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EXPRESSING hopes that power rates in the country could
be lowered to a comfortable level for industries,
Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) chairman
Meneleo Carlos on Wednesday expressed hope that local
power generators would be able to provide reliable power
supply at the least cost.
“We
would like to see the generators getting together in
giving us the least cost generation rate,” said Carlos
at the Power Stakeholders Meeting at the Department of
Energy (DOE).
The FPI
official also noted that as an end-user, they also have
to look into efficiency.
For his
part, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said the meeting
focused on discussing the initiatives taken by the
government and those in the transmission, distribution
and generation sectors to reduce and assure adequate and
affordable electricity for the consumers and the
industries.
Reyes
said he called for the meeting to ensure the compliance
of distribution utilities in passing on the mandated
P0.30/kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate reduction being
implemented by the National Power Corp. (Napocor)
pursuant to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of
2001 and review other remaining cross-subsidies embedded
in the rates of end-users.
The
upcoming meeting is the seventh in a series of talks
among power stakeholders aimed at developing a
collaborative approach to attain the goal of reducing
power rates in the country.
Reyes
said the meetings should “create harmony and common
understanding among the various sectors in the electric
power industry in order to attain the goal of reduced
power rates for each and every Filipino.”
The
previous consultative meetings have resulted in power
rate reductions for industry customers operating within
the economic zones in the country.
Specifically, the meetings have caused a reduction in
the generation cost of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco)
industrial customers from blended generation rates to
direct National Power Corp. (Napocor) discounted rates;
reduction of transmission costs due lower generation
costs; reinstatement of Meralco’s high load factor
discount of P0.22/kWh; and the reduction of system loss
charge to Meralco customers with primary metering.
Reyes
said the equivalent monetary benefits or savings
generated from these accomplishments total to
P1.0294/kWh. “What we have accomplished so far is just
one step towards achieving the common objective of
reducing power rates for the consuming public and for
industries so that they can compete globally,” he said.
“The
DOE’s primary concern is to provide adequate and
reliable supply of electricity and to make rates
competitive. Towards this end, I have convened the Power
Stakeholders’ Meeting to serve as a venue for all
industry players in the power sector, including
end-users, to discuss and resolve issues between and
among stakeholders. These meetings are also aimed at
enabling an environment conducive to private investments
and protecting electricity consumers, particularly
marginalized end-users from high electricity rates,”
Reyes said. |
