Meralco power rates up by 28¢/kWh in February

Meralco, INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is raising its electricity rate by 28 centavos per kilowatt hour (kWh) this month due to a more expensive generation charge.

In a briefing Tuesday, the company said the upward movement pushed the overall rate to P12.0262 from January’s P11.7428 per kWh.

This means households consuming 200 kWh would have to pay about P57 more in their power bill for February.

Meralco, which only earns from distribution, supply and metering charges, said the generation charge increased by P0.3845 per kWh due to higher costs from independent power producers and power supply agreements.

Generation charge usually accounts for at least half of electricity bills.

Meralco’s franchise area covers Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and select areas in Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.