Power consumers in northern Negros Occidental must brace themselves for higher electricity bills this month after the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) announced a P6 increase in its electricity rates for July 2024.
In a press statement, NONECO said consumers will be paying P15.7927 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for July, compared to P9.2302 per kWh last month. This significant increase is attributed to two factors related to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).
NONECO said included on the July bill is the 25% of the deferred June WESM bill, as mandated by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). The remaining 50% will be spread across August and September bills.
It added that the market price of electricity at WESM also saw a slight increase, from P8.9828 to P9.2569 per kWh in July.
NONECO emphasizes that despite the overall increase, only 11% of the cost goes towards their distribution, supply, and metering (DSM) charges. These charges, currently at P1.6109 per kWh, haven’t changed since February 2010 and cover their operational expenses.
