Baguio: Electric consumers in this city and Benguet will see a 70-centavo per kilowatt-hour (kWh) decrease in power rates this month, according to the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO).
According to Philippines News Agency, BENECO consumers will see a significant drop in their electricity bills this August as residential rates fall from PHP10.4763 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in July to PHP9.8809 per kWh. Laarni Ilagan, BENECO community relations officer, stated that this translates to an overall drop of PHP0.5954 per kWh. She added that the reduction is due to lower generation costs passed on by its power suppliers.
Generation charges from suppliers decreased from PHP5.9466 per kWh in July to PHP5.4434 this month. Rates from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) also reduced from PHP5.4702 to PHP4.7865 per kWh.
BENECO, the sole power distributor for more than 250,000 connections in Baguio and Benguet, recently secured a Provisional Authority from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to implement a long-term Power Supply Agreement (PSA) with Therma Luzon, Inc. With the new rate, households consuming 100 kWh this month can expect a PHP53.79 savings on their bill, while those using 200 kWh will save PHP107.58.
Previously, BENECO operated under an Emergency Power Supply Agreement with GNPower Dinginin, which ended in July 2025 and limited long-term contract negotiations. The cooperative is also awaiting ERC action on another PSA with Masinloc Power Co. Ltd. that could further stabilize and lower rates.
BENECO’s General Manager, Engr. Melchor Licoben, emphasized the cooperative’s commitment to finding ways to reduce electricity rates. “We continue to optimize our power supply to ensure our consumers enjoy the most competitive rates possible,” he said.
