REASONABLE: Claiming that industrial users have expressed acceptance of an electricity rate increase, the minister of economic affairs said they should not pass it on to consumers
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 19, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA
Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) yesterday said that a moderate hike
Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin speaks to the media in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei Times
in electricity rates of about 3.5 percent for big industrial users was reasonable, adding that some businesses have said an increase of about 3 percent would be acceptable to them.
Shen made the remarks on the sidelines of a consumer electronics trade show at the Taipei World Trade Center — which started on Friday and is to end today — in response to concerns that large industrial consumers subject to the rate hike might raise their prices due to increased electricity costs.
The ministry’s electricity price review committee on Friday announced that state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is to raise electricity rates by an average of 3 percent, or NT$0.0765 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), from April 1.
Electricity rates are to be raised from NT$2.5488 to NT$2.6253 per kWh, but households that use less than 500kWh and small businesses that use less than 1,500kWh per month would not have their electricity rates increased, meaning that more than 80 percent of users would remain unaffected by the rate hikes, the ministry said. [FULL STORY]
