MERALCO POWER RATES UP BY P0.1048/KWH IN DECEMBER

Residential customers with a consumption of 200 kWh will have an upward adjustment of P21 in their total electricity bill this month because of higher generation charge (Photo courtesy of LeAnne Jazul/Rappler)

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) announced hiked power rates climbing by P0.1048 per kilowatt-hour due to higher generation charge this December, bringing the overall rate for a typical household to P11.9617 per kWh.

Just like in November, the hike in generation charge triggered a new round of increase in power rates, reaching P0.1048 per kilowatt hour (kWh) from the previous month’s P11.8569 per kWh.

Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said, “For our residential customers with a consumption of 200 kWh, this translates to an upward adjustment of P21 in their total electricity bill this month.”

Zaldarriaga said that “this month's increase was largely due to higher generation charge, which goes to our power suppliers.”

Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices increased by PHP0.2531 per kWh as 396 megawatts in the Luzon grid went offline leading to tighter supply conditions in the region.

Charges from power supply agreements (PSAs) were also higher this month by PHP0.1050 per kWh due to weaker peso, which affected around 51 percent of PSA costs and lower average PSA dispatch.

This means power prices are going up by P31 for households consuming 300 kwh, P42 for 400 kwh consumption, and P52 for 500 kwh. 

Meralco said taxes and other charges increased by P0.0149 per kWh. “Pass-through charges for generation and transmission are paid to the power suppliers and the grid operator, respectively, while taxes, universal charges, and Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) are all remitted to the government.” 

There was, however, a P0.0410 per kWh decrease in charges from independent power producers. Transmission charges also fell by P0.0940 per kWh due to lower ancillary service charges from the reserve market.

Source: ABS-CBN News 

Be part of ImHenyo community!

Get featured by sharing your stories, news, and comments

Email us at [email protected]