BACOLOD CITY – Authorities from the Environmental Management Bureau Negros Island Region (EMB-NIR) confirmed the proposal to build the first-ever 150-megawatt wind power project in Negros Occidental, which will be located in Bago City.
EMB-NIR Director Vicente Losbañes revealed in an interview that the project coordinated with the Bago-Negros Energy Corp. and is proposed and to be funded by Thai-owned Sermsang Power Corp.
Seven barangays in the city have been identified as the location of the project.
The areas – Calumangan, Napoles, Taloc, Sampinit, Busay, Balingasag, and Lag-asan – have been identified in the notice of public scoping set on October 28 released by the EMB-NIR.
“They already applied for an Environmental Compliance Clearance (ECC), and it was still in process,” Losbañes said.
He further disclosed that the project aims to establish at least 24 windmills since they already have the supply-agreement contract with the Department of Energy (DOE).
The Bago project is among the wind power projects awarded by the Department of Energy as of March 31, 2025.
However, Losbañes clarified that the proposal was still subject to assessment, including the possible locations.
“The gathering of permits and documents is still ongoing, but so far, 60-70 per cent of the project will push through,” he added, expressing his confidence that the project will materialize.
Sermsang Power chief operating officer Passakorn Panyaratanakorn, who met with Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao in July, said that they have seen the potential of the wind farm that will be installed in the city.
A document posted on the power firm’s website showed that in November last year, Sermsang chief financial officer Chayut Leehacharoenkul sent an information memorandum to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on its acquisition of the assets of Bago Negros Energy Corp. “with an installed capacity of 150 MW at a total investment value amounting to USD250 million.” (Richard Caballero via tvds with PNA reports)