THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has granted Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and First NatGas Power Corp. (FNPC) the authority to implement their power supply agreement (PSA) in an “interim relief” that sets certain conditions. “In the event that the final rate is higher than that granted in the interim, the resulting additional charges shall be…
Tag: power rates
No brownouts seen as sufficient power supply forecast this summer
No electricity supply shortfall is expected in the summer months, but the Philippines can’t give up coal-fired power plants as these are needed to keep the economy going, according to the Department of Energy. Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said yesterday the Luzon grid had a generating capacity of about 10,000 megawatts while demand was…
Power spot market prices drop to 6-yr low in Jan
More customers sourced power from the wholesale electricity spot market (MWESM) as prices plummeted to six-year lows in January, based on data from the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC). In a statement yesterday, PEMC said effective settlement spot prices (ESSPs) at the WESM plunged to P1.90 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) for the January billing period, the…
Malampaya funds eyed to lower rates
The government is considering the use of a portion of the P228-billion Malampaya fund to reduce power costs in the Philippines, an energy official said over the weekend. “The DoE was informed that about P228 billion was deposited to the special account of the fund three months ago. This can be verified with the Department…
Power cost seen rising next year due to FIT-All
Consumers will pay for higher power rates next year, or once the Energy Regulatory Commission approves the “close to P0.23 per kilowatt-hour” feed-in tariff application of National Transmission Corp. TransCo is set to file its feed-in tariff allowance application to the ERC next week. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who sits on the TransCo board, told…
Gatchalian seeks lower pass-on power charges
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking the immediate passage of a bill, which seeks to lower electricity rates by as much as 15.67 centavos per kilowatt hour through the reduction of charges passed on to consumers by power companies. Senate Bill 1188, or the proposed “Recoverable System Loss Act,” lowers the system loss cap – the…
Meralco says power rates to go down in October
Power distributor Manila Electric Co. said Thursday electricity rates for October will go down by P0.12 per kilowatthour due to a reduction in generation and transmission charges. Electricity rates for a typical household will go down to P8.34 per kilowatthour this month. This would mean a P24 reduction in the monthly bill of households that…
RP power rates 3rd highest in Asia
POWER rates in the Philippines are the third highest in Asia and fourth in the Asia-Pacific region, said a survey done by the International Energy Consultants (IEC), an Australia-based consulting firm specializing in Asian power markets. IEC Managing Director Dr. John Morris, who led the study, said the results of the study reflect the period January 2016 compared…
Systems loss pass-on charge to be reviewed
THE ENERGY Regulatory Commission (ERC) is looking at reviewing the power systems loss that is billed consumers amid calls to bring down electricity costs, an official of the agency said. “Probably this is the right time to bring it down with the clamor to reduce power cost,” ERC Commissioner Alfredo J. Non said on Thursday…
Meralco: Customers under net metering program shouldn’t get lifeline rates
MANILA Electric Co. (Meralco) wants customers under the government’s net metering program to be disqualified from the socialized power rate that is meant to benefit low-income consumers. “It’s like a rich family with a solar PV [photovoltaic] system availing of the lifeline discount. It’s contrary to the intent of the law,” said Anna Maria A….
Meralco rates decline in September; Luzon grid suffers 1-hour power outage
Manila Electric Co. said Tuesday consumers will see lower power rates this month on lower transmission charges. Meralco said in a statement the residential rate for a typical household would go down by P0.0451 to 8.46 per kilowatt-hour in September. This would translate into a reduction of P9 in the electricity bill of a household…
Meralco sees flat August charges
Customers of Manila Electric Co. may not experience a price spike in their September electricity bills in spite of the series of yellow and red alerts in late July to early August. “So far, indications are that gen charge movement will be flattish,” Meralco vice president and head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said. He…
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