Negros Power October rate rises slightly to PHP 14.2691

Negros Power’s average residential electricity rate edged up to PHP 14.2691 per kilowatt-hour in October 2026, only PHP 0.0204 per kWh higher than the September rate of PHP 14.2487 per kWh despite a sharp increase in electricity prices in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

The relatively small adjustment provides some immediate relief to consumers facing elevated food, fuel and other household costs, but part of the higher power procurement expense has only been deferred under a staggered payment arrangement and will be collected over the next five months.

For perspective, the PHP 0.0204-per-kWh increase translates to about PHP 4.08 in additional electricity cost for a household consuming 200 kWh during the billing period, before considering changes in individual consumption and other billing adjustments.

Negros Power said WESM prices jumped to PHP 13.6087 per kWh from PHP 9.8812 per kWh as higher electricity demand and the temporary unavailability of several generating plants tightened available supply.

The tighter supply contributed to Yellow and Red Alerts in the Luzon and Visayas grids, indicating periods when power reserves fell below prescribed levels or became insufficient to meet contingency requirements.

Instead of recovering the entire increase in power procurement costs from consumers in a single billing month, Negros Power implemented a staggered payment scheme intended to spread the financial impact over several months.

Under the arrangement, only a portion of the increase will be collected in October, while the remaining amount will be distributed over the succeeding five months.

The staggered collection helped bring the generation charge down by PHP 0.5050 per kWh for October despite the substantial increase in WESM prices.

The arrangement therefore softens the immediate impact on electricity bills rather than eliminating the underlying cost, as consumers will continue paying portions of the deferred amount in succeeding billing periods.

Transmission charges, meanwhile, increased by PHP 0.1411 per kWh because of slight increases in transmission costs and ancillary service charges associated with the reserve market.

Ancillary services provide backup capacity needed to keep the power grid stable when generating units suddenly go offline or electricity demand rises unexpectedly, with the corresponding costs ultimately passed on to consumers.

The Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification, or UCME, also increased by PHP 0.0634 per kWh following implementation of a new rate approved under an Energy Regulatory Commission order dated Oct. 2, 2026.

The new UCME rate is PHP 0.3397 per kWh and is associated with the National Power Corp.’s missionary electrification program.

For October, Negros Power’s average residential rate stands at PHP 14.2691 per kWh, while the low-voltage rate is PHP 14.2697 per kWh and the high-voltage rate is PHP 13.1505 per kWh.

The October adjustment comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of reserve costs after the ERC moved this month to suspend commercial dispatch and settlement in the WESM Reserve Market over elevated ancillary service prices, particularly in the Visayas.

The ERC found that reserve-market costs had remained high even as ordinary spot-market electricity prices declined, prompting regulators to order an overhaul intended to protect consumers while maintaining grid reliability.

For Negros Power customers, the October advisory means the immediate rate increase remains minimal despite significantly more expensive WESM electricity, although the staggered recovery mechanism means some of the deferred cost pressure will carry over into future monthly bills.