BAGUIO CITY – Power rates being charged by the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) from its member-consumer-owners (MCOs) increased by P0.0467 per kilowatthour in the November billing period following the increase in generation and systems loss charges.
From the P10.4277/kwh residential rate of the electric cooperative in October, it increased to P10.4744/kwh for the November billing period.
BENECO’s generation charge slightly increased from the previous P5.7299/kwh to the present P5.7300/kwh.
Further the systems loss charge also increased from the October rate of P0.6916/kwh to the present P0.7243/kwh.
The discount subsidy or the lifeline rate charge also increased from the previous P0.0793/kwh to P0.0822 this month.
However, the transmission charge for November decreased from the previous rate of P0.8272/kwh to the present charge of P0.8191/kwh.
BENECO’s commercial rate increased by P0.0443/kwh from the October figure of P9.7068/kwh to the present rate of P9.7511/kwh.
Also increasing by P0.0443/kwh is the electric cooperative’s industrial rate from the October data of P9.6754/kwh to P9.7198/kwh this November billing period.
Public building low voltage rate increased by P0.0443/kwh from the October figure of P9.6790/kwh to the November rate of P9.7234/kwh.
For the rate of streetlights, BENECO also reported a similar increase of P0.443/kwh from the October data of P9.7068/kwh to P9.7511/kwh for the present billing period.
Commercial high voltage consumers will also be realizing an increase of P0.0576/kwh in their November power bills as the said rate increased from the October figure of P8.1581/kwh to P8.2157/kwh.
Moreover, public building high voltage consumers will also be realizing a similar increase with the commercial high voltage consumers as the said rate increased from the October data of P8.1303/kwh to P8.1879/kwh this present billing period.
BENECO is still able to maintain minimal increases in its monthly power bills to the consumers because it was able to negotiate with its power supplier, TEAM Energy Corporation, the employment of reasonable generation charge amidst the skyrocketing prices of coal in the world market that had affected power rates in various parts of the country. Coal is being used by the coal-fired power plants to generate power being sold by the generation companies to the private and public power distribution companies operating in the different parts of the archipelago.
Another factor that is affecting the power rates in the country is the exchange rate of the peso and the dollar which reportedly increased over the past several months that caused the significant increase in the inflation rate despite the reported rebound of the gross domestic product during the third quarter of the year.