NGCP says transmission charges up in April

Households can expect a higher electricity bill this month as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced Tuesday an increase in transmission charges for April due to a spike in ancillary services.

In an emailed statement, the NGCP said the ancillary service charges increased by 16.05% to P0.8094 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), reflecting the third tranche of the settlement of the remaining 70% cost from the Reserve Market for the March 2024 billing period whose recovery was deferred by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Ancillary service charges are the costs for services sourced from the Reserve Market and those for AS providers with bilateral contracts with the NGCP.

Transmission wheeling rates, or what it charges for its primary service of delivering power, increased by 4.81% to P0.5505 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in the March billing period, bringing the overall transmission charge up 11.51% to P1.5240 per kWh.

“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,” the NGCP said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News