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Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will raise electricity for the second straight month in April, as cost mitigating measures of the company were not enough to offset the higher charges brought about by the normalization of the universal charges.
In an advisory on Thursday, Meralco announced an upward adjustment of 10.50 centavos per kilowatt-hour to P8.9951 per kilowatt-hour. This is equivalent to a P21 upward movement in the total bill of residential customers consuming 200 per kilowatt-hour.
"The slight adjustment this month is not due to an increase in the cost of producing and delivering electricity, but mainly due to the Universal Charge returning to its normal level following a one-time refund of P0.1453 per kWh in Universal Charge-NPC Stranded Contract Costs (UC-SCC)," the advisory read.
The increase in universal charges comes after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) last month directed the company to implement a rate reversal of 14.53 centavos.
"With the one-time refund completed, Universal Charge normalized this April, with an increase of the same amount implemented this month as an effect," said Meralco.
The upward adjustment in Meralco's total bill, the company said, was tempered by its claim of force majeure amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) placed over Luzon.
The government has already extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) placed over Luzon until April 30. It was originally scheduled to end on April 13 after it was implemented on March 17.
"Meralco’s invocation of the Force Majeure provision, however, helped temper the Universal Charge increase, reducing fixed charges for generation capacity that was not consumed," it said.
With the force majeure claim, generation charges were reduced to P4.6385 per kilowatt-hour, 2.47 centavos lower than the P4.6632 the previous month.
"Because of the significant reduction in power demand in its service area during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) period, Meralco invoked the Force Majeure provision in its PSAs for the duration of the lockdown, reducing fixed charges for generation capacity that was not consumed," Meralco said.
"Without the Force Majeure claim, the generation charge would have increased by P0.0259 per kWh from last month’s rate," it added.
Meralco last month announced a 30-day payment extension for subscribers whose bills are due from March 1 to April 14, 2020.
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