22,252 Hectares in 60 Days: Inside ABSD’s Largest Wind Energy Mapping Project
- Clinton Bravo
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
If you stand on a ridge in Northern Samar and look out toward the sea, it is easy to understand why developers are racing to harness the wind there. Strong, consistent winds sweep across the hills and coastlines, and the government has identified the area as a key site for large scale renewable energy. One of the biggest planned onshore wind projects in the Philippines is slated to rise on the border of Northern Samar and Samar as part of the country’s broader clean energy push.
For AB Surveying & Development (ABSD), this project became something else as well. It became our largest wind energy mapping assignment to date: an aerial LiDAR topographic survey covering 22,252 hectares across San Isidro in Northern Samar and Calbayog City in Samar.
The goal was simple to state but challenging to deliver. Turn a massive, rugged, forested area into a clear, accurate picture that planners and engineers could trust. And do it in a way that keeps up with the pace of a multibillion peso renewable energy investment.
A wind project on an enormous canvas
The planned wind farm is not a small cluster of turbines on a single hill. It stretches across multiple barangays and two local government units. The terrain includes steep ridges, deep valleys, farmed areas, and forest patches. Much of it is hard to reach on foot.
On paper, the project represents a major step toward national renewable energy targets and long term energy security. It is part of a pipeline of wind projects that the government has approved or endorsed through its green energy auction and service contract programs.
On the ground, however, none of that can move forward responsibly without knowing the land in detail. Developers need to understand slopes, access routes, possible turbine locations, transmission corridors, and sensitive zones. Local governments and communities want assurance that roads, towers, and lines are planned with safety and environmental care in mind. That is where surveying at scale comes in.
Why conventional surveying was not enough
To appreciate the size of the challenge, imagine trying to map more than 22,000 hectares using only traditional ground based surveying methods. Crews would have to walk ridges and valleys with instruments, day after day, year after year. Realistically, a project of this size could take ten years or more to survey in full detail if done entirely on foot.
By the time the data is complete, much of it would already be outdated. Vegetation changes, new footpaths appear, and communities evolve. For a fast moving wind project with a target commissioning date in the middle of this decade, that timeline simply does not work.
The developer needed a way to see the whole picture quickly without sacrificing accuracy. That is precisely what aerial LiDAR and modern geospatial workflows make possible.
How ABSD approached a 22,252 hectare challenge
From our very first briefing on the project, one thing was clear. This was not just another survey. It was a test of how far we could push our ability to work at speed, over complex terrain, while still delivering the level of detail that large infrastructure and energy projects require.
ABSD’s role focused on three big tasks. First, we had to design an aerial mapping campaign that would cover the entire 22,252 hectare area efficiently, taking into account flight safety, airspace rules, and weather patterns in Northern Samar and Samar. Second, we needed to build a data processing pipeline that could handle billions of elevation points and high resolution imagery without bottlenecks. Third, we had to translate all of that raw data into usable maps and terrain models that the project team could plug directly into their planning and design workflows.
All of this work had to fit within a tight timetable. The full survey, from mobilization to delivery of the final topographic products, had to be completed in just 60 calendar days.
Sixty days instead of ten years
To meet that deadline, the project was organized like a relay. While aerial crews were flying and collecting data over one portion of the project area, our processing team was already cleaning and organizing data from the previous flights. Quality checks, ground control, and validation happened in parallel instead of waiting for the entire acquisition to finish.
This overlapping approach meant that there was very little idle time. As soon as one cluster of barangays was fully captured and verified, preliminary surfaces and contour information could already be shared with the client’s technical team. The result was a steady flow of decision ready information instead of a single large delivery at the very end.
By the time the sixty day mark arrived, ABSD had turned what would have been a decade long conventional survey into a complete, consistent, and up to date elevation dataset for the full 22,252 hectare corridor.
The project area no longer existed only as scattered hilltop points and paper sketches. It was now a living digital landscape that could be explored, measured, and tested from any angle.
