High electricity rates paid by at least 350,000 residents of seven municipalities in Nayarit have been described as “robbery” by a customer representative.

Oscar Luna Ayón, who represents electricity customers in Santiago Ixcuintla, said that residents in that municipality as well as Tuxpan, Acaponeta, Rosamorada, Ruiz, Tecuala and Huajicori – all in the north of the state – have been paying excessive rates to the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) since 2002.

From May until October – the hottest months of the year – the CFE charges customers in the municipalities a lower, subsidized rate known as 1D but from November to April, the subsidy is suspended.

Despite protests, the CFE has ignored the customers’ complaints and failed to conduct a review of the excessive charges seen during the latter period, Luna said.

“It’s robbery. Power bills arrive with charges of 2,000 pesos, 4,000 pesos, up to 10,000 pesos [US $520], when homes only have air conditioning, which isn’t a luxury but a necessity for coastal areas,” he said.

State lawmaker Eduardo Lugo said that electricity customers and authorities in Nayarit are calling for the federal government and the CFE to apply the 1D rate year-round in Nayarit’s hottest municipalities.

Before he assumed the position, new CFE director Manuel Bartlett said that he planned to review power rates and that the López Obrador-led federal government would seek to introduce “social rates” that could see people on low incomes obtain government subsidies to offset their electricity costs.

Source: Milenio (sp)