The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is keeping the green energy charge off electricity bills until the end of the year, suspending collections for four months while assuring continued payments to renewable energy developers.

The regulator said Wednesday that distribution utilities, retail electricity suppliers and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines must suspend collection of the P0.0371-per-kilowatt-hour Green Energy Auction Allowance (GEA-All) from September through December.

Relief to consumers

The move is intended to provide some relief to consumers grappling with rising inflation and living costs amid external global pressures.

For power companies, the suspension means adjusting their billing systems to remove the GEA-All charge and demonstrating compliance to the regulator.

The ERC said it has enough financial headroom to suspend collections because the GEA-All Fund can cover payments to eligible renewable energy developers during the four months.

Healthy fund balance of over half a million pesos

“The Commission's evaluation of the GEA-All Fund as of 5 August 2026 reveals a healthy fund balance of P556.91 million,” the ERC said.

The regulator said the amount is “sufficient to cover the estimated monthly payment requirements for eligible RE developers” throughout the suspension, even with three additional renewable energy plants expected to enter the program in August.

This means eligible renewable energy developers are expected to continue receiving payments from the fund despite the temporary halt in collections from electricity consumers.

Collection agents must submit compliance reports to the ERC within 15 days after the close of the December billing month.

These must include sample bills for each customer class showing that the GEA-All charge was suspended.

Issuance of show-cause orders, penalties

The ERC warned that failure to comply with the directive or submit the required reports could lead to the issuance of show-cause orders and the imposition of penalties and sanctions under the Renewable Energy Act, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act and other applicable regulations.

The GEA-All is collected from electricity consumers to fund payments to renewable energy developers participating in the government's Green Energy Auction Program.