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Blackouts, ballooning bills hammer Filipinos as energy crisis grips Philippines
- Power prices are surging – and analysts doubt the government’s reliance on quick fixes and future renewables will offer much relief
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The Philippines is grappling with skyrocketing electricity bills and blackouts amid a worsening energy crisis, as analysts blame policy missteps, outdated infrastructure and extreme weather for the country’s power woes.
Meralco, the country’s top electricity distributor, announced another price increase last week – citing rising generation costs – only to make a U-turn over the weekend after the government ordered it to stagger the increases over several months starting from July.
Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr took office in July 2022, the generation charge – the price power companies pay to the national grid and pass on to customers – has nearly doubled, from 6.78 pesos (US$0.12) per kilowatt-hour then to 12.06 pesos per kWh this month.
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The impact on consumers has been significant, as Meralco serves roughly one out of every five Filipinos.
Government officials and analysts point to a confluence of factors for what Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla has called “a calamity”.
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In a press conference in April, Lotilla attributed the power crisis to surging demand driven by that month’s intense heatwave. The higher temperatures dried up hydroelectric reservoirs and disrupted coal plant operations, he explained.
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