The Philippines’ authorities have finally launched the bidding for the country’s first offshore wind farms.

The Department of Energy launched the bidding on Tuesday, and with it initiated the fifth Green Energy Auction with a projected capacity of 3.3GW for delivery between 2028 and 2030.

According to the Department, the new auction round will include only fixed-bottom offshore wind developments that are consistent with the current readiness of the nation’s grid and ports.

The winners will be given a 20-year supply period and will receive Green Energy Tariff payments once their projects are commissioned.

The terms for the auction round define a strengthened offshore wind infrastructure plan, covering grid connection, port use, logistics, and development milestones which must be fulfilled by the bidders.

The government has also revised penalty terms, as well as rules for the bid bond, performance bond, and Green Energy Tariff entitlement, including adjustments for early or delayed commissioning. The Department also amended guidelines regarding force majeure and other delays, if validated by the authorities.

Developers are now invited to prepare their registration requirements, such as wind resource assessments, infrastructure plans, and corporate documents.

The country initially launched the round in June this year, with bidding supposed to start by the third quarter of 2025. However, the auction was rescheduled to the final quarter due to revisions required for the initial terms of reference draft.

The country is looking to turn to offshore wind sooner rather than later, and has already set a clean energy generation target of 15.3GW by 2030, with 3 to 6GW expected to come from offshore wind sources.