Laban Konsyumer Inc. (LKI) called on the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to look into the cost impact to consumers of the 24-day maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya gas-to-power project.
In a letter, LKI said the ERC must stop the implementation of the additional costs previously announced by the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) pending the conduct of hearings.
Victorio Dimagiba, LKI president, said in the letter the Senate committee on energy must compel the Malampaya consortium to bear the cost impact of the facility’s maintenance shutdown.
Dimagiba added the ERC can learn from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System—Regulatory Office which imposed a tariff freeze until the end of the year and has removed foreign currency differential adjustment from customer bills of Manila Water and Maynilad to protect consumers amid the pandemic.
Last week, Meralco announced a P0.3256 per kilowatt hour (kWh) increase in power rates this month due to the effects of the Malampaya shutdown that triggered an increase in the cost of electricity from the wholesale electricity spot market and independent power producers.
Meralco said the generation charge for the month went up by P0.2911 per kWh. Thi was originally at P0.81 per kWh if not for the coordination with suppliers to defer collection of portions of their generation costs.
The move instead resulted in an additional 13 centavos in the power rates of its customers from December until March 2022. – Jed Macapagal
