FILE PHOTO: The wind farm in Bangui town is a picture-perfect backdrop for tourists. ALEXIS CORPUZ
A green energy advocacy group on Wednesday slammed what it described as “unconsionable” power rates in the Ilocos provinces despite the presence of power windmills in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.
In a statement, the Power for People Coalition (P4P) said Ilocos Norte residents, served by the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC), paid a total unbundled rate of ₱16.767 per kilowatt hour.
Residents of Ilocos Sur, on the other hand, served by the Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISECO), pay a residential charge of ₱16.1192 per kilowatt hour.
The group said that for comparison, the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) charges ₱9.7545.
“It is unconscionable for any Filipino to pay more than 16 pesos per kilowatt hour for their electricity, especially in Ilocos, a region not as developed as the National Capital Region, a region that has abundant potential renewable energy, and a region that has recently suffered from a natural disaster. You know you’re really doing something wrong if Meralco looks good compared to you,” said Gerry Arances, P4P Convenor.
Arances pointed to coal as the primary culprit for the high power rates burdening consumers in the region, given the power supply agreements (PSAs) of the two electric cooperatives.
“INEC’s active PSA is with Masinloc Power Partners, which operates the Masinloc coal plant. ISECO has PSAs with Masinloc, GN Power Mariveles, and San Miguel Consolidated Power Corporation, which operates the Limay coal plant. With fossil fuel prices rising since the relaxation of the quarantine and the war in the Ukraine, the situation in Ilocos shows how consumers are punished by the decision of the government and generation companies to rely on coal,” said Arances.
The green energy advocate also warned that the situation in Ilocos can also happen all over the country, as San Miguel Corporation seeks to recover over ₱15 billion in losses from the spike in coal and gas prices.
“Ilocos is a preview of what can happen to consumers if we let companies who forced us to use electricity from coal and gas escape the responsibility of the decision by passing on the costs. These companies decided to use fossil fuels despite the abundance of renewable energy sources in the country, even if fossil fuels harm the environment, are subject to fluctuations in the world market, and can harm people living near their plants. We are asking President Bongbong
Marcos to put his foot down on fossil fuels and commit to the transition to renewable energy at the soonest possible time,” said Arances.