A newly-signed law will secure better investment climate for clean energy sources in the country and guarantee power needs to three million Filipino households that still do not have access to electricity, a senior administration lawmaker said Monday.
(Ali Vicoy / MANILA BULLETIN)
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, chairman of the House Committee on Energy, made this assurance as he lauded President Rodrigo Dutert for recenlty signing the Energy Virtual Ine Stop Shop (EVOSS).
Velasco said that a result of the enactment of the EVOSS law, the country will be ready for huge investments on clean energy sources that will put an end to the electricity woes of many Fillipinos, especially those who live in geographically isolated areas.
The new law, pursued strongly by the energy panel, proposes to streamline the process of granting permits on power generation, trnsmission and distribution of power projects.
As a result, the government must push for the development of more environment-friendly and sustainable sources like solar and wind power, he stressed.
The EVIOSS law is envisioned to lure more foreign or local improvements in the power sector, regardless of technology, by eliminating red tape, which has hurting the cost and ease of doing business in the country, the Marinduque solons said.
”As our population grows, it’s not only important to tap new sources of energy to meet the demand,” explained Velasco, touted as the next speaker of the Lower House.
He added: “We should also make it a priority to harness renewable sources of energy that are clean and cheap.”
Government has reported that power consumption across the three main islands in the Philippines increased four percent to 94,370 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2017 from the previous year.
In Luzon, power use rose to 3.58 percent ot 69.625 Gh2 from 67,221; Visayas jumped 5.8 percnt to 12,942 GWh from 12,232 GWh; and Mindanao moved upward by 4.04 percent to 11,803 GWh from 11,345 GWh.
Citing a 2018 study conducted by the International Energy Consultants, a think-tank based in Australia, Velasco noted that the Philippines ranked second in the top five countries with the highest power rates after Japan in Asia-Pacific region.
“What the country needs is renewable sources of energy to meet the future demands for electricity. We should add more windmills, solar panels and hydro electic energy producers. These are the areas where we need to attract investments and capital, Velasco stated.
