Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin directed national government agencies (NGAs) and local government units (LGUs) to closely coordinate with the Department of Energy, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Anti-Red Tape Authority to streamline the permitting processes and requirements for energy projects and integrate this into the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) system.
Bersamin convened the EVOSS Steering Committee recently, and stressed the importance of energy in the country’s development as underscored by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He stressed the need to further speed up the processing and approval of permits for energy projects.
He also directed ARTA to develop a model, or an ordinance that will be adopted by the LGUs, including the integration of the national energy plans into the local development plans, and establish a unified and streamlined permitting process to enable the LGUs to maximize the benefits from hosting energy projects.
“With heightened investor interest in energy projects, it is crucial to speed up the contactless processes and approvals for the benefit of the people and the host communities,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in a statement.
The DOE and the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2020-01, which directs LGUs to implement unified, streamlined, and transparent permitting processes and corresponding fees, and incorporate these to the EVOSS system.
The permitting process for energy projects is multi-layered, the DOE said, adding that the array of permits, consultations, and assessments for any type of energy technology project can be a challenge, and projects can and do get delayed at any stage of the process, hence the need for streamlined procedures. ||
