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State-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) is seeking a higher
adjustment in its basic generation rate than the one it originally
filed for with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
Francis Saturnino Juan, ERC executive director,
said that Napocor’s petition for a P0.3685 per
kilowatt-hour-rate increase does not include the cost of the
latter’s contracts with independent power producers that it wanted
included in the final determination of its adjusted rates.
Aside from this, Napocor has yet to factor in
the cost impact of the recent privatization of some of its power
plants by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.
(PSALM).
It would be recalled that the power generating
company earlier said that the petition to adjust its basic
generation rates is in line with the privatization of a number of
its cheap-running power plants such as its hydro and coal
facilities, which has left it with.
Napocor, under ERC Case No. 2008-030-RC, is
specifically asking for its Luzon grid time-of-use rate adjusted
to P4.2651 per kilowatt-hour from P3.8966 per kilowatt-hour. The
petition is currently undergoing public consultations.
However, Juan said that inputting the IPP and
power plant costs, which Napocor wanted included in its basic
generation rate, would push the rates by up to P0.50 per
kilowatt-hour; thus the regulator would not be able to decide on the
sought for adjustment.
“The published rate increase application and
the basis of our public hearings is just for the P0.37 per kWh rate
increase. We told Napocor that we cannot decide on the higher rate
increase of P0.45 to P0.50 per kilowatt-hour they have presented
during the hearings,” he added.
-- Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo
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