Three power cooperatives in Negros Occidental has announced an increase in their power rates, according to a Sunstar report.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) will have an upward adjustment of P1.0659 per kilowatt hour (kWh). From November’s P9.4019 per kWh, the cooperative’s rate for December is P10.4678 per kWh.
Ceneco provides electricity services to Bacolod, Bago, Talisay and Silay, and towns of Murcia and Salvador Benedicto, with the largest number of electric consumers in the province.
The increase can be attributed to the increase in generation, transmission and systems loss charges, subsidies, and value-added taxes (VAT), according to Ceneco officer-in-charge general manager Engineer Jose Taniongon.
Ceneco’s Distribution, Supply, Metering (DSM) charges and Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable Capex (RFSC) rates have not increased, he added.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) will have an increase by P0.7171 per kWh.
From November’s P10.1698 per kWh, rates went up to P10.8869 per kWh in December.
Noceco caters to the consumers of Pulupandan to Hinoba-an.
The main factor for the increase is the P0.6443 per kWh increase in the generation charge, according to Noceco’s general manager Jonas Discaya. It moved from P5.2421 to P5.8864 per kWh.
An increase of P1.4158 per kWh from Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM); systems loss charge – P0.0689 per kWh; and VAT in generation rate of P0.0171 per kWh contributed to the overall increase, he added.
However, it was cushioned by the reduction in transmission rate of residential customers and Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) from Palm Concepcion Power Corporation and Kepco Salco Power Corp.
“Consumers are advised to conserve energy and be aware of their energy consumption to avoid paying high electricity bills,” he was quoted in a Sunstar report.
Consumers in the northern part of Negros will have an increase of P0.5432 per kWh for December.
Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) Corporate Planning Manager Paulino Almedelia said the current rate is P11.0793 per kWh, compared to P10.5271 per kWh in November.
Almedelia said the increase is also due to increase in generation cost, transmission cost, and other taxes.
“The significant increase was due to the increase of WESM or spot market pricing,” he added.
