Kapehan Discusses Electric Supply & Price

Carl Quimpo-president, BOD, Akelco, right, and Hon. Rodson Mayor.

Mr. Carl Quimpo, president – board of directors, Akelco discussed last Saturday, September 27 the electric supply and price in Aklan. Carl Quimpo was the main resource person in "Kapehan Sa Aklan" held at "Kusina Sa Kalibo".
According to Carl Quimpo, Akelco’s supply of electricity comes from two main sources which are NAPOCOR and Global Business Power Corporation (GBCP). Akelco is the main electric power distributor in Aklan and in the towns of Pandan and Libertad, Antique. The availability of supply therefore is dependent upon the two main sources. The price too is based upon the rates being charged by the suppliers; added to the price are the cost of transmission; systems lost; value added, real estate and other taxes; metering and others.
On the question of the P0.59 per kwh Akelco collected beginning July and another P0.69 collected beginning August, Carl Quimpo is yet to receive the basis of collection from the Akelco management.
On the matter of the amended Electric Power Purchase Agreement (EPPA), Carl Quimpo disclosed that the officers and members of the BOD, Akelco is now studying the possibility of reviewing the agreement. This amended EPPA refers to the agreement between Akelco and GBPC many consumer–members believed is onerous and done with haste. However, Mr. Chito Peralta, now general manager but president of Akelco BOD at the time of the signing of the amended EPPA believed, "that was the best deal Akelco got at that time."
In that last Saturday, Kapehan, Mr. Lito Motus, an Akelco consumer-member believed Akelco management could have unitarily abrogated the EPPA for GBPC failed to deliver electricity at that time Akelco got no electricity from NAPOCOR and Aklan experienced long black out, Motus pointed out, GBPC failed to generate electricity because its generating plants were out of order and it has no replacement parts to change the damaged parts. It took some days to procure spare parts outside of Aklan. It also failed to generate electric power because GBPC was out of fuel when there was black out, Motus added.
Some objectionable provisions in the amended EPPA are the exclusivity clause which states that Akelco is compelled to buy power from GBPC even if power is available at cheaper price from another source; Akelco is compelled to pay 4 million Kwh to GBPC per month even if it has not fully consumed that volume and the formula to be used in the computation of electricity rate was changed to another which tends to increase the cost of electricity. /MP