Energy ‘one-stop shop’ bill nears Senate OK

The Senate bill seeking to establish a one-stop shop for all energy generation projects has hurdled second reading. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate energy committee, said he was hopeful that Senate Bill No. 1439 or the proposed Energy Virtual One Stop Shop (EVOSS) Act of 2017, would soon be approved on final reading by the Senate and eventually passed into law.

The measure primarily seeks to modernize and streamline the permitting process of energy generation projects in the country.

The bill also seeks to establish a technology and operations management software platform for all government entities to promote a unified permitting system to be supervised by the Department of Energy (DOE).

Passage of the law would improve coordination between entities and provide easier access to all information necessary to apply for new energy generation projects.

“The permitting process to get a power plant off the ground takes as long as three and a half years. This legislation will eradicate the red tape in the process which impedes the increase of the country’s energy supply,” Gatchalian said.

“Ultimately, the EVOSS Act is projected to drive down electricity costs and provide significant savings to electricity consumers,” said the principal author of the measure.

The senator said the EVOSS Act also aims to eliminate overlapping mandates in documentary submissions, which is one of the main factors contributing to the lengthy application process.

He further explained that the elimination of red tape would allow foreign investors with the capacity to build cutting-edge power plants to enter the market and stimulate competition in the Philippine generation industry.

“The increased competition would then drive down generation costs and provide significant savings to Filipino households,” he said.

Gatchalian estimated that the downwind effects of the EVOSS Act could reduce consumer electricity prices by as much as P1 per kWh in the long run. With an average household consumption rate of 200 kWh per month, this would result in savings of P2,400 per household every year.

“Essentially, the EVOSS Act will benefit working class Filipino families in the long run by reducing their monthly electricity bills, which will give them more money to pay for day-to-day living expenses such as food, shelter, medicine, and education,” Gatchalian said.