Baguio Benguet power rate cut

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The over 120,000 consumers of the Benguet Electric Cooperative in Baguio City and the 13 towns of this province got a timely reprieve after Beneco management announced a P0.20 per kilowatt-hour reduction in their power bills effective January billing due to cheaper generation cost charged by a private power supplier.

From the previous power being supplied by the National Power Corp. over the past several years, Beneco, the franchise holder of power distribution in Baguio and Benguet, now sources its power supply from the TIM Energy Corporation, a Japanese firm operating the Sual coal-fired power plant in Sual, Pangasinan and the volatile Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

Alejandro delos Santos Jr., manager of Beneco’s corporate services department, said the discounted rate being offered by the new supplier allows the distribution utility to give the consumers much cheaper rates that will be reflected in the generation cost of their power bills so that they will continue to enjoy affordable power rates.

Based on initial computations, consumers will be enjoying at least P0.20 per kilowatt-hour reduction in the generation cost being charged to them starting this January billing period.