By: Kristy Mabulay & Jackylyn Artiaga / UM Interns
DAVAO Light and Power Company (Davao Light) expects another round of increases in consumer electricity bills due to the shortage in supply.
During Wednesday’s Habi at Kapi media forum on April 24, Davao Light president and COO Rodger Velasco said power consumption of Davaoeños rose to 540 megawatts during the dry season, which was the highest in recent years.
“Last February and March, there has been an increase of 0.48 centavos per kilowatt hour (kWh). It is because the cheaper supply, which is hydro coming from Nationa Power Corporation (NPC) already ran out and we needed to buy supply from the wholesale electricity spot market,” Velasco said.
Velasco urged the public to conserve energy to avoid high-cost electricity bills. He said people can expect an increase of 0.50 centavos per kWh for the April and May billing period.
As El Niño prolongs, Davao Light anticipated a continuous price increase from the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM), which is more costly compared to the supply coming from the National Power Corporation.
Meanwhile, he assured of sufficient supply for the city, which means no expected rotational power outages except for unforeseen internal problems such as network problems and vegetation intrusion on power lines.
