BACOLOD CITY — Power rates in Negros Occidental increased for the month of January, based on reports from all three electric cooperatives in the province.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) announced that this month’s rate is pegged at PHP11.3527 per kilowatt hour (kWh), higher by PHP0.1717 compared to last month’s rate of PHP11.1810.
Sulpicio Lagarde Jr., general manager of Ceneco, said in an advisory that the rate includes pass-through charges, such as generation and transmission charges, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) – approved adjustments, government subsidies, and taxes.
These account for 89.55 percent or equivalent to PHP10.1661 per kWh of the total electricity bill while the 10.45 percent, or PHP1.1866 per kWh, goes to Ceneco’s distribution, supply, metering and Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable Capital Expenditures (Capex) for its administrative and operational services.
“In monitoring the monthly electricity usage, consumers are advised to look at their kilowatt hour consumption instead of the amount as it may vary depending on the pass-through charges,” Lagarde said.
In the south, the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) posted a January rate of PHP10.4275 per kWh, with an increase of almost PHP0.19 from December’s PHP10.2394 per kWh.
Noceco general manager Jonas Discaya said the main driver of the higher electricity rate is the PHP0.1296 per kWh increase in the generation charge.
Discaya said the systems loss and subsidy rates registered an increase of PHP0.0404 and PHP0.0094, respectively while the value-added tax charges also rose by PHP0.0518 per kWh.
The transmission rate, however, registered a minimal reduction of PHP0.0431 per kWh.
The Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) reported an increase of PHP0.2931 per kWh from last month’s PHP11.2996, charging PHP11.5926 per kWh for January.
Paulino Almedelia, corporate planning head of Noneco, said the current month’s rate resulted from generation cost fluctuation of PHP0.3265, and increase in transmission and systems loss costs by PHP0.0782 per kWh. (PNA)
Stories from the Sugarlandia 