Filipino households paid the highest electricity prices in Southeast Asia in June, with consumers served by the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative bearing the country’s steepest power bills as supply shortages and widespread power plant outages drove up electricity costs.

Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said the Philippines’ average residential electricity rate reached P12.43 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in June, narrowly overtaking Singapore by 0.093 centavos per kWh to become the highest in Southeast Asia for the month.

“To be accurate, we were the highest in Southeast Asia only for June. We monitor this every month,” Guevara said.

Among the country’s on-grid distribution utilities, Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative Inc. posted the highest residential electricity rate at P16.57 per kWh in June, up 32 percent from P12.53 per kWh in May after generation charges rose by P4.04 per kWh.

Northern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. ranked second with P15.72 per kWh, posting the largest increase among the top five at 41 percent from the previous month. Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative Inc. followed at P14.53 per kWh, while the Manila Electric Company and Leyte IV Electric Cooperative Inc. charged P14.48 per kWh and P14.46 per kWh, respectively.