Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday called on the Department of Energy to pursue to the fullest extent the terms of the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) program to attract as much renewable energy (RE) investors as may be interested in the Philippines.
“The environmental and economic benefits we can derive from using renewable energy are enormous. Aside from generating cleaner energy, renewable fuels would diversify our energy supply and would significantly reduce our dependence on imports. This was why we pushed for the enactment of the EVOSS because the country will greatly benefit from this,” Gatchalian said.
The EVOSS is an online system streamlining the application and permitting processes in the generation, transmission and distribution of power projects in the country, particularly in the renewable energy space.
It is also a repository of information shared by agencies and entities involved in the approval process. The system offers paperless transaction and the use of online payment systems.
Gatchalian said the DOE should roll out the EVOSS system in full, noting that the Bureau of Investments had said more RE projects, including the manufacture of equipment for RE projects, are in the pipeline this year.
He particularly lamented that while the budget disbursement rate for the EVOSS Act increased to 89 percent in September 2023 from 13 percent a year earlier, the obligation rate fell instead to 48 percent in September 2023 from 83 percent the year before.
“The DOE should be aggressive in its implementation because EVOSS aims to eliminate any foreseeable impediment to renewable energy investments. We can expect more RE project investors to come if we facilitate the process of establishing these projects” quickly, Gatchalian said.
