Power tariff shelved

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Tuesday announced the suspension of Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) collections for three billing months starting December until February next year.

In a statement, the ERC said it recognized the impact of rising living costs and inflation, and that the present healthy status of the FIT-All fund was sufficient to cover payment requirements for the three billing months.

The FIT-All is a uniform charge imposed on all on-grid electricity consumers. A component of the electricity bill, it aims to ensure the development and promotion of renewable energy in the country.

Suspension of FIT-All collection was among the immediate interventions the ERC discussed with distribution utilities during the recent Power Supply Agreement Caravan to mitigate high electricity rates.

The Energy commission, in a resolution dated Nov. 16, 2022, said it was “sensitive to the impact of the rising level of inflation and cost of living to millions of Filipino households. We join the rest of the government in introducing remedies to ease inflation pressure on our citizens, including those that impact on their ability to pay for the rising cost of electricity due to external pressures.”

The status of the FIT-All fund will be reviewed prior to the end of the three-month period to determine if an extension or other forms of relief would be available to consumers.