The Energy Development Corp. announced yesterday that it will start the construction of a 6 to 8 megawatt geothermal power plant in Brgy. Mailum, Bago City, Negros Occidental, next year.

Dwight Maxino, vice-president of the Negros Island Geothermal Business Unit, made the announcement yesterday, in the wake of reports that EDC is abandoning Negros Occidental, following the shutdown and transfer of the Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant equipment to Valencia town in Negros Oriental in 2011.

The transfer of equipment was made by EDC after it failed to generate the expected 40MW power from its NNGPP power plant in Bago City. Instead, EDC managed only to generate about six to eight megawatts.

Although the company shut down its operations in 2011, Maxino said ERDC continues its commitment to host communities, Brgy. Mailum in Bago City and Brgy. Minoyan in Murcia, as well as their respective local government units, in the implementation of environmental and social projects.

“This is because we value our continued partnership with them,” Maxino said.

EDC officials will appear tomorrow at the regular session of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan, in response to the invitation of the SP committee on Environment and Natural Resources headed by Board Member Patrick Leonard Lacson, to shed light on the issues against them.

Earlier, EDC had announced that it is also set to offer the same lower power rate to electric cooperatives in Negros Occidental, that is being offered to those in Negros Oriental.

This was after Negros Occidental Board Member Miller Serondo expressed dismay when they heard nothing from EDC after it shut down its operations in Bago City.

Serondo claimed that EDC bastardized the forest of Negros, by cutting several hundreds of trees inside the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, in order to get more geothermal power, but failed to do so.*GPB

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