(The Philippine Star) | Updated July 17, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines -
System loss in several electric cooperatives (ECs) hit record-lows again last
year owed to infrastructure upgrades, resulting in almost half a billion peso
electricity savings, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said.
The ECs posted an
average record low system loss of 11.12 percent in 2015, lower than the
13-percent cap set by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
It also compared lower
with the 11.67 percent system loss in 2014.
The reduction in system
loss has an equivalent savings of 71,258,654.01 kWh or about P488 million for
ECs’ member-consumers.
The agency said the
reduction in system loss is attributed mainly to the massive meter changes,
including pole metering and cluster metering done by the ECs to their
member-consumers.
“Strategic interventions
are being carried out to reduce system loss of the electric cooperatives for
them to be operationally efficient and be of better service to their
member-consumers. Lower system loss could also mean lower cost of electricity
rates,” NEA Officer-In-Charge Sonia San Diego said.
NEA said 89 ECs posted
a within-the-cap system loss set by ERC, of which 33 registered single-digit
loss. Meanwhile, 78 ECs showed marked improvement in their system loss level in
2015 compared to their 2014 level.
The five ECs which had
the lowest system loss are Misamis Oriental I Rural Electric Service
Cooperative Inc. (Moresco I) with 3.04 percent; Dinagat Island Electric
Cooperative Inc. (Dielco) with 5.31 percent; Batanes Electric Cooperative Inc.
(Batanelco) with 5.54 percent, Bohol I Electric Cooperative Inc. (Boheco I)
with 6.04 percent; and Iloilo III Electric Cooperative Inc. (Ileco III) with
6.22 percent.
By region, the Region
VII (Central Visayas) ECs recorded the lowest average system loss at 8.22
percent. It is followed by Region X (Northern Mindanao) ECs at 8.69 percent and
Region III (Central Luzon) ECs at 9.33 percent.
“The NEA continues to
exhaust all possible means to make funds readily available for the electric
cooperatives. The money we pour for the coops guarantees their ability to serve
better their stakeholders,” San Diego said.
Since 2004, NEA has
released to 80 ECs a total of P1.456 billion loan from its Single Digit System
Loss loan window.
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