The Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) has cautioned consumers of the possible “upward pressure” in the February electricity bills.
In a report by the Philippine Star, MERALCO head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said that, while the company is still waiting for the billings from suppliers, preliminary signs revealed strains for an increase.
Zaldarriaga said that this might be prompted by the recommencement of the feed-in tariff allowance and would soon be reflected by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Generation charges would further escalate due to increases in fuel prices, such as the imported liquefied natural gas utilized by gas-fired power plants.
Zaldarriaga added that the firm hopes the increase would be alleviated by lower Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices and the low energy demand due to cool weather during January.
In January, MERALCO implemented a Php 0.0846 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) adjustment, bringing the overall rate to Php 11.3430 per kWh. WESM prices also saw an increase of Php 0.05611 per kWh due to growth in capacity in Luzon.
Because of increased fuel prices, Independent Power Producers saw an increase of Php 0.1384 per kWh.
