THE Department of Energy (DoE) is coming up with a system to classify an energy project as one of national significance to remove “arbitrariness” on its part and avoid corruption, an official of the agency said.

“What we are trying to do now is to make sure that in classifying energy projects of national significance there would be no, or very little, elbow room to avoid making the certification arbitrary,” Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said partly in Filipino.

The department heads the secretariat of a council, which was created under Executive Order (EO) No. 30 issued on June 28, 2017. The directive seeks to streamline the regulatory procedures affecting energy projects.

Mr. Fuentebella said the energy investment coordinating council had its first meeting on Aug. 4, 2017 as called for under the executive order.

“We want to remove that discretion,” he said.

“We are now in the process of confirming with the other agencies what their current practices are,” he said.

Mr. Fuentebella said the executive order offers a “non-monetary incentive” and that the department does not want “any space for corruption.” He said the DoE would have to set the criteria internally to ensure clarity when these are included in the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), which sets the direction of the energy industry in the coming decades.

Energy projects of national significance are major ventures for power generation, transmission and/or ancillary services, including those required to maintain grid stability and security, identified and endorsed by the DoE. They are “in consonance” with the policy aims and specific goals of the PEP.

The coordinating council is chaired by a representative from the DoE and is composed of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Electrification Administration, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and the National Power Corp.

It is also comprised of the Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development and other agencies whose participation may be deemed necessary by the council. — Victor V. Saulon

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