The Land of the Howling Winds has long been defined by its relationship with the Western Pacific. Its rugged coastlines, battered by typhoons and nourished by abundant fisheries, now stand at the center of a new debate: Could the island’s waves hold the key to solving its chronic power shortages?
For decades, Catanduanes has relied on a fragile mix of diesel generators and small hydro plants to keep the lights on. But unpaid obligations of more than P500 million to Sunwest Water and Electric Co., or SUWECO, the island’s main supplier of electric power, have triggered brownouts across the province and raised concerns about reliability. Families, students and businesses all face the same reality: electricity is unpredictable, expensive, and vulnerable to destruction from typhoons.
Against this backdrop, wave energy has emerged as a tantalizing prospect. The idea is simple: capture the kinetic energy of ocean waves and convert it into electricity. The technology is young, but the promise is enormous — especially for an island like Catanduanes, perched on the edge of the Pacific where ocean swells roll in with relentless force.
Wave energy works by harnessing the motion of water. Devices take many forms: floating buoys, oscillating water columns that drive turbines, or long “attenuators” that rise and fall on the waves. Each design seeks to convert the ocean’s constant motion into usable electricity.
Unlike solar, which depends on daylight, or wind, which changes with the weather, waves are more predictable. The ocean’s density — 800 times greater than air — means waves carry far more energy per unit area than wind.
For Catanduanes, where northeast swells dominate during the Amihan monsoon season, this predictability is a major advantage.
Yet promise does not equal practicality. Globally, wave energy remains far more expensive than mature renewables. The “levelized cost of energy” — a standardized figure that includes construction, maintenance and expected lifetime of a project — for wave power currently ranges between P19,256 and P29,264 per megawatt hour, but the cost is falling rapidly. By contrast, solar averages P1,450–3,480 per MWh, and onshore wind P2,030-4,234 per MWh. Even offshore wind, considered costly, is P7,071-16,472 per MWh — far below the cost of wave energy.
The reasons are clear. Wave energy devices are still in pilot phases, with no mass production or global supply chains to drive down costs. Installation in harsh marine environments is capital-intensive, and maintenance is complicated by corrosion, storms, and difficult access. For Catanduanes, where typhoons regularly generate waves exceeding 10 meters, resilience is both a necessity and a cost driver.
If Catanduanes were to pursue wave energy, the most promising sites lie along its eastern and northeastern coasts. Towns like Baras, Gigmoto, and Viga face the Pacific directly, receiving consistent northeast swells with wave power densities reaching up to 13 kilowatts per meter — among the highest in the Philippines. These rugged, sparsely populated coastlines could host pilot installations with minimal disruption to communities.
Northern Virac and Bato offer moderate wave energy potential and are closer to existing grid infrastructure. Hybrid systems combining wave, solar, and wind could be tested here, reducing transmission costs while diversifying supply.
Still, wave energy is not a short-term fix for Catanduanes’ power needs, which are urgent, and deployment of wave technology would take years.
A more viable alternative might be solar microgrids, which can be deployed quickly in barangays and scaled to meet demand.
Despite its current costs, wave energy should not be dismissed outright. Scenario modeling in Europe suggests that by 2050, wave power could fall to P5,000 per MWh, making it competitive with offshore wind. For Catanduanes, investing in pilot projects today could position the island as a leader in marine renewables tomorrow.
Wave energy’s reliability is its greatest asset. By complementing solar and wind, it could reduce the need for expensive battery storage and provide steady baseload power.
Wave energy is not a silver bullet for Catanduanes. Diesel and small hydro will remain necessary in the short term, while solar and wind offer faster relief.
By investing in pilot projects, building local expertise, and integrating wave energy into a broader renewable mix, Catanduanes can transform its vulnerability into strength. The Land of the Howling Winds could become a model for coastal resilience in the Philippines and beyond.
