Potential winners of the Department of Energy’s fifth Green Energy Auction Program (GEA-5) will be determined by September, as the agency rolls out a tightly sequenced bidding timeline that will test developers’ technical readiness, financial strength, and regulatory compliance.

The timeline, released Monday, lays out an 18-month process that begins with bidder registration this month and ends with the issuance of certificates of award by early 2027.

GEA-5 will auction 3,300 megawatts of fixed-bottom offshore wind capacity, with project deliveries scheduled between 2028 and 2030, marking the country’s first large-scale offshore wind tender.

Registration of qualified suppliers runs from 2 March to 16 March, followed by the evaluation of submissions and notification of deficiencies. Requests for reconsideration may be filed until 10 April, with final resolutions due by 17 April.

From 20 April to 18 May, the DOE will evaluate offshore wind infrastructure plans and proposed delivery commencement dates. A rectification period will run through 1 July, ahead of the posting of the final list of qualified bidders on 3 July.

The pre-bid phase will conclude in July, with the pre-bid conference scheduled on 16 July and the release of bid bulletins by 24 July. Submission and evaluation of bid bonds will follow, ahead of the auction on 27 August.

Validation of submitted bids will run until 4 September, with agency reviews and resolutions extending to mid-September. The DOE plans to issue and post the Notice of Award between 16 September and 24 September.

Winning bidders will have until 23 December to submit post-auction documents, which will be evaluated through early February 2027.

Certificates of award for compliant bidders are scheduled for issuance between 2 February and 22 February 2027. If initial winners are disqualified, next-ranked bidders may submit documents until 23 May 2027, with final awards expected by mid-July 2027.

“The implementation of GEA-5 marks a major stride towards a more sustainable energy future for the Philippines,” the DOE said.

“The initiative aims to expand the share of renewable energy in the national energy mix, strengthen grid reliability, and enhance the country’s long-term energy security through large-scale offshore wind development,” it added.

GEA-5 is the country’s first offshore wind auction and is seen as a key step in accelerating renewable energy deployment and attracting long-term investments into the sector.