Buhawind Energy Northern Luzon Corporation (BENLC), a joint venture between PetroGreen Energy Corporation (PGEC) and Denmark’s Copenhagen Energy (CE), has been awarded a pre-development environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for its 2 GW Northern Luzon floating offshore wind project in the Philippines.
The ECC was granted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on 29 May.
The certificate allows BENLC to conduct geophysical, geotechnical, marine, environmental, and social surveys that are essential in characterising the baseline physical and social conditions of the project area, according to PGEC.
The company added that the data will be needed not only in the development design of the offshore wind project but also in assessing potential environmental impacts to the site.
“With the pre-development ECC approval, we will now initiate the conduct of a systematic, comprehensive, and scientific study of the site’s physical and social setting that will not only meet international industry standards but provide factual basis for assessing development concerns,” said Yrel V. Ventura , PGEC’s assistant vice president for environment and community.
In April 2025, the Northern Luzon offshore wind farm was certified by the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) as an energy project of national significance. The same year, the Board of Investments endorsed the project as a strategic investment that aligns with the country’s developmental agenda, with the issuance of the wind farm’s Green Lane Certificate .
PGEC and CE began to co-develop projects off the coast of the Philippines in 2020 and formalised their collaboration by creating a partnership, BuhaWind Energy Philippines , in 2022.
At the end of 2024, BuhaWind Energy Philippines secured a grid connection for its 2 GW floating offshore wind farm in Northern Luzon.
In addition, the joint venture is developing two other projects with an expected capacity of 1 GW each in Northern Mindoro and East Panay.