Bacolod City – Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez sought an explanation from the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) on the different contract power prices it purchased from power generator – Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (PCPC).
Benitez, in his letter to CENECO acting general Atty. Vic Alvaro, noted that the recent generation charge published on its website showed that CENECO had purchased 32.25 percent from PCPC at the rate of P14.6961 per kilowatt hour, and another item showing that it had purchased 19 percent from the power generator, at a lower rate of P10.2747/kWh, in November last year.
With this development, the mayor requested from CENECO a detailed comparative breakdown of the two different rates from PCPC, and copies of the power supply agreement between the electric cooperative and the power generating firm.
As your partner in public service, the City is one with CENECO of looking at and pursuing measures that would lessen the cost of electricity in Bacolod City, Benitez said.
He also brought his observation to Energy Regulatory Commission chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta.
In his letter to Dimalanta, Benitez said the two different rates coming from the same power generator produces a lot of questions, among which is, whether PCPC has been charging CENECO with the correct power rates.
Worth looking into also is the possible abuse of power, considering of the big disparity in the two rates, warranting a review by the ERC of the supply power agreements between CENECO and PCPC, the mayor further said. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)