The Invincible Winds of Bangui

Let's get the cliché out of the way: the winds of Bangui blew me away. For me, one of the highlights of our Ilocos tour was visiting the Bangui Wind Farm.

It was noon when we got to the wind farm and we were hot and a very hungry bunch. We just came from the windy steps of the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse and we were looking for a place to gratify our growing hunger.

Unfortunately, though, you cannot find such a place within the Bangui Wind Farm. We ate at an eatery named Amian Cafe just around the area but it was a horrible experience. We waited for more than hour before they served the bland mediocre food and the service was just...unbelievably depressing.

A distant view of the turbines from Amian Cafe

 

We decided that since there was absolutely no point (and no other option) in waiting miserably for our food to be served it was best to roam around the area for a while. 

Aside from the wind turbines, the place was lined with souvenir shops all busy bargaining with curious tourists. Lining the shoreline of the Bangui bay are 20 powerful Vestas (Vestas Wind Systems, a Danish firm ) wind turbines. These white three-bladed giants draw tourists from all parts of the country and around the world.

The history behind these colossal wind turbines played out when former Governor Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. relentlessly pursued the development of an environment-friendly power plant in Ilocos Norte because of the power outages that drove investors and companies away from the province. Needless to say, loosing big investors hampered the economic growth of the place. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory conducted researches and concluded that the shoreline of Bangui Bay is an ideal location for a wind power installation. Engineers and builders around the country and from Denmark worked together to accomplish the seemingly impossible task--the Bangui Wind Farm, the first and only of its kind in Southeast Asia, was born.

Each turbine is a generator used to turn the winds' kinetic energy into electricity powering almost 40% of Ilocos Norte. Each turbine is capable of producing electricity up to a maximum capacity of 1.65 MW.

A Bangui Wind Turbine

I always knew that the turbines are huge. But I was never prepared at how...gargantuan each one is. Standing beside--more like below--one makes you realize how small humans are compared to its greatest feats. Plus, the winds are threatening to blow me away unto the waves of the sea. 

Couple camwhoring. Haha

Another amazing feature of the farm is that it is completely open to tourists. There are no gates, fences, or booths asking for entrance fees. If it weren't for the fact that the farm is located at the north-west tip of Luzon and is pretty much inaccessible to a lot of schools, the place would have been ideal for educational trips.

Bobbie's windswept shot at Bangui Wind Farm

Sure, the sun was high up and alarmingly biting down on our skins but, standing along the shoreline beside the massive turbines, hearing the slow WHOOSH! as the blades slice through the tough winds awing and shaking you at the same time, is one of the most enduring memory of my trip. You feel the wind empowering you. As these white giants stand guard over you, you feel unbeatable. Like a wind, you feel invincible, unstoppable.

More on Ilocos here! :)