ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines โ Power rates across the Negros Island Region (NIR) have surged this April, hitting more than a million consumers with higher electricity bills amid recurring failures in the regionโs aging energy infrastructure.
Five distribution utilities, including Enrique Razon Jr.’s Negros Power Corporation (Negros Power), implemented sharp increases ranging from 88 centavos to more than P2 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
The utilities pointed to familiar culprits behind the hike: higher prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), rising generation charges and fuel costs, and foreign exchange fluctuations.
Negros Power, which covers central Negros Occidental including Bacolod City, raised its power rates from P11.4870/kWh in March to P12.3450/kWh this April โ a P0.8580/kWh increase affecting over 200,000 consumers.
Other cooperatives followed suit:
-
Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO), serving cities like San Carlos, Escalante, Cadiz, and Sagay, hiked rates by P1.4723/kWh. Consumers now pay an average of P15.0705/kWh, up from P13.5982.
-
Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO), covering areas from Bago City down to Hinoba-an, increased rates by P1.6509/kWh, pushing the April rate to P15.6104/kWh.
In Negros Oriental, the power shock was even sharper:
-
Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative 1 (NORECO 1) raised its rates by P2.0290/kWh, from P11.8149 in March to P13.8439/kWh. It services cities and towns including Bais, Guihulngan, and Canlaon.
-
Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative 2 (NORECO 2), which covers Dumaguete, Tanjay, Bayawan, and surrounding towns, bumped its rates from P11.1843/kWh to P13.1251/kWh โ a P1.9408/kWh hike.
The successive power rate hikes come as frustrations mount over the NIRโs long-standing energy woes, with consumers once again bearing the brunt of an outdated and unstable power infrastructure.
About The Author
