Ancillary services drove the increase in transmission rates for March, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said Wednesday.
During a briefing, NGCP head for Revenue Management Julius Ryan Datingaling said the overall transmission rate for the March billing period rose 4.26 percent to P0.0716 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), from P1.6810/kWh in February.
Ancillary services – or pass-through charges for grid stability, frequency control, and reserves – accounted for the bulk at P0.8516/kWh.
Meanwhile, the transmission wheeling rate – or the cost of delivering power through the grid – increased to P0.7022/kWh from P0.6677/kWh in the previous month.
By grid, Luzon posted an increase of P0.0335/kWh, Visayas rose by P0.3416/kWh, and Mindanao went up by P0.0073/kWh.
NGCP spokesperson and head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs Cynthia Alabanza clarified that the company does not profit from the increase, as it operates under a revenue cap set by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
“NGCP’s revenue per year is the one that is predetermined by the ERC. And because our services and our transmission meeting rates are not fuel dependent, there is no impact, or there will be no movement on transmission rates based on the Middle Eastern conflict,” she said.*PNA
