance to Romblon Island!
The Wind Farm Project
Began construction in 2018, the Romblon Wind Farm is a P242 million project, inaugurated on February 10, 2019. It features three 300 kW turbines, and each unit stands 41.5 m tall, with a total nominal power of 900 kW.
The wind turbines stand at Barangay Agnay, Bagacay, and Lonos and generate an estimated 2,000,100 kW hours of renewable energy or up to 25% of the total required energy consumption for Romblon Island.
All thanks to the partnership of Romblon Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ROMELCO) and Komaihaltec, Inc., and the support of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, this project was made possible. The Windmill in Romblon is also the first project of Komaihaltec in the Philippines.
According to Rene Fajilagutan, ROMELCO general manager, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan funded half of the total project cost, and Komaihaltec covered the other half. Fajilagutan also said that once ROMELCO handles the wind farm, there would be no fixed charge amount per month, and the expected energy rate, excluding the value-added taxes, is around P6.19 per kWh.
Furthermore, the generated energy from the wind turbines will also power up electric vehicles from Honda Motor Company, Ltd. The automobile manufacturer has released 100 units to the locals of Romblon Island as part of their trial project for the latest PCX electric scooters.
The locals of Romblon Island can pay the unit for P2,000 per month for four years and can charge their electric scooter at any of the charging ports constructed on the island. Also, based on the contract, the wind farm project will undergo a 4-year demonstration period before being transferred in 2023 to ROMELCO.
Summary
Although the wind farm project can only supply a certain percentage of power in Romblon Island, the local electricity provider ROMELCO no longer need to depend on diesel fuel. It is good news for the residents of Romblon since renewable energy is much cheaper than diesel, lowering the electricity rate on the island.
So if you’re planning to explore Romblon, check out the Windmill in Romblon Island located at Barangay Agnay, Bagacay, and Lonos!