Through Executive Order (EO) No. 21 that was issued on April 19 this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has mandated the integration of all permits for offshore wind (OSW) projects into the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) platform, a system of inter-agency energy project permitting administered by the Department of Energy.
The President primarily decreed that “all permitting agencies shall within 60 days from the effectivity of this Order, submit to the DOE a complete list of appropriate permits required by relevant permitting agencies, including all requirements, fees and procedures for the issuance thereof.”
On the EVOSS integration of OSW permits, the EO stipulated that “within 30 days from receipt of the submission of the complete list made under Section 3, the DOE shall review the submission and take appropriate action on whether they shall: a) initiate the full integration of applicable permit into the EVOSS platform, provided that all requirements have been submitted; or; b) require the permitting agency to remediate or supplement a deficient or incomplete submission.”
Specifically, the President has instructed the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to “submit to the DOE a complete list of appropriate permits required by local government units (LGUs), including the requirements, fees and procedures,” subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations – and that shall be done within 60 days from the effectivity of the EO.
It was further set forth that “not later than 15 days from the receipt of confirmation by the DOE that the list is complete and proper for integration into the EVOSS platform, the DILG shall disseminate to concerned LGUs the standard list of permits for OSW development activities.”
Further, the President stated “all permitting agencies are directed to review their existing fees and charges for permits, and to update them in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, with a view of supporting and encouraging the development of OSW projects.”
On the other major headache of investors on grid integration of power capacities, Marcos directed that “the DOE shall coordinate with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to ensure timely development of the needed grid interconnection facilities of OSW projects for the dispatch of electric power to the grid.”
In a statement to the media, the DOE acknowledged that the President’s issuance of EO 21 “will hasten the rollout of offshore wind (OSW) projects by mandating a policy and administrative framework for the optimal development of OSW resources in the country.”
It conveyed that the Presidential order will “provide clarity, as it will likewise harmonize and streamline permitting processes and leasing fees for OSW projects under a whole-of-government approach and fully implement the EVOSS system to cover all relevant government agencies and bureaus.”
Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla emphasized that “with heightened investor interest in energy projects, especially in renewable energy, it is crucial to have a clear framework that would speed up the development of OSW and speed up approvals of necessary permits.”
He thus noted that “we will work together with the concerned government agencies, local government units, and the transmission concessionaire to implement the President’s directive.”
To date, the DOE has already awarded 63 service contracts for prospective offshore wind farm installations that may potentially yield close to 50,000 megawatts of capacity addition to the country’s power supply.
“The EO is expected to accelerate the development of the country’s OSW resources and will contribute to the attainment of the country’s aspirational target of 35-percent and 50-percent renewable energy contribution to the energy generation mix by 2030 and 2040, respectively,” the energy department stressed.
