Dec. power bills to reflect lower transmission rates

POWER CONSUMERS will be charged lower transmission rates in their December electricity bills, reflecting the decline in the cost of ancillary services, which are tapped when standby power needs to be fed into the system, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said.

In a briefing on Tuesday, NGCP head of revenue management Julius Ryan D. Datingaling said transmission rates for the November supply period declined 10.3% month on month to P1.3547 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Ancillary services (AS) declined 17.6% to P0.6217 per kWh.

Transmission wheeling rates, on the other hand, decreased 0.99% from a month earlier to P0.5894 per kWh. This reflects the cost of delivering electricity from power generators to the distribution system.

Meanwhile, the feed-in tariff allowance declined 10.8% to P0.1436 per kWh.

Rates dipped 15.27% in Luzon, rose 2.17% in the Visayas, and rose 3.21% in Mindanao.

NGCP Spokesperson Cynthia P. Alabanza said the company is pushing for the unbundling of AS rates to enhance transparency.

“Over the last year, nakita natin na ang movement talaga ang lakas ng palo doon sa ancillary services prices, which is a pass-through cost at hindi napupunta sa NGCP. Para lang malaman ng tao na kung meron man pagtaas ng presyo, hindi ’yan solely because of NGCP (We’ve seen how significant the impact is of ancillary services prices, which is a pass-through cost and does not go to NGCP. This is just so people understand that if there is any price increase, it is not solely because of NGCP) she said.

Ms. Alabanza added that the NGCP is expecting to complete several projects next year, including the P8.1-billion Tuy-Dasmariñas 500-kilovolt (kV) line and the P4.2-billion Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 500-kV line.

Tuy-Dasmariñas involves the construction of a 49-kilometer double-circuit overhead transmission line, to be energized at the 230-kV voltage level initially.

It is expected to service the additional 5,215.55 megawatts of proposed generation capacity installed near Calaca, Batangas.

Meanwhile, the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay transmission project will address the overloading issues in the existing Nabas-Caticlan 69-kV transmission line, Caticlan-Boracay transmission line, and Manoc-Manoc 69-kV load end substation.

The project is expected to enhance the reliability of power supply in islands off Panay.

“We have several substation upgrading projects in the Visayas also slated for completion next year,” Ms. Alabanza said.

In 2024, the NGCP completed three transmission projects, including the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection, the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kV Interconnection, and the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500-kV line.

The NGCP officially started operations as a power transmission service provider in 2009. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera