Just Go with the Wind at Bangui Windmills

Before or after going to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, you must drop by the town of Bangui –  the home of Bangui Windmills, a popular wind turbine farm in the Philippines.

Bangui Windmills - View

Bangui Windmills is considered as the NorthWind Bangui Bay Project, a project by the NorthWind Development Corporation on how to make a renewable energy provider and to help reduce and prevent the greenhouse gases which are the major cause of global warming. 

The project was launched in 2005 and today, it has become an icon and pride of Ilocos Norte. When you hear the name of the province – Ilocos Norte, you will be reminded of the windmills that can be seen in the province.

Bangui Windmills - Sunset

The project is the first “Wind Farm” in the Philippines, consisting of wind turbines onshore facing the South China Sea, and it is considered to be the biggest wind farm in Southeast Asia. 

The project sells electricity to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC). It supplies the 40% power requirements of the Ilocos Norte via Transco Laoag. Currently, the wind farm have a 20 units of wind turbines with a height of 70 meters or 230 feet, arranged on a single row along a 9-kilometer shoreline of Bangui Bay. The project is really nice because it has two purposes – it provides current energy to the local people and it is a tourist attraction that helps promote the eco-tourism of the province.How to Get There

From Manila you will ride a plane – Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines – going to Laoag, Ilocos Norte. The fare usually ranges from 1,100-1,500 pesos.

If you plan to travel by land going to Ilocos Norte, you need to ride a bus in Manila because there are regular trips going to the place. The travel time takes more or less 10 hours.

Bus companies with trips to Laoag usually have cost ranging from 700-800 pesos.

From Laoag, take the road towards the town of Burgos. From there, travel towards the north. The windmill blades are easy to spot because they are visible from the highway while you are traveling. Thera is also a sign that directs you to Bangui Bay, which can be found at the left side of the road.

Bangui Windmills - House with Light House