Meralco cuts April electricity rate by nearly P1 per kilowatt-hour

MANILA, Philippines — Electricity consumers get some relief as power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) announced a rate reduction of almost one peso per kilowatt-hour in April due to lower generation and transmission charges.

In a statement on Monday, Meralco said this month’s overall power rate declined by P0.9879 per kWh to P10.9518 per kWh in the April billing period from P11.9397 per kWh in March.

The cut translates to a decrease of about P198 in the total electricity bill of residential customers with consumption of 200 kWh.

“The substantial reduction in the overall electricity rate this month wiped out rate increases since January 2024, bringing the year-to-date adjustment to a net decrease of P0.3066 per kWh,” Meralco said in a statement.

READ: Meralco hikes electricity rate by 2.29¢ per kWh for March

For the April billing period, Meralco said the generation charge declined by P0.3613 per kWh due to lower costs from independent power producers and power supply agreements, offsetting higher Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices.

The transmission charge dropped by P0.4665 per kWh after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) suspended the billing and settlement in the reserves market which resulted in a significant increase in ancillary service (power reserves) charges in March.