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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Electricity rates scheduled to rise an average of 3％
Bureau of Energy Director-General Lin Chuan-neng, left, looks on as Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
By Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter
The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday announced plans to raise electricity rates by an average of 3 percent to reflect rising global crude oil prices.
Starting from next month, the cost of electricity is to rise by an average of NT$0.0765 per kilowatt-hour （kWh） from NT$2.5488 to NT$2.6253, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin （龔明鑫） told a news conference after the completion of an electricity price review committee meeting.
It is the first time the ministry has decided to raise electricity prices since October 2013.
Over the past four years, electricity rates in Taiwan have decreased by a total of 19.23 percent, including a 9.56 percent cut in 2016, ministry data showed.
Global crude oil prices reached US$63 per barrel at the last electricity price review committee meeting, up from about US$50 in 2016, the ministry said.
Despite the increase in prices, the adjustments are not expected to have a negative effect on the stability of people’s livelihoods or local consumer prices, Kung said.
Under the new pricing scheme, households that use less than 500kWh per month and small businesses consuming less than 1,500kWh per month would see no change in their electricity bills, he said.
About 85 percent of the nation’s households consume less than 500kWh per month, while nearly 82 percent of small businesses use less than 1,500kWh per month, Kung said, citing state-run Taiwan Power Co （Taipower, 台電） statistics.
The price hikes are to have little effect on the nation’s commodity prices, Bureau of Energy Director-General Lin Chuan-neng （林全能） told reporters, adding that the consumer price index is expected to rise 0.08 percent due to the adjustments.
The price adjustments do not fully reflect an increase in material costs, due to an upper limit of 3 percent on electricity rate increases stipulated by the Electricity Act （電業法）, the ministry said.
The ministry said it would use a nearly NT$800 billion （US$27.37 billion） energy price stabilization fund to offset Taipower’s losses.
The ministry did not elaborate on the exact rates for different categories of consumers, but said that Taipower would submit a detailed pricing plan to the ministry by the end of the month.
The ministry said it is scheduled to convene another meeting of the committee in October to decide electricity rates for the period from October to March next year.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
