Gabut, Dupax del Sur.  This coming billing period, the consumers of Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative (Nuvelco) will experience an increase in their power bill of around P0.2226 per kwh as ordered by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

In its order, the Energy Regulatory Commission has directed all distribution utilities such as Nuvelco to collect from its consumers the said amount starting May 2019 billing period.  This is in line with the approval of the application of the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) of the Feed-in Tariff allowance for calendar year 2018.

The application is filed by Transco in its capacity as FIT-all Fund Administrator tasked with the establishment, management and disbursement of the FIT-All fund pursuant to ERC Resolution No. 15, Series of 2012 pursuant with Republic Act No. 9513 or the Renewable Energy Law.

“Nuvelco is only a collecting agent of Transco and no amount will be retained by the co-op. We have no other option but to comply with the order of the ERC, otherwise the co-op will be sanctioned”, general manager of Nuvelco Lopito Lloyd Valdez said.

To achieve the intent of the said law, there is a mandate to establish a Feed-in Tariff System for electricity produced from wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river hydropower, and biomass.  The FIT system is an incentive scheme that, among others, grants priority connections to the grid, priority purchase and transmission of, and payment for, electricity generated, and fixed tariff for a period not less than 12 years to be determined by the ERC for eligible Renewable Energy generation.

The order likewise provides that the Feed-in Tariff allowance equivalent to P0.2226/kwh is lower by P0.0706/kwh from Transco’s proposed rate of P0.2932/kwh, and which is P0.0337/kwh lower than the 2017 FIT-All rate of P.2563.

# Fredel Salvador