Overall transmission charges down in October billing — NGCP

Electric consumers can expect a decline in the overall transmission charges in their bills for the month of October, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Thursday.

The NGCP explained that while its transmission wheeling rates have gone up by 3.68% from P0.4761/kWh in August to P0.4936/kWh in September, the Ancillary Service (AS) rates for September decreased to P0.5680/kWh from August’s P0.6127/kWh.

Hence, this will reflect in the transmission charges for the October billing.

“Overall, when we add the rates there is a downward trend on the transmission rates that is from P1.22 per kilowatt hour in August to P1.19 per kilowatt hour [in September]. Hence, a difference of P0.0274 per kilowatt per hour, when you round this up, this is a reduction of P0.03 per kilowatt hour,” said Ryan Datinggaling, NGCP head of revenue management department, at a briefing on Thursday.

Wheeling rates refers to what the NGCP charges for its primary service of delivering power.

Meanwhile, AS charges are the cost for AS sourced from the reserved market and those for AS providers with bilateral contracts. But the NGCP reiterated that it does not earn from it.

If per grid, the NGCP said that the Luzon and Mindanao grids will have a reduction of P0.09/kwH and P0.02 kwH in their transmission charges, respectively.

The Visayas Grid, on other hand, will have a P0.29 hike in their transmission charge.

“Yung transmission rate namin is per grid. Iba yung charges sa Luzon, iba sa Visayas, iba sa Mindanao. Tapos each distribution utility will translate our charges according to the nuances ng  franchise area nila,” said NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza.

(Our transmission rate is per grid. There are different charges in Luzon, Visayas, and in Mindanao. Then each distribution utility will translate our charges according to nuances in their franchise area.)

The Manila Electric Company earlier said that its consumers may expect a rollback in power rates in October due to lower Wholesale Electricity Spot Market charges. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News