P10.85-B wind project enters Green Lane

The Board of Investment, or BoI, recently awarded a Green Lane Certificate of Endorsement to the P10.85-billion Kalayaan 2 Wind Power Project of Laguna Wind Energy Corp., or LWEC,  located in Paete and Kalayaan, Laguna.

One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments governor-in-charge Marjorie Ramos-Samaniego said the certificate of endorsement was awarded under Executive Order 18.

The project is set to start its commercial operations by 2026 and is expected to generate at least 30 direct and 500 indirect jobs for Filipinos.

Laguna Wind Energy Corp.'s subsidiary The Blue Circle, or TBC, expects the Kalayaan 2 project to spearhead its operations in the Philippines.

It now has an overall portfolio of more than 2.5 gigawatt, or GW, of renewable energy in development in the entire country.

The Kalayaan 2 project's footprint will cover 70 hectares of land with an installed 100.8 megawatts, or MW, of clean energy capacity utilizing the latest state-of-the-art wind turbine generator technology.

Greenhouse retardant

Aligned with the Department of Energy's target of a 35 percent share of renewable energy in the power generation mix by 2030, the Kalayaan 2 project will contribute in accelerating the country's goal in reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting economic growth in the project's region and protecting the health and environment of its stakeholders.

Approved by the Office of the President on 24 February 2023, EO 18 aims to expedite, streamline, and automate processes on the application of permits and licenses of strategic investments.

As the single entry of strategic investments, OSACSI will facilitate the processing of permits and licenses for the endorsed project to ensure the quick realization of energy investments.

"Projects under Greenlane will be fast-tracked for the release of permits because there is now a government entity that will monitor the project, the BoI-OSACSI. The said BoI unit will ensure that the Citizen Charter under the Ease of Doing Business Law commitment of concerned government agencies will be carried out," BoI managing head Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.

The BoI said from April to October this year, 16 renewable energy applications have already received Green Lane certification facilitated by the One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments of the BoI.