MOST electric consumers in Negros Occidental may incur higher bills this month as two of the three distribution utilities in the province have announced an increase in their power rates.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) and Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) noted an increase of P0.4759 per kilowatt hour (kWh) and P0.2676 per kWh, respectively.
Ceneco, serving electric consumers in the cities of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay and Bago, and municipalities of Murcia and Salvador Benedicto, has a current power rate of P9.5038 per kWh.
It is higher than last month’s P9.0279 per kWh, its general manager Sulpicio Lagarde Jr. said Friday, February 17.
Aside from movements in the generation and transmission charges, the higher power rate this month is also attributed to the increase in systems loss.
From 11.31 percent in January, Ceneco’s systems loss for this month is 11.41 percent, or an increase of 0.10 percent, Lagarde added.
For Noceco, catering to electric consumers in the south – from
to Hinoba-an, the current rate is P8.4913 per kWh.
In January, the rate was P8.2237 per kWh.
Jonas Discaya, general manager of Noceco, said the higher rate is attributed to the increase in generation and transmission charges at P0.1170 per kWh and P0.1239 per kWh, respectively.
Discaya said the transmission rate hike is due to the increase in the ancillary service charges of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which is being billed to Noceco.
The increase in generation charge, on the other hand, is due to the upward adjustment in the fuel cost used in the operation of the power plants of Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC) and Kepco Salcon Power Corp. (KSPC) with power being contracted by the cooperative, he added.
Noceco further noted an increase in the systems loss and subsidy rates at P0.0238 per kWh and P0.0029 per kWh, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) has yet to compute its power rate.
Its Corplan Department manager Paulino Almedelia, however, said they are expecting a decrease this month.
Noneco covers the remaining cities and municipalities in the northern portion of the province.