P639B worth of projects up for green lane approval

by
A wind turbine is seen in this file photo. — REUTERS

AROUND P639 billion worth of projects are seeking expedited processing through the One-Stop Action Center for Strategic Investments (OSACSI), a Board of Investments (BoI) official said.

BoI Investment Assistance Service and OSACSI Director Ernesto C. Delos Reyes, Jr. said they are currently evaluating green lane applications for around P639.09 billion worth of investments.

“Evaluation of applications to the green lane includes determination of the projects’ qualifications as strategic investments and the proponents’ capability to undertake the project from pre-development and construction until commercial operations,” Mr. Delos Reyes said in a Viber message.

Established through Executive Order No. 18, green lanes aim to accelerate and simplify the permit and licensing processes for strategic investments.

The green lane applications in the pipeline comprise 30 projects, with the majority in the renewable energy (RE) sector, said Mr. Delos Reyes.

“Majority, or 24, of the applications are for projects under the renewable energy sector, representing 80% of the projects for green lanes in the pipeline, followed by four projects under the manufacturing sector and two projects under the food security sector,” he said.

“Two of the renewable energy projects are wholly owned by Canadian and Singaporean investors with an investment value of P 7.5 billion,” he added.

As of the end of 2024, the BoI has endorsed P4.54 trillion worth of projects for green lane treatment, which comprise 176 projects.

Of the total, the RE sector accounted for 141 projects worth P4.14 trillion.

The government saw an increase in RE projects after it allowed full foreign ownership in the sector, which was previously capped at 40%.

Meanwhile, eight projects worth P352.13 billion were in digital infrastructure, while 23 projects worth P14.37 billion were in food security. There were four manufacturing projects worth a combined P36.91 billion.

In terms of ownership, 46 are majority foreign-owned, with 30 projects wholly owned by companies from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the British Virgin Islands.

Denmark was the biggest source of foreign investment at P416.41 billion, followed by the Netherlands (P336.93 billion), Switzerland (P310.74 billion), and Singapore (P230.38 billion).

Of the certified projects, 44 have been registered with the BoI, while 132 projects remain as active investment leads.

In 2025, the BoI is targeting investment pledge approvals to hit P1.75 trillion. This represents an 8% increase from the P1.62 trillion it approved in 2024, which was the highest level in 57 years.

RE projects led the approvals, amounting to P1.38 trillion, a 40% rise from last year. It was followed by air and water transport (P121.2 billion), real estate activities (P37.26 billion), manufacturing (P31.67 billion), water projects (P16.28 billion), and agriculture (P11.02 billion). — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Related Posts

Leave a Comment