Meralco: April power rates may go up due to higher generation charge
POWER rates for April could go up compared with the previous month because of higher generation charge, a major component of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) bill.
“Based on early, initial projections, there may be higher generation charge for the month of April 2021 due to observed increase in WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market] prices,” said Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga. “Luzon peak demand increased by more than 900 MW in March due to warmer temperature and large capacities on outage persisted, remaining in excess of 3,400 megawatts on the average.”
The daily Luzon Load-weighted Average Price (LWAP) reached P8 per kilowatt- hour (kwh) during the week of March 1 and P9/kwh during the week of March 15. In comparison, the daily LWAP was below P3/kwh for most of February.
Meralco emphasized that March 2021 marked the second straight month of downward adjustment for power rates as the overall rate for a typical household decreased by P0.3598 per kwh, from last month’s P8.6793 to P8.3195 per kwh this month. This is equivalent to a decrease of around P72 in the total bill of residential customers consuming 200 kwh. Notably, this month’s rate is the lowest since August 2017.
“Nevertheless, Meralco continues to encourage our customers to continue practicing energy efficiency initiatives at home to be ready in managing their consumption, as the summer season may bring an increase in residential electricity consumption by 10 percent to 40 percent versus average consumption during the cool months of January and February,” added Zaldarriaga.
‘Keep us updated on construction plans’
MEANWHILE, Meralco urged construction companies and contractors to inform the power distributor ahead of time for planned construction work near electric poles and electrical wires and cables.
This courtesy is meant to ensure that Meralco can implement proper safety precautions to prevent instability of utility poles when excavations are dug, accidental power trips on circuit breakers and transformers, or unintentional damage to power lines that could cause power blackouts at the minimum, or electrocution and fatalities at the worse.
“We’re requesting our contractor and developer partners to please get in touch with us if they’re planning to do some civil works near our facilities. Meralco doesn’t want to get in the way of construction projects and their progress. However, there are some important protocols that need to be observed,” said Meralco Vice President and Head of Organizational Safety and Business Continuity Management, Antonio M. Abuel Jr.
Construction companies can coordinate with Meralco and advise them of impending activities near electrical assets, and the utility’s safety engineers can make sure that unplanned power interruptions are avoided, and any civil works can proceed with safety.
Once advised, Meralco crew can facilitate interruption if extremely necessary through a Request for Temporary Power Interruption (RTPI). They can also assess the ground if there is an alternative position for the poles, or on other cases, an outright relocation of it.
Finally, Meralco is also asking the public to report any damaged or reclining poles near any construction sites if they happen to notice these. Earlier, Sen. Win Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy authored the “Antiobstruction of Power Lines Act” in 2019, prohibiting the planting of tall growing plants, the construction of hazardous improvements, and the conduct of any hazardous activities within the power line corridor.
The power line corridor— which includes the land beneath, the air spaces surrounding, and the area traversed by power lines, including its horizontal, vertical, and similar clearance requirements—shall, at all times, be kept clear and free from any obstructions, dangerous structures, hazardous activities, or any similar circumstances that impede the continuous flow of electricity.