Potential economic benefits the country could derive from the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) system, such as lower energy prices, are hampered by the weak implementation of the measure, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Sunday.
EVOSS intends to attract investments into the renewable energy (RE) sector, but since its enactment in 2019, a comprehensive implementation is yet to be realized for the country to fully benefit from it, Gatchalian said.
Further streamlining should be done for investors to enter the local RE market, he added.
“This is precisely the reason why we vigorously pursued the enactment of EVOSS but up to this time it has not been fully implemented,” said Gatchalian, who authored the bill in Congress.
He cited that investors still must go through 167 permits to establish RE projects. Previously, they had to endure 250 permits.
Data from the Department of Energy show EVOSS implementation stands at 85 percent as of November 2023.
As of last September, 48 processes from eight national agencies and two local government units have been included in the EVOSS process system.
In the case of a hydro project, for instance, the number of calendar days needed to establish such a project has gone down to 1,697 from 1,835 previously, the senator said.
Even with the decrease, Gatchalian emphasized that the timeline for the process is still extensive, underscoring the need for additional enhancements in streamlining the procedure for the benefit of prospective investors and consumers down the line.
He said it makes sense for the country to pursue RE projects over other sources of energy as it is a lot cheaper to generate power from RE sources compared to diesel, nuclear, biogas, and even waste, based on variable operational costs of different technologies cited in the 7th ASEAN Energy Outlook released in 2022.
Currently, three additional agencies — the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, the Philippine Ports Authority, and the National Water Resources Board – have ongoing series of discussions for the integration of their processes in the EVOSS system.
If EVOSS is fully implemented, Gatchalian said it would be much faster for foreign investors to enter the country.