ILOILO City – Electricity consumers in the Visayas are facing a significant increase in their bills this April as summer heats up, with the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) prices nearly doubling compared to previous months.
The increase in WESM prices, driven by a combination of lower supply and higher demand, has had a ripple effect on electricity rates across the region.
Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) said the significant surge started in the first week of March 2025.
WESM prices in the Visayas increased by 95.5%, and this trend continued in the succeeding summer months.
This surge was attributed to a combination of factors, including:
* Planned and Forced Outages: Power plants, particularly coal and natural gas facilities, experienced planned and forced outages, reducing the electricity available in the grid.
* Increased Demand: The extreme heat, which started in the first week of March, led to a 5.9% increase in energy supply demand in Visayas, reaching 13,670 megawatts.
This mismatch between supply and demand significantly impacted electricity prices./PN