BACOLOD City – Residential rates of three electric cooperatives in Negros Occidental decreased in December mainly due to lower generation and transmission charges.
As of Dec. 22, the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) and Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) reported lower rates for the current month’s billing.
Danny Pondevilla, Ceneco acting general manager, said the reduction can be attributed to the decrease in generation, transmission, systems loss charges, and other pass-through charges such as lifeline and senior and value-added taxes.
For December, Ceneco, which posted a reduction of P1.2911 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), now has a rate of P9.8362, from last month’s average rate of P11.1273.
Also this month’s pass-through charges totaled to P8.6496 per kWh compared to P9.9407 per kWh hour in November.
Ceneco serves the most number of consumers in the province, covering the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay and Silay, and towns Murcia and Salvador Benedicto.
In the south, Noceco reported a decrease of almost P1.47 per kWh.
This month, its residential rate dropped to P7.4333 per kWh from the previous month’s P8.999.
The main driver of the lower electricity rate, according to general manager Jonas Discaya, is the P1.1940 per kWh decrease in the generation charge, which moved from P4.3099 in November to only P3.1159 per kWh this month.
The decrease in generation charge is due to the reduction of the power cost at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), he added.
WESM’s current average price is P2.1857 per kWh from the past month’s P3.1499 per kWh.
In the north, Noneco posted a power rate drop of P1.05 per kWh in December for a current rate of P8.9936 per kWh from last month’s P10.1802 per kWh mainly due to the decrease in generation charge. (With PNA/PN)
