• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Consumers under the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power) will face higher electricity bills starting June 15, following a significant increase in power rates triggered by supply shortages across the Visayas grid.
On Monday, Negros Power announced that its average residential electricity rate for June 2026 has increased to P13.8417 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from P11.3808 per kWh in May, representing an increase of P2.4609 per kWh.
Engr. Christian John Villena, energy sourcing manager of Negros Power, said the adjustment is considered the highest power rate increase recorded by the utility so far this year.
In a press briefing, Villena said the rate increase was primarily caused by the series of yellow and red alert declarations issued by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) over the Visayas grid. The alerts resulted in higher prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and increased generation costs.
“The increase is mainly due to the lack of available power supply in the Visayas, which pushed up electricity prices in the spot market,” Villena explained.
The NGCP reported that the Visayas power grid remains vulnerable to recurring power alerts as three major coal-fired power plants continue to experience forced outages. These include Thermal Visayas Units 1 and 2 in Toledo, Cebu and Panay Energy Development Corp. Unit 3 in Iloilo.
The prolonged shutdown of these major generating facilities has significantly reduced available power reserves across the region, contributing to supply constraints and higher electricity costs, the NGCP said.
A Yellow Alert is declared when operating reserves fall below the required level while a Red Alert indicates insufficient power supply to meet consumer demand.
Red Alerts may result in rotational brownouts to prevent a widespread grid failure.
Villena said other distribution facilities in the Visayas will also experience higher electricity rates.
Data released by Negros Power showed that the generation charge posted the biggest increase, rising from P6.4385 per kWh in May to P8.6194 per kWh in June, registering an increase of P2.1809 per kWh.
System loss charges also climbed from P0.9510 per kWh to P1.1914 per kWh while taxes increased from P0.8730 per kWh to P1.1206 per kWh.
Meanwhile, the transmission charge decreased from P1.2151 per kWh to P1.0071 per kWh.
Villena warned that electricity rates may continue to rise in the coming months, potentially until August, if the affected power plants remain offline and supply conditions in the Visayas do not improve.
He urged consumers to practice energy conservation by limiting unnecessary electricity usage and ensuring the proper maintenance of electrical appliances to help reduce power consumption. | GPB
