Bangui Windmills

The Bangui wind farm went up in 2005, the first commercial wind installation in the Philippines and for years the largest in Southeast Asia, with a line of turbines set along the curve of Bangui Bay facing the South China Sea. They stand on grey volcanic sand with the Cordillera foothills behind, and the scale only registers once you walk up to the base of one - the blades are enormous and the sound of them turning carries down the beach. The farm still supplies a meaningful share of Ilocos Norte's electricity, which is worth knowing when the site is presented purely as a photo stop, which is mostly how it functions: vendors, tricycles, souvenir stalls and a steady flow of visitors on the Laoag-Pagudpud run. It takes an hour and sits neatly between Kapurpurawan rock formation, the Cape Bojeador lighthouse and the Pagudpud beaches on the standard northern Ilocos circuit.

History

A 1996 wind study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory picked out Bangui as ideal for wind power, and Niels Jacobsen of NorthWind began work on the project in 1999. The first 15 Vestas turbines were completed on 7 May 2005, five more in August 2008 raised capacity to 33 MW, and it was the first project in the Philippines with an emissions reduction purchase agreement under the Clean Development Mechanism (Wikipedia, Bangui Wind Farm).

The main sights

• The turbine line - the row curving along the bay.
• The grey-sand beach - volcanic shore beneath the towers.
• The blade scale - the size apparent only from the base.
• The Cordillera behind - foothills rising inland.

When to go

November to May for dry weather; the amihan months are windiest, which is the point. Late afternoon for light along the bay.

What to expect

It is a working power installation, not an attraction - there is no visitor centre or tour, just the beach access and the view. Vendors and tricycle drivers are persistent. Allow an hour, not more.

Nearby

Kapurpurawan rock formation, Cape Bojeador lighthouse and the Pagudpud beaches are all on the same road.

Key facts