Alternergy completes Philippines' first sea-crossing power line for wind project

Overview

Updated 2 hours ago

Eight wind turbines on a Quezon island were useless until the power they generate could reach the mainland. Alternergy just removed that obstacle, completing the Philippines' first overhead sea-crossing transmission line for a wind project.

The 1.4-kilometer crossing, carried by two 100-meter and two 45-meter lattice towers, is part of a 37-kilometer, 69-kilovolt line linking the 64-MW Alabat Wind Project to the Luzon grid. It clears the last major transmission hurdle before the farm's eight 8-MW turbines, among the largest commercial units deployed outside China, can start feeding power.

Why it matters

The sea crossing unlocks the 64-MW Alabat wind farm and proves island renewables can reach mainland grids across the Philippines' 7,000-plus islands.

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Key Indicators

1.4 km

Sea-crossing span

First overhead sea crossing for a Philippine wind project; carried by two 100-meter and two 45-meter lattice towers.

64 MW

Alabat wind project capacity

Eight 8-MW turbines supplied by Envision Energy, designed to withstand typhoons.

37 km

Transmission line length

69-kV dedicated line from Alabat Island to the NGCP grid at Lopez, Quezon, using 483 poles.

311 MW

Expected operating capacity by end of 2026

Up from 119 MW now; includes the 128-MW Tanay wind project in Rizal.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Gerry Magbanua

President of Alternergy Holdings and of Alabat Wind Power Corp.

Leading the Alabat project through transmission completion

Organizations Involved

Alternergy Holdings Corporation

Renewable energy developer (publicly listed, PSE: ALTER)

Expects operating capacity to rise from 119 MW to about 311 MW by end of 2026

Philippine renewable developer and parent of Alabat Wind Power Corp., which owns the Alabat wind farm.

Alabat Wind Power Corp. (AWPC)

Project company (Alternergy subsidiary)

Owns the Alabat Wind Project; transmission complete, commercial operation pending

Subsidiary of Alternergy Holdings that developed and owns the 64-MW Alabat wind farm.

National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)

Grid operator

Hosts the connection point; operates the 69-kV line the Alabat link ties into

Privately held operator of the Philippines' national electricity transmission network.

Envision Energy

Wind turbine manufacturer

Supplied the eight 8-MW turbines for Alabat

Chinese clean-energy firm that supplied the largest commercial wind turbines deployed outside China.

Timeline

2019 October 2026

4 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Sea-crossing transmission link completed
Today Infrastructure

Alternergy completes the 1.4-km overhead sea crossing, the Philippines' first for a wind project.
Today
August 2025
ERC clears grid connection
Regulatory

ERC approves AWPC's dedicated 37-km transmission line to the NGCP grid.
August 4th, 2025
December 2023
Transmission build agreements approved
Corporate

AWPC board approves transmission agreements with Quezon 1 Electric Cooperative and owner's engineer K2 Management.
December 5th, 2023
2019
Wind energy service contract secured
Regulatory

AWPC secures the Wind Energy Service Contract for the Alabat Island site.
2019

Scenarios

Alabat wind farm reaches commercial operation on the Luzon grid

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Alternergy management and company disclosures

The eight turbines complete commissioning and begin feeding power through the new sea crossing. Alternergy expects this by end of 2026, as it has stated the crossing was the key structural milestone before grid delivery.

Commissioning delays push Alabat wind farm to 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: No public analyst — contingency scenario based on commissioning risk

Turbine commissioning or grid-integration testing slips past the end of 2026. The typhoon-rated 8-MW turbines and the new inter-island connection are unproven in commercial service, leaving room for technical snags during energization.

Sea-crossing model spreads to other Philippine island wind projects

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Philippine energy press and industry observers tracking GEAP 2 awardees

The Alabat crossing provides a template for island wind farms elsewhere in the archipelago. Other developers pursuing island sites, including Green Energy Auction Program awardees, may adopt similar overhead sea crossings to reach mainland grids.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1998

Leyte–Luzon HVDC link (1998)

The Philippines connected its Visayas and Luzon island grids with a high-voltage direct current submarine link, letting geothermal power from Leyte flow to Manila and surrounding demand centers. Before it, the two island grids operated separately and Luzon leaned heavily on imported oil.

Then

Geothermal power from the country's volcanic belt began supplying Luzon, trimming oil-fired generation in the capital region.

Now

The link became a backbone of the national grid; NGCP now runs it as part of the nationwide transmission network.

Why this matters now

Same underlying mechanism: power generated on one Philippine island is only useful once transmission crosses the sea to reach consumers.

2016

Block Island Wind Farm (2016)

America's first offshore wind farm, five turbines totaling 30 megawatts off Rhode Island, was completed in 2016. The project required a dedicated submarine cable to the mainland; without it, the generation would have had nowhere to go, and the island's diesel generators would have kept running.

Then

Block Island switched from diesel to wind power once the cable went live.

Now

The interconnection build became the model for subsequent US offshore wind projects.

Why this matters now

Shows the Alabat pattern — the transmission, not the turbines, is the harder engineering problem that decides whether an island wind farm actually delivers power.