Meralco bills to go up in September

After two consecutive months of lower electricity bills, customers of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will see their electricity rates go up in September on higher generation and transmission charges at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM). 

 

In a statement Monday, Meralco said the rate will go up by P0.18 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this month following P0.65 per kWh in cumulative reductions in July and August. 

 

This means the average residential customer with a monthly consumption 200 kWh will pay P36 more in the electricity bill for September. 


 

 

“The increase this September was mainly due to a P0.13 per kWh  increase in the generation charge, following an P8.70 per kWh upward adjustment in the cost of electricity sourced from the WESM,” the country's largest power distributor said.

 

Settlement prices at the WESM, which serves as the trading floor of electricity, went up on tighter supply last month.

 

The transmission charge increased by P0.08  and other charges by P0.01 per kWh. The higher transmission charge was chiefly due to higher cost of ancillary service charges. 

 

Taxes, meanwhile, went down by P0.04  per kWh, trimming the higher electricity rates. —SOA, GMA News