WESM Price Surge Triggers Power Rate Hikes in Bacolod and Southern Negros

BACOLOD CITY — Residents of Bacolod City and surrounding areas in central and southern Negros Occidental are facing increased power rates for July, following a significant rise in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices.

According to Philippines News Agency, statements from the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) and the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco), there have been substantial rate increases due to the heightened generation charges linked to WESM price fluctuations. Ceneco reported a rise of PHP0.5825 per kilowatt hour (kWh), setting the new rate at PHP13.3457 per kWh. This adjustment affects consumers in Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, Silay, Murcia, and Don Salvador Benedicto.

Noceco, servicing the area from Pulupandan to Hinoba-an, announced an even steeper increase, with rates climbing by PHP1.3119 per kWh, resulting in a new rate of PHP16.1134 per kWh. The management cited a PHP3.8118 hike in WESM prices as the primary driver for the rate adjustment.

Both cooperatives have linked these rate increases directly to the dynamic pricing in the WESM, reflecting broader trends in the energy market that impact consumer electricity bills.