Higher electricity bills seen this month

MANILA, Philippines – Customers of power distributor Manila Electric Co. should brace themselves for higher electricity bills this month as the generation charge rose by 51 centavos per kilowatt-hour to P5.53 per kWh.

The increase means that households consuming about 100 kWh a month would have to pay P51 more, while those consuming 200 kWh will have to bear with a P102 increase in their monthly bills. Households consuming 300 kWh can expect a P306 jump in their June power bills.

According to Meralco, the 51-centavo-per-kWh increase in the generation charge for June was primarily due to the increase in the generation cost of all its suppliers during the May supply month.

Meralco currently sources its electricity requirements from the state-run National Power Corporation (Napocor), the so-called successor generating companies (SGCs) which sell power through transition supply contracts, independent power producers (IPPs), and other generators selling power through the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).