WITH the enactment of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018, the Department of Energy (DOE) is encouraging more investments in the power generation sector in Mindanao.
“That’s why the government must improve on its Ease of Doing Business Act because building a power plant will take you five years because of the bureaucratic processes. Building the plant will only take you two years, but getting the permits for the plant will take you five years,” DOE assistant secretary Redento E. Delola said in a forum on Monday, September 24, 2018, at the Davao Light and Power Company Corporate Office in Davao City.
Delola said investments and potential players in the energy sector are important in sustaining economic activities on the island.
“Kaning atong mga players og investors need to be protected na once they enter the venture kay it’s their money at stake diba? Dili sila mawala sa bureaucratic way of things (Our players and investors need to be protected once they enter the venture because it’s their money at stake right? This is so they won’t get lost in the bureaucratic way of things),” Delola said.
He said a delay in establishing a power plant in Mindanao is already a proof of how the processes of getting permit in the country can be a hassle to investors.
Delola added DOE already crafted their Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Executive Order 30 or Creating in Order To Streamline the Regulatory Procedures Affecting Energy Projects.
At present, data from the DOE showed that as of August 2018, there is a total of 868 megawatts (MW) of committed power projects in Mindanao.
Coal-fired power plants will contribute 700 MW, followed by hydropower plants (101.8 MW), solar power plants (24.96 MW), biomass power plants (30.35 MW), and diesel-fired power plant (10.9 MW).