Meralco rates higher by P0.1050/kWh in April billing

By Myrna Velasco – April 9, 2020, 11:48 AM
from Manila Bulletin

Despite downtrend in the generation charge component of its tariff, the all-inclusive rate billed by Manila Electric Company (Meralco) for the month of April has been higher by P0.1050 per kilowatt hour (kWh) to P8.9951 per kWh from last month’s P8.8901 per kWh.

(KJ ROSALES / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO

The utility firm said that would result in P21 increase in the bills of residential consumers in the typical consumption threshold of 200 kilowatt hours.

“Due to the normalization of the universal charge rate, April registered a slight upward adjustment of overall power rates, as the overall rate for a typical household rose by P0.1050 per kWh,” the company said.

On the utility firm’s generation charge, which accounts for more than 50-percent of its billed rate, Meralco indicated this was down by P0.0247 per kWh to P4.6385 per kWh vis-à-vis the previous month’s P4.6632 per kWh.

For the other tariff components, such as the transmission charge, that went up very marginally by P0.0002 per kWh due to higher ancillary services charges; while taxes and other charges posted a net increase of P0.1295 per kWh and that had been mainly attributed to the normalization of the universal charge.

The utility firm said it invoked ‘force majeure’ claims under its power supply agreements (PSAs) because of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), and that was a major reason why it was able to cut its pass-on generation charge.