“Tell me how many Bangui windmills there are and you get a prize!”
The local tourist guide in Bangui, Ilocos Norte will give you a miniature of the Bangui windmills if you can give him the exact count of the wind turbines. I wasn’t a fast counter so I just bought my own miniature windmill!
So instead of counting them, read on and find out exactly how many there are.
The windmills are considered as Southeast Asia’s biggest wind turbines.They are located in Ilocos Norte are 20 beautiful windmills or wind turbines which resemble giant electric fans. Each wind turbine has the capacity to generate electricity up to a maximum of 1.65 Megawatts for a total of 24.75 Megawatts. The 20 turbines are lined up along an arc manner following the shoreline of Bangui Bay facing the West Philippine Sea at the northwest tip of Luzon island.
The windmills or wind farm is part of the Ilocos Norte wind power project which erected the turbines in a single row, 326 meters apart. The turbine hub height from ground level to center of nacelle reaches 70 meters high. Each blade is 41 meters long with a rotor diameter of 82 meters and wind swept area of 5281 square meters.
40 % of the generated electricity is sold and used by the residents in the area.
Everyone is welcome to see and go near the windmills so as to closely appreciate the beauty of the wind turbines and the Pagudpud beach.
The windmills as well as nearby Pagudpud is a favorite travel destination in Ilocos Norte. Booking a hotel in this area is easy and can be done via an online travel services like agoda.com. Simply type in the location: Ilocos Norte.
The fascinating windmills are considered the biggest wind turbines in Southeast Asia. We, Filipinos are proud for having a fascinating site while utilizing renewable energy resources to reduce greenhouse effect that causes global warming.
The Bangui Windmills can be reached from the city of Laoag, Ilocos Norte by taking the Laoag-Cagayan route. A directional marker provided at the left side of the road about 5 minutes from Burgos town proper will guide you to Bangui Bay. This leads to a gravel road with a downward slope leading to the beach. You will be amazed by the sight of the windmills right after the initial turn.