Power rates in two electric cooperatives in Negros Occidental have dropped this month.
The Central Negros Electric Cooperative announced a P0.1802 per kilowatt-hour decrease in its power rates this month, from P12.9367/kWh to P12.7835/kWh.
CENECO, in a press release, attributed the decrease to a drop in transmission charges by P0.0615/kWh due to a decrease in ancillary service charges and a decline in Value Added Taxes by P0.0233.
The Northern Negros Electric Cooperative also announced a decrease in electricity rates by P0.4238/kWh from P13.1355/kWh to P12.7106/kWh.
NONECO attributed the drop to the 3.23 percent decrease in the generation rate, and decrease in fuel costs of power generating plants.
Meanwhile, south-Negros power distributor Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative increased its power rates by P0.1657/kWh from P14.5830 in May to P14.7487/kWh in June.
NOCECO said that the main factor in the increase in generation charge is the P 1.1043 per kWh increase in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) from its previous power cost of P9.3230 per kWh.
Higher demand drove the WESM prices up, it added.*