• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Member-consumers of the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) will be paying this month P15.7827 each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, or an increase of P6.5625 from last month’s average residential rate of P9.2302/kWh.
The Noneco management said July 22 that it will start collecting the initial 25 percent of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) charge deferred last month, as per the directive of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), hence the increase in the current billing.
“Ang nabilin nga duwa ka 25 percent sang June 2024 WESM bill amo ang idugang sa Augusto kag Setyembre nga billing period,” it added.
The ERC earlier approved the staggered payment of WESM purchases by distribution utilities (DUs), like Noneco, for four months, starting bills payable in June, to ease the burden on consumers.
There were increases in the cost of power in the spot market amid the prolonged El Niño and heat waves, especially in the second quarter of this year, which led to a series of red and yellow alerts in the Luzon and Visayas grids.
“By proactively monitoring the generation costs of all power utilities, the ERC, through this measure, aims to mitigate the impact of the high generation rates, particularly for consumers of DUs with high WESM exposure,” the Commission had explained in approving the staggered payment.
Noneco, meanwhile, said that aside from the additional 25 percent WESM charge inclusion, there was also an increase in the spot market trading price, from P8.9828 to P9.2569/kWh, as well as in the system loss rate by P0.6823/kWh.
Noneco’s July rate increase by more than P6 is highest among the three DUs serving Bacolod City and Negros Occidental consumers.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative said July 15 that its average residential rate this billing month increased by P0.5825, or from P12.7632/kWh in June to the present P13.3457/kWh.
The Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative’s rate increased by P1.3119, or from P14.8015/kWh in June to P16.1134/kWh this July. | CGC
