BENECO Marketing Specialist Leo Belingon explained that at present, the price of electricity that BENECO purchases from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and government-controlled corporations like the National Power Corporation is high. He stressed that if the coop can generate at least 50% of the power needs through its own renewable energy, like a hydro plant, this will have a large effect on the electricity rate.
In a related development, Belingon confirmed that BENECO is willing to sit with the city government for a possible joint operation on the Asin Hydroplant. AV Garcia Power Generation Company also confirmed its intentions to partner with BENECO for such project.
In the meantime, Belingon announced that BENECO will be raising the electricity generation and system loss charge, starting in the billing period of May 2009. He explained that they have to do this, as the Energy Regulatory Commission, granted NPC – one of the power suppliers of BENECO, a 0.4682 centavo increase per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
According to Belingon, the coop has to pass this on to the consumers, though with a lower amount of.4299 centavos per KWH and the system loss will also increase by 0.06 centavo per kWh. The remaining of the charges on BENECO’s unbundling rate will remain the same, Belingon clarified.
