Filipino households will see higher electricity bills this April due to a sharp 16.05% surge in Ancillary Service (AS) charges, pushing transmission rates to their highest this year, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced today. The increase, driven by costs from power generators, highlights the growing burden of grid stabilization on consumers as the country grapples with rising energy demands.
According to NGCP, AS charges for the March 2025 billing period climbed to PHP 0.8094 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from PHP 0.6975/kWh in February.
“This cost includes the 3rd tranche of the settlement of the remaining 70% AS cost from the Reserve Market for the March 2024 Billing Period whose recovery was deferred by the ERC,” the company stated. These charges, which NGCP passes directly to AS providers, fund critical services that balance the grid during supply-demand fluctuations.
While NGCP’s core transmission wheeling rates rose modestly by 4.81% to PHP 0.5505/kWh, the bulk of the hike stems from AS costs. “For the April 2025 bills of end consumers, NGCP charges only 55 centavos per kWh for the delivery of its services. The bulk of transmission charges is for AS, which is remitted directly to AS providers,” NGCP clarified. Overall, transmission charges hit PHP 1.5240/kWh, an 11.51% jump from February’s PHP 1.3668/kWh.
The increase underscores a structural issue: AS costs, which benefit generating companies, are a growing slice of consumer bills. With no direct control over these rates, NGCP’s role as a pass-through entity leaves consumers footing the bill for grid reliability.
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