Posted on January 20, 2014 11:36:05 PM
POWER FIRMS yesterday moved to comply with a Supreme Court deadline to file their comments regarding a hefty Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) rate hike, oral arguments on which will be held today.
Therma Mobile Inc. and Therma Luzon Inc. (TMO-TLI), GNPower Mariveles Coal Plant Ltd. Co. (GMCP) and National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) questioned their inclusion in the case.
The high court last month issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a P4.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Meralco rate increase. It scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 21 and earlier this month ordered petitioners to implead the power distributor’s suppliers.
A total of 20 power producers, plus NGCP and Philippine Electric Market Corp., joined original respondents Meralco, the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.
NGCP, in its 38-page comment, said it should not be included as transmission charges were different from the generation rates on which the Meralco rate hike was based.
Claiming to be “not an indispensable party‚” NGCP said, “The transmission charges are based on demand of a customer imposed by NGCP. On the other hand, generation charges are based on actual consumption of electricity imposed by generation companies that provided the power.”
TMO-TMI, meanwhile, stated in their 74-page comment that the party-list legislators and consumer groups’ lawsuit should have been filed before a regional trial court, not the high tribunal.
It denied colluding with other generation firms to hike electricity rates, and claimed that the 60-day TRO, if not lifted, would lead to company closures.
The consequent non-payment by Meralco, TMO-TMI said, will lead to power producers defaulting on their financial obligation, prevent them from buying fuel and eventually cause their “inevitable closure.”
GMCP, on the other hand, said it had not supplied electricity to Meralco and likewise denied collusion.
The controlling stakeholder of Meralco, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld. source
The high court last month issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a P4.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Meralco rate increase. It scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 21 and earlier this month ordered petitioners to implead the power distributor’s suppliers.
A total of 20 power producers, plus NGCP and Philippine Electric Market Corp., joined original respondents Meralco, the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy.
NGCP, in its 38-page comment, said it should not be included as transmission charges were different from the generation rates on which the Meralco rate hike was based.
Claiming to be “not an indispensable party‚” NGCP said, “The transmission charges are based on demand of a customer imposed by NGCP. On the other hand, generation charges are based on actual consumption of electricity imposed by generation companies that provided the power.”
TMO-TMI, meanwhile, stated in their 74-page comment that the party-list legislators and consumer groups’ lawsuit should have been filed before a regional trial court, not the high tribunal.
It denied colluding with other generation firms to hike electricity rates, and claimed that the 60-day TRO, if not lifted, would lead to company closures.
The consequent non-payment by Meralco, TMO-TMI said, will lead to power producers defaulting on their financial obligation, prevent them from buying fuel and eventually cause their “inevitable closure.”
GMCP, on the other hand, said it had not supplied electricity to Meralco and likewise denied collusion.
The controlling stakeholder of Meralco, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld. source
No comments:
Post a Comment