FOUR new projects worth P710 billion were signed with green lane certificates in November, the Board of Investments (BOI) announced, bringing total approvals in the One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments to P4.45 trillion.
Executive Order (EO) 18, or the Green Lane for Strategic Investments program, aims to simplify and streamline the approval process for high-impact projects in the Philippines.
The four green-lane projects consist of offshore wind energy and agricultural endeavors.
Buhawind Energy Philippines (BEP), a joint venture between Yuchengco-led PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC) and Denmark’s Copenhagen Energy Group (CEG), formalized three offshore wind power projects in awarding ceremonies on Nov. 18.
CEG was established in 2020 with a portfolio covering renewable energy with solar, onshore and offshore wind projects exceeding 1 GW. The company has key markets in Denmark, Germany and Sweden.
With an initial investment worth P694 billion, the BEP projects have an aggregate target installed capacity of 4,000 gigawatts (GW) and will operate in Northern Luzon, Northern Mindoro and East Panay. These will generate over 50,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The offshore wind project in Ilocos Norte will have a capacity of 1.980 GW and will start operations in 2030. The 0.990 GW Northern Mindoro Offshore Wind Power Project will follow in 2031, and the 0.990 GW East Panay Offshore Wind Power Project in Iloilo and Guimaras in 2033.
Buhawind is due to conduct technical, logistical, environmental and economic feasibility studies, especially for its Northern Luzon site.
“The BOI’s commitment to ensure expedited approvals from regulatory agencies and LGUs through these [green lane] certificates is especially helpful in planning and managing project risks, schedules, and budget in an industry requiring massive amounts of private capital,” Buhawind President Francisco Delfin Jr. said.
On Nov. 15, the BOI also certified Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Philippines Corp. with the green lane service for 20 new breeding farm projects seen to create 1,250 jobs for Filipinos.
With a total investment of P10.55 billion, CPF is the first to receive a green lane certification for agricultural projects since EO 18 was signed in 2023.
CPF will operate the new breeding farms across the Philippines in Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Tarlac, Palawan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, South Cotabato, Pangasinan, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, and Negros Occidental.
The BOI said the company would lease farms in the cited provinces to breed parent stock (PS) pigs, expected to produce thousands of weaned piglets each year, which will then be transferred to Wean-Finish/Grow-out Farms in various locations until they reach market weight.
CPF will likewise invest in advanced farm equipment, including climate control systems for pig buildings, feed silos and automatic feeding systems, central feed silo systems, farrowing pens and crates, gestation pens, as well as diesel and biogas generators.
CPF Philippines is a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Co. Ltd. (CPF), one of Thailand’s leading agro-industrial and food conglomerates. In the Philippines, CPF is a key player in the agricultural and food sector.
The BOI said it recognized the need to provide investors with platforms that reducesreduce red tape in doing business in the Philippines, especially for projects that support the nation’s goals of achieving energy and environmental sustainability.
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