BACOLOD CITY — Two electric cooperatives in Negros Occidental have reduced their residential rates for the month of November, its officials said over the weekend.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO), which caters to consumers in cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, and Silay, and towns of Murcia and Salvador Benedicto, announced a decrease of PHP0.3322 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in its November residential rate.
From PHP11.0280 per kWh in October, it went down to PHP10.6958 per kWh in this month’s billing.
Sulpicio Lagarde Jr., general manager of CENECO, said the downward adjustment could be attributed to the decrease in transmission charge of Php0.0053 per kWh.
Lagarde said the lower rate is also due to the deferment in the collection of Php0.2220 per kWh recovery for the Generation Rate Adjustment Mechanism (GRAM) and Incremental Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment (ICERA) by Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM).
Despite the decrease in rate, the cooperative still urges consumers to conserve electricity to avoid paying higher bills, he added.
The Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO), catering to consumers in the south, from Pulupandan to Hinoba-an, also reported a decrease in its November rate.
From Php9.9234 per kWh in October, NOCECO’s overall electricity rate for residential consumers dropped to Php9.8384 per kWh, with a decrease of Php0.0850 per kWh.
Jonas Discaya, general manager of NOCECO, said the main driver of the lower electricity rate is the P0.1077 per kWh decrease in the generation charge.
From PHP5.4098 per kWh last month, the generation charge was reduced to PHP5.3021 per kWh.
It can also be attributed to the deferment of the implementation of 10th to 17th GRAM, 15th to 16th ICERA, and 1st to 5th Automatic Cost Recovery Mechanism (ACRM) True-up Adjustments filed by PSALM, Discaya said.
The deferment in the collection of these adjustments is based on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Order dated last October 19, he added.
Aside from generation charge, NOCECO also registered a decrease of PHP0.0208 per kWh in its system loss charge.
Transmission and subsidy rates, however, registered increases of PHP0.0302 per kWh and PHP0.0133 per kWh, respectively.
Distribution, supply and metering charges remain unchanged despite the increase in the overall electricity rate for this month, Discaya said.
Meanwhile, electric consumers in the remaining areas in the north, from E.B. Magalona to San Carlos City, may incur higher bills this month.
Paulino Almedelia, Corporate Planning Department manager of Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO), said they have yet to compute the final rate for November.
“We are expecting an increase this month mainly due to upward movement in the generation charge,” Almedelia added.
In October, NONECO’s rate was P10.8019 per kWh.(PNA)
