New reporting rules for power firms up

To help protect consumers from unauthorized charges, the Energy Regulatory Commission will require all power distributors to adopt revised uniform reportorial requirements (URR) starting January next year.

ERC chairperson Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut said the revised URR model will allow the commission to effectively monitor the operations of all 140

distribution utilities in the country.

Specifically, the reportorial requirements will allow the ERC to look into the various charges imposed on end-users and determine if these are authorized, added ERC executive director Francis Saturnino Juan.

Information to be monitored include actual implemented rates; revenues; rates covered by automatic adjustment and tax calculations; prior period adjustments collected/refunded; lifeline discount; senior citizen discount; and technical data such as system losses, system capacity and peak demand.

The revised URR model will be mandatory for all the DUs in the country, both privately run and rural electric cooperatives, and will replace the previous forms being submitted.