State-owned National Power Corp. filed a petition with the Energy Regulatory Commission to recover P1.1 billion in universal charges for missionary electrification.
Napocor said the amount represented the shortfall in the universal charge for missionary electrification in 2015. Recovering the amount would translate into power rate increase of P0.0134 per kilowatt-hour.
Napocor asked ERC to direct the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. to remit monthly to Napocor “the actual universal share for missionary electrification collected from all electricity end users.”
“The amount proposed for recovery is already an incurred cost of NPC and within the reasonable cost of servicing the consumers in the missionary areas considering the nature of operation and the level of demand in the off-grid areas,” it said.
Napocor, which is mandated to provide electricity to areas served by Small Power Utilities Group, said the additional funding would ensure uninterrupted electricity in the areas it serves.
Napocor said that given the increasing demand for electricity in the off-grid areas, the funding would ensure available fuel supply for its power plants.