Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, who serves as chairman of the Steering Committee for the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) system of project permitting, is pushing for a 60-day process from almost two years for the issuance of system impact study (SIS) for grid connection of power projects. Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla revealed that the plan to shorten the SIS approval process to 60 days from currently 20 months to two years is one of the strategies to streamline project permitting, especially with the influx of renewable energy (RE) installations in the country. “The Executive Secretary as Chair has scheduled - for the next meetings of EVOSS steering committee - to deal with this issue on system impact study,” the energy chief announced Thursday, July 27. He said the details on how to draw the exact timeline for the new SIS process will be thoroughly discussed by the Executive Secretary and EVOSS steering committee with system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). When asked if the 60-day timeline will be strictly mandated, Lotilla indicated “We listen to them (NGCP). We’re supposed to do this system impact study in 60 days, but when does the 60-day period start?” To note, investors are complaining of extremely stretched timeframe for them to secure SIS with the power grid operator, and that in itself has been causing unwarranted delays in their implementation of projects. Lotilla specified that in other energy markets, they have already adopted alternative ways on how they can efficiently reduce the number of days for the issuance of SIS or the engineering study that shall support the integration or interconnection of an electric generating facility to the grid’s load network. He cited that some markets have already been employing artificial intelligence (AI) or information technology (IT) tools, primarily for processing or analyzing data used in the evaluation of SIS applications. "Other jurisdictions have adopted other approaches …there are smarter ways of doing things –  from the standpoint of artificial intelligence and ICT (information and communications technology). So, we need to see how they would be able to do that,” he reiterated. The energy secretary conveyed that the initial feedback given by NGCP is that the queue for SIS applications is often hobbled by the filing of the non-serious investors as applications are typically processed on "first come, first served" basis. “They (NGCP) have offered some explanations. Of those who applied for system impact study, less than 50-percent actually carry out their projects, so that means, all the others who have applied and did not carry out their projects had gotten in the way,” he noted. But Lotilla countered, “There should be a way of purging the list…even other agencies have a way of cleaning up the list that if you don’t implement your project within certain number of days, you get replaced. There should be a process, but what I am saying is: if the intention is to facilitate, then they could have earlier raised these things.”