The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has announced a power rate increase of ₱0.4883 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this July, bringing the total rate to ₱12.6435/kWh from June’s ₱12.1552/kWh.
This adjustment is expected to raise household bills by around ₱98 for homes consuming 200 kWh monthly.
Meralco cited the higher generation charge as the primary cause of the increase, driven by rising global fuel prices and a weaker peso against the dollar.
Additional costs were also noted from its Power Supply Agreements (PSAs) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
A slight reprieve came from a ₱0.1703/kWh decrease in electricity prices from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).
Transmission charges rose by ₱0.0734/kWh, while taxes and other fees added another ₱0.0742/kWh.
Meralco clarified that its distribution charge has remained unchanged since August 2022 and that a ₱0.2024/kWh refund for residential customers continues to apply.