The Bacolod City officials who also discussed electricity concerns during their strategic planning meetings in Baguio City are back.* Rep. Greg Gasataya FB page photo
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is asking the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to look into two different contract prices charged for the purchase of power by Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) from Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC).
Worth looking into also is the possible abuse of the power market considering the big disparity in the two rates of power being purchased , Benitez said in a letter to Monalisa C. Dimalanta, ERC chairperson, dated January 2, a copy of which was furnished the media Saturday.
This warrants a review by the ERC of the power supply agreements between CENECO with PCPC, Benitez said.
He has been actively pursuing measures that would lessen the cost of electricity in Bacolod City for the past several months and part of such steps is a review of the power rates of CENECO, Benitez added.
“Striking to note, however, is its latest generation charge as published in its website www.ceneco.ph shows that for the month of November 2022 CENECO had purchased 33.25 percent (of its power) from PCPC at the rate of P14.6961/kWh and another item showing that it had also purchased 19 percent from PCPC at a lower rate of P10.2747/kWh,” he said.
The two different rates coming from the same power generator produces a lot of questions, among which is if PCPC has been charging CENECO with the correct power rates on its 33.25 percent power purchase considering that P10.2747/kWh is the latest contract price it had with CENECO, he said.
Benitez, on January 2, also wrote to Vic Alvaro, Central Negros Electric Cooperative acting general manager, to seek clarification of the two different rates from PCPC.
He asked for a detailed comparative breakdown of the two different rates coming from PCPC, and for copies of the power supply agreements between CENECO and PCPC.
CENECO had no official reply as of press time.
Meanwhile, the Bacolod City officials have returned from Baguio City where they attended strategic planning meetings led by Benitez.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said they discussed the problems of Bacolod that need to be addressed, including water and electricity concerns.
The Bacolod City officials were also briefed on the Baguio Smart City Systems by Mayor Banjamin Magalong.*