Meralco rates up in August

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) customers can expect to pay more for electricity for August, as it announced on Monday an upward adjustment in its overall rates, citing higher transmission charges.

In an advisory, Meralco said it will hike rates by 9.65 centavos per kilowatt-hour (/kWh), bringing the rate to P9.0036/kWh versus July’s P8.9071/kWh.

Transmission charges increased by 13.31 centavos per kilowatt-hour to P0.7323/kWh from P0.5992/kWh, on the back of higher ancillary service charges that account for 36% of the total charges.

The adjustment is expected to translate to an increase of around P19 in the total bill of residential customers consuming 200 kWh.

In the same advisory, Meralco reiterated that it has suspended disconnection activities in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces as stricter quarantine restrictions are reimposed.

Disconnection activities in Metro Manila and Laguna are suspended from August 6 to 20 due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), and in Cavite, Rizal, and Lucena from August 6 to 15 due to the modified ECQ (MECQ).

“[A]ll disconnection activities in the said areas will also be suspended to help ease the burden of our customers with the needed relief and additional time to settle their bills,” Meralco FVP Ferdinand Geluz said.

Meralco constructs, operates, and maintains electric distribution systems in the cities and municipalities of Bulacan, Cavite, Metro Manila, and Rizal, as well as certain areas in the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga, and Quezon.

Shares in the company were trading at P276.20 apiece as of 10:46 a.m. on Monday, up by 20 centavos or 0.07%. —KBK, GMA News