THIS month’s electric bill will be higher after average prices in May rose to P7.79 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from P5.63/kWh in April, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said on Wednesday.
Unplanned shutdown of power plants, which caused lower supply in some island groups, and higher demand in April caused the increase, IEMOP said.
Overall, supply for the grid spiked to 21,374 megawatts (MW) in May from 20,819 MW in April, while demand surged to 15,755 MW in May from 14,404 MW in April.
In Luzon, average cost was P7.02/kWh in May from P5.63 per kWh in April. Supply was up at 15,509 MW from 14,790 MW, and demand also went up to 11,369 MW from 10, 266 MW.
In the Visayas, prices almost doubled at P10.20/kWh in May from P5.63/kWh in April. Supply declined to 2,360 MW in May from 2,487 MW in April, but demand rose to 2,178 MW from 1,996 MW in the same period.
In Mindanao, electricity prices likewise increased to 9.28/kWh in May from P5.63 per kWh in April. Supply dropped to 3,505 MW from 3,542 MW in April, while demand was up at 2,208 MW from 2,142 MW in the same period.
