BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
An increase of nearly P3 in electricity rates this month was reported by the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative yesterday.
The increase from P11.51 per kilowatt hour in July to P13.82 this month was due to the hike in the cost of the power purchased by Noneco from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, its general manager, Danny Pondevilla, said in a statement.
Pondevilla said the price of electricity they acquire from WESM stood at P9.6 per kilowatt-hour this month from P7.3 previously.
He said the other contributing factors for the increase in electricity rate was the critical level of power in Negros and Panay islands, caused by the damaged submarine cable line of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines that connects the islands.
Noneco serves the cities of Cadiz, Victorias, Sagay, Escalante, and San Carlos, and the towns of Toboso, E.B. Magalona, Calatrava, and Manapla.
The Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative also announced that their electricity rate increased to P12.88 per kWh this month from P12.12/kWh in July.
Noceco distributes power to the towns of Pulupandan, San Enrique, Valladolid, Pontevedra, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Isabela, Hinigaran, Binalbagan, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, Ilog, Candoni, and Cauyan, and the cities of Sipalay, Hinoba-an, and La Carlota.
It has yet to disclose the reasons for the increase.
Earlier, the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, the largest power distributor in the province, announced an increase of P1.88 per kilowatt-hour, or P12.37 per kWh from P10.49 last month, and said the hike was triggered by the generation charges.
The increase in generation costs was a result of an increase also in the market price due to the damaged submarine cables of the NGCP connecting Cebu and Negros islands, the firm said in a statement.*