What “surveying at scale” delivered in practice
For the developer and its consultants, the value of this large scale survey showed up in many small but important decisions. Turbine siting was no longer based on rough contour intervals or partial spot heights. Instead, planners could evaluate each potential location using detailed terrain information, checking slope, access, and surrounding landforms in one continuous model.
Preliminary access road planning became more grounded. Teams could identify which ridge lines offered the best balance between constructibility and environmental impact, which valleys would require significant cuts or fills, and where hairpin curves might create trouble for long turbine blades being transported by truck.
Transmission planning also benefited. With the full terrain model in hand, engineers could test different alignments and see how tower locations would interact with hills, rivers, and existing settlements. This helped reduce the likelihood of late stage redesigns that can delay projects and add costs.
For local stakeholders, the high resolution data provided a clearer picture of what the project might look like on their land. It became easier to discuss potential impacts, mitigation measures, and community benefits when everyone was literally looking at the same ground. In short, surveying at this scale did more than produce pretty maps. It gave everyone involved in the project a shared, reliable basis for making choices.
Working in sensitive landscapes
Large wind projects are often built in areas that have both high wind potential and high ecological or social sensitivity. Northern Samar and Samar are no exception. Discussions around protected landscapes, biodiversity, and community consent are very much part of the public conversation around this project.
For ABSD, that context matters. Our job is not to argue for or against any particular project. Our responsibility is to tell the truth about the land as clearly as possible. The more accurate and transparent the data is, the better equipped decision makers, regulators, and communities are to assess trade-offs and enforce safeguards.
In practical terms, this means paying attention to river systems, steep and erosion prone slopes, and forested or protected zones during mapping. It means making sure the elevation models line up with ground realities, not just with theoretical boundaries. And it means documenting methods and accuracy clearly so the data can stand up to scrutiny in environmental and permitting processes.
By delivering a trustworthy picture of the terrain, ABSD helps shift debates away from arguments over basic facts and toward more substantive questions about design, mitigation, and community benefits.
Lessons for future renewable projects
Looking back on this 22,252 hectare survey, a few lessons stand out for anyone planning large scale renewable energy developments in the Philippines.
First, terrain data should not be an afterthought. For projects that cross multiple municipalities or provinces, investing in a robust, early stage survey can save far more time and cost later. It helps avoid poorly placed roads, misaligned structures, and preventable conflicts with landowners or local governments.
Second, scale and speed do not have to be enemies. With the right tools and workflows, it is possible to capture very large areas at high resolution in a matter of weeks rather than years, without sacrificing quality. The key is to plan acquisition and processing together, rather than treating them as separate steps.
Third, local context matters. Working around weather windows, coordinating with LGUs, and respecting community schedules all play a role in whether a survey succeeds in practice, not just on paper. ABSD’s experience in Philippine terrain and permitting environments is often as valuable as the technology we bring to the table.
Finally, data should be usable, not just impressive. At the end of the day, a wind project team does not need a wall of jargon or a folder full of unfamiliar file types. They need clear, organized terrain information that slips into their planning software, supports their permit applications, and answers their “where, how, and what if” questions quickly.
Above and Beyond for a wind powered future
For ABSD, contributing that understanding at this scale has been both a challenge and a privilege. Mapping more than 22,000 hectares in just sixty days tested our systems, our coordination, and our commitment to go Above and Beyond for projects that can shape the country’s energy future.
As more wind, solar, and hybrid projects move from concept to reality across the Philippines, we believe that fast, reliable, and honest surveying will remain one of the quiet foundations of success.
If your team is exploring a large renewable or infrastructure corridor and you want to see what is truly there, not just what is on an old map, ABSD is ready to help you survey at scale.
Ready to see your project at this level of clarity?
If you are planning a large wind, solar, or infrastructure corridor and need decision-ready terrain data in weeks, not years, let’s talk.
📩 Email us at info@absurveyingph.net
🌐 Learn more at www.absurveyingph.net
Above & Beyond starts with the right map.
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