Electric cooperatives’ sales revenues up 9% to P54.074-B

By Myrna M. Velasco – October 18, 2020, 7:00 AM
from Manila Bulletin

Despite the continued wreck of the coronavirus pandemic, the higher electricity usage of consumers had jacked up the overall revenues of the country’s electric cooperatives within April-June this year to P54.074 billion, higher by 9.0-percent from P49.672 billion in the first quarter.

The energy sales specifically had escalated by 12-percent in the second quarter of this year, according to the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and that was because of the residential end-users who were mostly confined in their homes at the height of the lockdown period which straddled the months of April and May.

NEA stated that based on the statistical report of its Information Technology and Communication Services Department (ITCSD), the nationwide aggregate sales of the ECs climbed to 5,988 gigawatts hours (GWh) within April-June stretch versus the leaner 5,337 GWh in the first quarter.

“This was due to the 9.0-percent increase in electricity consumption by the residential sector,” NEA Edgardo R. Masongsong has emphasized.

In particular, household end-users posted 3,693 GWh power consumption in the second quarter due to the scorching weather during the summer months; while it was at lower 2,806 GWh in the relatively colder periods of January to March.

However, the outcome was a reverse in the commercial sector because the health crisis forced many businesses to either close or reduce operations especially within the March-May duration of the enhanced community quarantines (ECQ) in various parts of the country.

The electrification agency pointed out “the pandemic restrictions pushed the energy sales in the commercial sector to fall by 6.0-percent from 1,165 GWh to 982 GWh.”

Within the industrial segment of end-users, this was likewise down by 3.0percent to 957 GWh from a heftier consumption of 1,000GWh in the initial quarter of the year.

Further, the power usage of public buildings and other consumers had been slightly down by 1.0-percent to 356GWh from 366GWh.

Masongsong particularly highlighted that “sales and revenues of power cooperatives operating in Aklan, Benguet, Palawan, Bohol and Siargao island, which are highly dependent on tourism, fell sharply in the second quarter as a result of the community quarantines imposed in these areas.”

Of all the service areas of the ECs, NEA noted that Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO) logged the biggest downturn in energy sales at 20-percent, which could be equivalent to P149 million in unrealized revenues.

Another power utility which registered sizeable two-digit sales decline of 18-percent had been Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO), and that redounds to P145 million revenue loss. For Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO), its energy sales had been down by 9.0-percent or equivalent P53 million loss; Bohol Electric Cooperative (BOHECO) sales fell 6.0-percent or a resulting loss of P50 million; and Siargao Electric Cooperative Inc. (SIARELCO) had its sales trimmed by 8.0-percent and that was tantamount to revenue loss of P7.0 million.