News
Summer electricity rates to kick in on 1 June
Taiwan Power Company’s annual summer electricity pricing scheme will take effect this Thursday and remain in place until 30 September.
The summer price hike will range from 0-28% this year, compared with the standard October to May rates.
Households consuming less than 120 kilowatt hours of power should not be affected by the steeper costs and will continue to pay the standard NT$1.63 per kilowatt per hour during the summer. Taipower says 3.78-million households fell into this category in 2022.
Households that consume more than 120 kilowatt hours of power a month will face an increase ranging between 13-28% under the progressive rate system.
That means households using more than 1,000 kilowatt hours of power a month will be hit with the biggest 28% rate hike - meaning they will be charged NT$7.69 per kilowatt hour from 1 June through 30 September.
However, Taipower says only 3% of total households consumed more than 1,000 kilowatt hours of power a month last year.
In unrelated electricity news, Vice President and DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te says he believes Taiwan could reactivate its decommissioned nuclear power plants in the event of an emergency.
During an event organized by the National Taiwan University and the Asia Pacific Youth Organization, Lai said "emergency situations" include a blockade of the island by China, which might prevent the government from importing natural gas.
Lai said reactivating the decommissioned plants would give Taiwan the opportunity to continue generating power, despite a Chinese maritime blockade.
The vice president also said government agencies are already reviewing plans to take such action - and those plans include ensuring all decommissioned nuclear power plants are properly maintained for possible future use.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs issued a statement following the event, in which it said any moves to bring decommissioned plants back online will require authorities to review safety regulations and the cabinet to ensure there is public consensus on the matter.
