POWER consumers will see higher transmission charges in their July 2025 electricity bills, primarily due to a sharp increase in Ancillary Services (AS) costs, according to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
For the June 2025 billing period, the overall average transmission charge rose by 5.49 percent to P1.2113 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), up from P1.1482/kWh in May. Most of the increase was attributed to a 9.32 percent jump in AS rates, which rose from P0.5655/kWh in May to P0.6182/kWh in June.
Ancillary Services are essential to ensuring grid reliability and stability, particularly during imbalances in power supply and demand. These pass-through charges are paid directly to AS providers with bilateral contracts with NGCP or through the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines for those sourced from the Reserve Market.
The AS costs in the Visayas for the June billing period also reflect the sixth and final tranche of the recovery for the remaining 70 percent of March 2024 Reserve Market AS costs. The recovery had previously been deferred by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
NGCP clarified that it does not earn from AS and does not profit from price fluctuations in these charges.
Meanwhile, NGCP’s transmission wheeling charge, which covers the cost of delivering electricity through the high-voltage transmission network, rose modestly by 0.39 percent, from P0.4593/kWh in May to P0.4611/kWh in June.
“For the July 2025 electric bill of the end consumers, NGCP charges only P0.46/kWh for the delivery of its services,” the company said, emphasizing that Ancillary Services continue to account for the bulk of transmission-
related charges. / KOC