Manila: A PHP0.2331 per kilowatt hour (kWh) will be added to the expenses of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) customers for October, for an overall rate of PHP13.3182 per kWh, driven primarily by the increase in generation charge.
According to Philippines News Agency, for a household consuming 200 kWh per month, this will mean an additional PHP47 in their electricity bill this month, Meralco spokesperson and head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said in a briefing Monday. This change is a turnaround from the rate reduction last month, which was traced to, among others, the depreciation of the Philippine peso against the US dollar.
Zaldarriaga said the effects of the extension of Meralco's power supply agreement (PSA) with First Gas-Sta. Rita plant, based on the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), also played as among other factors in the higher generation change. Generation charge rose PHP0.1903/kWh for this month, with rate from independent power producers (IPPs) up PHP0.3622/kWh, and those from PSAs by PHP0.3567 per kWh.
The uptick was, however, offset by the lower rate from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) after this declined by PHP2.0688/kWh due to around 1,000 megawatts decline in Luzon's peak demand. Aside from the generation charge, transmission, taxes, and other charges also contributed to the higher power rates for October, by about PHP0.0428/kWh.
