Meralco rates down by PHP0.1637/kWh for Jan. 2026

MANILA, January 14 ------ Lower transmission charges led to a PHP0.1637 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) reduction in Manila Electric Company’s (Meralco) power rates for January 2026, the Pangilinan-led firm announced. This marks the second consecutive month of rate cuts, reducing the monthly bill of customers consuming 200 kWh by about PHP33, according to Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga. “While there were upward pressures on certain cost components this January, overall electricity rates declined,” Zaldarriaga said during a press briefing.

He said the generation charge also decreased due to lower prices from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), citing improvements in the Luzon grid’s power situation. However, Zaldarriaga noted that the rate reduction was partly offset by the implementation of the Green Energy Auction Allowance (GEA-All), which the Energy Regulatory Commission ordered to take effect this month.

GEA-All is an added charge imposed on all on-grid end-users to fully compensate investments in renewable energy power plants included in the Department of Energy’s Green Energy Auction program. Zaldarriaga declined to provide details on February rates, saying these depend on factors such as generation and transmission costs. He added that January is typically a low-consumption period that extends into February. Asked for his capacity outlook for the "summer" months, he said: "We have always ensured that we have adequate capacity coming into our system to make sure that we will be able to supply efficient, reliable and adequate electricity to all our customers."

Source: pna.gov.ph