DOE crafting EO for offshore wind development framework

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday said it is crafting an executive order (EO) to strengthen and rationalize the regulatory framework for the development of offshore wind (OSW) energy industry.

In a statement, the DOE said the crafting of an EO was in view of the huge interest in offshore wind potential in the country both from foreign and local investors.

“Because of the nascent nature of OSW, the President has approved the concept of an offshore wind one stop shop (OWOSS) through the issuance of an EO,” said Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla.

“The proposed EO would spell out the regulatory framework in building a robust OSW industry and covers a long-term vision, infrastructure development, investments and sound policies,” he added.

The Energy Department said the OSW roll-out will require processing through more than 10 government agencies, apart from the DOE.

The objective is to streamline processes and requirements of these agencies and the grid operator, it said.

The DOE added that critical to the timely and massive rollout of OSW farms is the development of a Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) System aligned with the best international industry practice.

MSP is a practical way to establish a more rational use of marine space and the interaction among its uses, to balance demands for development with the need to protect the environment, and to deliver social and economic outcomes in an open and planned way.

The coordination and simplification of the approval process for OSW development would involve various government agencies, including the following:

•     fisheries management areas from the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
•     marine traffic lanes and hazards to navigation from the Philippine Coast Guards (PCG)
•     undersea communications cables and pipelines from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA)
•     marine protected areas and issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
•     permitting for specialized vessels from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
•     ports utilization from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA)
•     tax free importation from the Bureau of Customs (BOC)
•     landing sites for on-grid connections from the concerned local government units (LGUs)
•     maritime and local coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP)
•     movement in and out for specialized foreign workers by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and others that may be required by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Space Agency and the Philippine Navy.

“Once the EO is in place, the timelines, and processing of OSW applications will be incorporated in the existing Energy Virtual One Stop Shop (EVOSS) System,” said Lotilla.

EVOSS is an online platform under the supervision of the DOE which enables a coordinated submission and synchronous processing of data and information relative to applications for energy projects.

The EVOSS steering committee is chaired by the President and the Energy Secretary as vice-chair.

The DOE said it will also revisit the OSW Service Contract to better reflect reasonable timelines and divide into clear phases.

These would include data acquisition, study phase and permitting; development plan, grid integration and final investment decision phase; construction, installation, and connection phase; commissioning and production phase; and decommissioning phase, it said.

Currently, there are 42 OSW wind service contracts awarded with an indicated 31.5 gigawatts of installed capacity, the DOE said,

The prime areas identified are in Northern Luzon, Verde Island Passage, Northern Mindoro, and Southern Mindoro, the Energy department said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News