METRO MANILA — Electricity consumers call on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to postpone the implementation of a recently approved additional charge that supports renewable energy and to prioritize instead a measure that ensures a just energy transition to alleviate the country's burden of high power rates.
“We respectfully ask the ERC to consider deferring the implementation of this measure while the Just Energy Transition bill remains under deliberation. This request is made in consideration of consumers who are already burdened by high electricity prices and who will be further affected by additional charges,” says Bas Umali, National Coordinator for electricity consumer welfare group Kuryente.org.
Umali was responding to ERC Chairperson Francis Juan defending the approval of the Green Energy Auction Allowance (GEA-All) charge, which will fund the differential payment for renewable energy plants under the government’s Green Energy Auction program, effective starting this month.
The charge is a separate line item from the Feed-in Tariff Allowance, a uniform charge that consumers pay to “support the development of renewable energy sources in the country.”
Umali emphasizes that consumers are already burdened by high electricity bills without the new charge. Instead, lawmakers should focus on passing the Just Transition Bill which seeks to protect consumers from rising prices as the country shifts to cleaner energy sources, he adds.
“We understand the long-term benefits of renewable energy, but right now we consumers are seeking immediate relief due to our prolonged burden under high electricity prices,” says Umali. “We urge them to prioritize immediate and concrete measures to reduce electricity costs, as consumers have long endured injustice in the form of persistently high power rates.” PR