THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is prioritizing dedicated hubs in Mercedes, Camarines Norte, and Batangas, to address infrastructure bottlenecks and meet the Department of Energy’s target of deploying the country’s first offshore wind turbine by 2028.
Speaking at The Manila Times Maritime and Offshore Wind Forum, lawyer Hanica Rachael Arshia Ong, manager of the PPA Commercial Services Department, said that commercial ports cannot handle the weight and dimensions of OSW cargo. “As they stand, existing commercial ports generally cannot handle the unusually large and heavy cargo required for offshore wind,” Ong said.
She explained that port readiness directly dictates project timelines and that “OSW ports are not simply larger versions of conventional ports.”
Land constraints, high waterside construction costs, and operational disruptions at active terminals make converting standard ports impractical. To lead the expansion, the PPA is funding the Mercedes OSW Port in Camarines Norte, featuring a 190-meter heavy-lift berth, 20 MT/sqm load capacity, a 40-hectare marshalling area, and a 160-hectare back-up area, with groundbreaking set for the third quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, the P3.6-billion Batangas OSW Port, located next to the existing Batangas terminal, will provide a 28-hectare core staging area through a public-private partnership under the PPP Code.
“PPA has identified two priority OSW ports positioned to support the first generation of projects,” Ong said. Both sites align with Wind Energy Service Contract (WESC) locations mapped with the DOE, with Northern Luzon, Mindoro, and the Guimaras Strait under evaluation for future development.
To support these hubs, the PPA is seeking private investment in port construction and logistics. “We are looking at a whole-of-government approach,” Ong emphasized, noting that “offshore wind is not only an energy opportunity, it is an opportunity for investment in ports, logistics, engineering, construction, equipment and supply chains.”
While foreign firms can own 100 percent of non-commercial ports dedicated to their own cargo, statutory limits on foreshore leases are leading developers to form local joint ventures.