TACLOBAN CITY — Consumers may see a slight relief in their electricity bills this May 2026 after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported a decrease in overall transmission rates for the April 2026 billing period, driven by lower wheeling and ancillary service charges.
NGCP said the average transmission rate went down by 8.80 percent to P1.5983 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from March’s P1.7526/kWh.
The reduction was mainly attributed to lower transmission wheeling rates and ancillary services (AS) charges.
Wheeling rates, or the fees NGCP charges for delivering electricity through its transmission network, dropped by 14.16 percent—from P0.7022/kWh in March to P0.6028/kWh in April.
Ancillary services, which refer to reserve power and other support services used to maintain grid stability during supply-demand fluctuations, also declined by 5.02 percent to P0.8088/kWh from P0.8516/kWh in the previous billing period.
“For the May 2026 electric bill of end consumers, NGCP charges only 60 centavos per kWh for the delivery of its services,” the company said, noting that ancillary services still make up the bulk of transmission-related charges.
NGCP also emphasized that it does not earn from ancillary service charges, as these are passed directly to power generators and providers supplying grid support.
Transmission rates are reflected as part of the overall electricity bill paid by consumers, alongside generation and distribution charges.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
