BAGUIO CITY — Power cooperative Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO), sole power distributor servicing Baguio and Benguet, joined the Luzon Electric Cooperatives Aggregation (LECA) hoping for cheaper generation rates to pass on to its member-consumers for the next 15 years.
BENECO’s Emergency Power Supply Agreement (EPSA) with its current supplier, Limay Power, Inc. (LPI), a subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., will end by the first week of March 2025.
The EPSA was procured following the expiration of BENECO’s 20-year power supply agreement with TEAM Energy (formerly Mirant) on March 13, 2024.
BENECO, it said, is determined to secure a longer power supply agreement through the aggregation before the EPSA expires.
The aggregation has joined the demand of 18 electric cooperatives (ECs) to be able to secure reasonable generation rates. The ECs are Albay Electric Cooperative, Inc., BENECO, Camarines Electric Cooperative, Inc. I and II, Central Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Inc., Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc., Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc., Isabela Electric Cooperative, Inc. I and II, Kalinga Electric Cooperative, Inc., Mountain Province Electric Cooperative, Inc., Nueva Ecija Electric Cooperative, Inc., Pangasinan Electric Cooperative, Inc. III, Pampanga Electric Cooperative, Inc. I, Pampanga Electric Service Coop, Sorsogon Electric Cooperative, Inc. I, Tarlac Electric Cooperative, Inc. I and II.
The cooperatives have a total aggregated demand of 601 megawatts. — Artemio A. Dumlao
