ACX3 Capital Holdings Inc. has proposed a 500-megawatt (MW) offshore wind power project in San Miguel Bay, covering the municipal waters of Calabanga, Tinambac, and Siruma in Camarines Sur, with the development currently at the public scoping stage of the environmental review process.

A notice issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) shows that public scoping activities for the proposed wind farm are scheduled on January 20, 21, and 22, 2026, with separate consultations to be held in the three municipalities. 

Public scoping is an early step in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, where the project proponent presents an overview of the proposal and gathers issues and concerns that will define the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement.

ACX3 is proposing to invest an estimated PHP 189.5 billion in the offshore wind project. The proposed facility is designed to occupy 6,237 hectares and deploy 60 wind turbine generators, each with a rated capacity of 8 to 8.5 MW, a similar report by BusinessWorld said,  

The construction of the offshore wind farm is proposed to begin in 2027 and run through 2029, with commercial operations targeted by 2030. Electricity generated by the project is intended to be supplied to the national grid.

Project logistics are also expected to rely on a planned port development in Barangay Pambujan, Mercedes, Camarines Norte, envisioned as a marshaling and assembly base for turbine components and installation vessels, according to the publication.

ACX3 estimates PHP 4.5 billion for pre-development activities, PHP 85 billion for construction, and PHP 100 billion for operations and maintenance, with decommissioning costs projected at around PHP 7.3 billion by 2055. The company described offshore wind as a renewable energy source capable of generating electricity at high capacity factors and complementing onshore wind and solar power.

ACX3 is backed by Nexif Energy Philippines Pte. Ltd., a joint venture between Nexif Ratch Energy Investments and Thailand-based Ratch Group, and is among developers being assisted by the Department of Energy in advancing offshore wind projects in the Philippines.

As the project moves through the environmental review process, how might community consultations and regulatory requirements shape the timeline and scale of offshore wind developments in San Miguel Bay?

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