• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said Jan. 4 that it issued certificates of compliance to 301 qualified end-users (QEs) under its Net Metering (NM) program in the franchise area of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, as of last month.
Ceneco logged the highest number of new QEs for 2023, followed by the Visayan Electric Company with 178 QE COCs, the ERC said, adding that it has issued a total of 4,124 new COCs under the NM program last year.
Of the number, 3,200 new QEs or “prosumers (consumers who are also producers of their own electricity supply) are located in Luzon, 722 in the Visayas, and 202 in Mindanao.
These translate to an additional 37.935 megawatts (MW) of capacity from renewable energy (RE) facilities installed by consumers to generate electricity for their own consumption or, if there is any excess, for export or sale to the distribution system, the ERC said.
The Net Metering Program is one of the cornerstones of energy democracy, ERC chairperson and chief executive officer Monalisa Dimalanta said in a statement. “It allows for consumers to produce their own power and even supply others with electricity beyond their own needs. We are committed to enabling all our consumers to have a greater hold of our energy destiny as we continue to streamline the permitting requirements and make it easier for end-users to enjoy the benefits of the programs.”
Since the implementation of the NM Program in 2015, the ERC said it already issued 11,707 COCs to QEs all over the country, equivalent to 101.251MW of capacity.
Meanwhile, the government’s lifeline rate program (LRP) is now being implemented by the ERC, Department of Energy, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
It said that 4Ps and non-4Ps electricity consumers, who consume not more than 100kWh a month and have registered with their respective distribution utilities shall be entitled to avail of the subsidy provided under the LRP starting this billing month.
The subsidized rate is part of the socialized pricing mechanism that provides for a percentage discount, except for those using net-metering services, and those apprehended for electricity pilferage.
For Ceneco consumers, a 50-percent discount will be given to registrants consuming 25 kilowatt-hour of electricity per month, with corresponding markdown for other low power consumers of up to 80kWh/month.
For the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative, its approved lifeline subsidy is 50 percent for consumers with 15kWh and below usage per month, and up to five percent discount for 21-25kWh users.
The complete rollout of the program, initially set August last year, was moved to September, and then to January 2024 to accommodate more beneficiaries. | CGC
