The Manila Electric Co. announced Monday a substantial increase in electricity rates for July, citing a rise in the generation charge after a brief period of artificially low rates.
The power rate increased to P2.1496 per kiloWatt-hour, bringing the total rate of a typical household to P11.6012 per kWh from P9.4516 per kWh from June.
This means that for residential customers consuming 200 kWh a month, their electricity bill will rise to around P430 in July.
Meralco, as the country’s largest power distribution company is popularly known, said the surge in electricity generation charge by P2.0021 per kWh at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market has returned to normal levels.
This followed the Energy Regulatory Commission’s directive to stagger the collection of deferred charges incurred in the May 2024 billing.
The listed power distributor said other factors that contributed to the significant increase in July rates include higher charges from Independent Power Producers and from Power Supply Agreements because of increases in fuel costs and the recovery of deferred costs.
While transmission charges fell, taxes and other charges increased slightly, reflecting adjustments in pass-through charges as per ERC rules.
Meralco emphasized safety precautions during the rainy season, urging customers to prioritize electrical safety amidst increased flood risks.
For further updates and billing adjustments, Meralco assured customers the due dates would be adjusted accordingly to facilitate bill settlements.
