Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） lawmakers hold a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: CNA
2022/06/25 03:00
HIKE LOOMING? Both parties said households are still affected by the pandemic, while the KMT panned the government’s energy policies and the DPP called for saving energy
By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff writer, with CNA
The Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） yesterday urged the government not to raise electricity rates, while the Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） said it would handle the issue with the needs of households in mind.
The parties held separate news conferences amid speculation that the Ministry of Economic Affairs might raise the rates. It is scheduled to review Taiwan’s electricity pricing policy on Monday.
KMT lawmakers said that increasing the rates would be a blow to households that are still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
KMT caucus whip William Tseng （曾銘宗） said that the ministry should freeze the rates for residential users, and pay electricity subsidies to 1.54 million small and medium-sized enterprises, he said.
The government has no consistent energy policy and the public is paying the price for hastily phasing out nuclear power, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lee De-wei （李德維） said.
DPP caucus secretary-general Cheng Yun-peng （鄭運鵬） and DPP caucus deputy secretary-general Michelle Lin （林楚茵） vowed to “take care of residential users.”
Industrial users rely on domestic demand, while households are still feeling the pinch from the pandemic, Cheng said.
Rates for households should not be raised, Cheng said, adding that regardless of the ministry’s decision, the government should seek to stabilize prices and save energy.
The DPP urges Taiwan Power Co （Taipower） and the ministry to bolster the electricity grid and avoid unexpected power outages to “give the public confidence,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Consumers’ Foundation urged the ministry to refrain from raising rates for households.
Many people had called the foundation to voice their worries about the possible price increase, foundation chairman Terry Huang （黃怡騰） told an online news conference yesterday afternoon.
Power usage increased during the pandemic, and household incomes are affected by inflation, Huang said.
Industrial users have the highest energy consumption, and their rates should be increased first, not those of households, the foundation said, citing ministry data.
Foundation secretary-general Hsu Tse-yu （徐則鈺） said Bureau of Energy data showed that 283 terawatt-hours of electricity was used last year, with industrial users consuming 57 percent, or 161.4 terawatt-hours, and households using only 18 percent, or 52.7 terawatt-hours.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
