Ilocos Wind Mills

Originally designed to only produce clean electricity, the Northwind Bangui Wind Farm, otherwise known as the Ilocos wind mills, has also become a famous tourist attraction on its own in Ilocos Norte province. Some people call them giant electric fans, which are visible from the highway leading to the beach resort of Pagudpud.

With the addition of the Bangui wind mills in Bangui to its growing list of tourist attractions, Ilocos Norte has become a major tourist destination in Luzon, thanks to its white-sand beaches in Pagudpud, the beautiful Baroque churches including the Paoay Church, the hotel complex at Fort Ilocandia, the houses and other facilities owned by the late President Ferdinand Marcos in Batac, the Sand Dunes in Laoag, the Kapurpurawan white rock formation and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos.

The 20 Bangui wind mills in Bangui are operated by Northwind Power Development Corp., which taps wind energy to rotate the 41-meter blades and produce energy.  Strong wind coming from the South China Sea, move the rotor of the wind mills.

Each of the 20 wind mill, standing 70 meter tall on a row along the Bangui Bay, is a power plant that generates 1.65 megawatts of clean energy, so called because it produces electricity without emitting carbon.  The 20 wind mills or turbines have a combined generating capacity of 33 megawatts.

The Bangui wind mills are located at the northern tip of Luzon, some 560 kilometers from Manila. By private vehicle, the Bangui wind mills can be reached via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the national road,  from Tarlac all the way to the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte to Laoag City.  From Laoag City, it is 80 kilometers further north.

There are buses bound for Laoag City, which is about 480 kilometers from Manila.  Travel time is between 10 to 12 hours.  From Laoag City, tourists can hire tricycles to bring them to Bangui.   Domestic airlines also have daily flights to Laoag City.