The Philippines is recorded to have the
highest electricity bills among the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in June, according to the Department of Energy (DOE), due to limited supply and high demand for electricity.
DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said the country’s average electricity rate climbed to ₱12.43 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in June, surpassing Singapore’s by ₱0.093 per kWh.
DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara explained that the highest electricity rates resulted from a supply shortage in the Visayas, where 21 power plant units suffered forced outages. As a result, the region had to rely on imports from Luzon and Mindanao to meet demand.
The Visayas grid was also placed under yellow alert for several days in June, indicating that the operating margin had fallen below the reserve level required to maintain security for the transmission grid.
Among the main reasons for this are the delays in the operation of several large coal-fired power plants in the region.
The affected facilities include Therma Visayas Inc. Units 1 and 2 and Panay Energy Development Corp.
Meanwhile, the DOE also said that electricity rates have increased due to high demand during the summer months as well. As a result, more expensive power plants had to be operated to avoid supply shortages and possible brownouts.
“Imbes na mag-blackout, pinapatakbo na lang ang mga medyo mahal na planta,” Guevara said /Hannah Amparo
