Meralco rates down by 11 cents

MANILA, Philippines — Power rates in June will be slashed by P0.1076 per kilowatt-hour, bringing down the overall rate to P12.1552 per kWh, according to Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).

Around P22 would be reduced in the power bills of typical households consuming 200 kWh.

“Our customers will continue to benefit from lower power rates this month, mainly due to lower generation charges,” Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said yesterday.

Generation charges, which reflect the cost of power purchased from energy suppliers, went down by about P0.11 to P7.3552 per kWh.

Lower generation costs’ impact, however, was partially offset by the increase in transmission charges, or the cost of transporting electricity from power plants to distribution systems.

Transmission and generation charges are paid by Meralco to power suppliers and the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

Distribution charges, the only portion of the bill that goes to Meralco, have not moved since the reduction of P0.0360 per kWh in August 2022.

Residential customers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces are expected to continue benefiting from the ongoing implementation of a Meralco refund of about P0.2024 per kWh.