The Davao Light and Power Company on Wednesday announced that power rates are expected to increase this month due to the high demand for electricity and the current power situation in Mindanao.
Fermin Edillon, head of the Reputation Enhancement Department at Davao Light, said that the capacity of the hydropower plant, which is the cheapest and where Mindanao gets its supply, is depleting because of El Niño.
“With that, most likely naay pagbag-o sa atoang electricity bill karong muabotay na Mayo. This is expected kay tungod with the high demand of electricity and the power supply situation in Mindanao particularly kani atoang sources sa kuryente na barato ang hydropower ang capacity dili ingon ana ka taas, it is expected na mutaas gyud ang atoang rate sa electricity,” said Edillon during the AFP PNP Press Corps media briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Edillon said they cannot give the hiked power rate yet.
Davao Light president and COO Rodger Velasco shared that the power distribution utility recorded its highest power demand in many years. In April, Davao Light recorded a 536 megawatt (MW) demand in its franchise area from 432 MW in February and 479 MW in March this year.
Davao Light’s franchise area covers the cities of Davao, Panabo, and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas.
The uptick is also attributed to higher power supply prices from the Philippine Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao, which pushed the generation rate up.
Edillon said Davao Light would like to remind its customers to conserve energy to avoid bill shock.
Even with the assurance that the Mindanao power supply is sufficient, Davao Light encouraged customers to be mindful of their usage to avoid high bills, especially with the intense heat that increases electricity demand.
Davao Light also advised households to save electricity by utilizing natural light during the day and improving ventilation by opening windows and curtains to allow air to flow freely.
It also encouraged households to manage their consumption by assessing their energy needs by identifying which appliances are often used and have high wattage ratings and lessening the hours and days used for these appliances.
On April 24, 2024, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) placed Mindanao on a yellow alert, the island’s first time this year following the red alert raised in Luzon and the Visayas that resulted in rotational outages.
According to the NGCP’s advisory, a yellow alert is raised when the power supply’s operating margin fails to meet the contingency requirement of the transmission grid.
This was issued in Mindanao after nine power plants were forced to shut down while five were on reduced capacity as hydropower plants were affected by the dry spell.
