Consumers may notice a slight increase in their July electricity bills after transmission charges rose due to higher ancillary service (AS) costs, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced Wednesday. 

In a statement released by Mae Roselle Curiano, one of NGCP's communication focal persons, the grid operator said the average transmission rate for the June 2026 billing period—which will be reflected in July electricity bills—increased by 0.77%, from P1.4492 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in May to P1.4604/kWh. 

The increase was driven by a 10.18% rise in ancillary service charges, which climbed from P0.7220/kWh in May to P0.7955/kWh in June. 

Ancillary services are reserve power supplied by generators to help stabilize the grid during fluctuations in electricity supply and demand, reducing the risk of outages. 

NGCP clarified that these charges are pass-through costs, meaning the company does not earn from them. 

Payments are remitted directly to power generators contracted to provide ancillary services and to the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) for reserve power sourced from the Reserve Market. 

Meanwhile, the company's transmission wheeling rate—the fee for delivering electricity through the national grid—declined from P0.5607/kWh in May to P0.5058/kWh in June. 

Despite the lower wheeling charge, the increase in ancillary service costs pushed the overall transmission rate higher, resulting in a slight uptick in consumers' monthly power bills. 

"As the system operator, NGCP's priority is to ensure the grid remains resilient during supply-demand imbalances. NGCP does not profit from ancillary service charges, as these are remitted directly to the providers who help us maintain the continuous flow of electricity across the country," the company said. 

NGCP added that ancillary service charges continue to account for the largest share of the overall transmission rate, underscoring their role in maintaining the reliability and stability of the country's power grid. (Ben Balce, Editorial Lead)