THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Wednesday said that its overall transmission rates will be lower in December and will be reflected in this month’s billing period.
The transmission firm said that overall average transmission rates went down to P1.3455 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from P1.3547 per kWh due to the decrease in the ancillary services rates for the period.
NGCP said that ancillary service rates declined to P0.5971 per kWh from P0.6217 per kWh for the period, attributable to the abundant reserve supply for the period.
Meanwhile, NGCP’s transmission wheeling rate, or the fee for delivering electricity through its grid, was at P0.6058 per kWh, an increase from PP0.5894 per kWh.
NGCP emphasized it does not earn from ancillary services and does not benefit from any related changes.
With regard to power outlook for the summer, NGCP said it is expecting some shortage of electricity supply but expects no brownouts, specifically in the Visayas, despite an increase in demand this year.
“There could be [a] shortage of supply, especially in Visayas. And in terms of demand, actually, the DOE’s (Department of Energy) projected peak demand has already been breached, based on the presented data, because from [what] we’ve seen, every year, the demand for power increases due to the same drivers. These are population, and economic activity and development,” NGCP Assistant Vice President for Public Relations Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said during a media briefing on Wednesday.
The DOE also confirmed this in a previous media briefing, saying Luzon will have enough power supply in the summer while the Visayas and Mindanao could experience some power shortages that could lead to yellow alerts, but not necessarily brownouts.
