Electricity Prices Expected to Be Increased in July 台電6/27電價審議 外界預測7月可能調漲

Taipower is looking at operating losses of NT$200 million this year due to soaring fuel prices. It will convene a price adjustment review meeting on June 27, with expectations of a price hike being announced for July. 

Thomas Wu, Chair, Taishin Holdings: “”
Lin Por-fong, Chair, Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce: “”
Do you want to become the board chair? We have to have a general meeting. (You'll win) for sure. (You'll win) for sure.

The Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce will elect a new chair soon, and current Chair Lin Por-fong believes Taishin Holdings Chair Thomas Wu will succeed him. Lin has been an outspoken critic of the government's plan to hike electricity prices for only major users, saying a price hike should apply to everyone.

Lin Por-fong, Chair, Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce: “If the government only hikes prices for major users, it is punishing them. Is it any wonder the manufacturing industry is leaving?”

Lin also says a maximum hike of 3 percent would not have any effect on Taipower's financial problems and a hike should be implemented in stages due to Taiwan's stifling inflationary pressure. I-mei Foods Chair Henry Kao, meanwhile, says it is reasonable that electricity prices reflect cost as electricity accounts for only a small percentage of corporate operating costs.

Henry Kao, Chair, I-mei Foods: “If you don't raise (electricity prices) and Taipower suffers losses of hundreds of billions of NT dollars, it would not be great for tax collection, budgets or the economy.”

Taipower says losses are piling up for every kilowatt-hour sold and consumption is rising with temperatures. The company is expecting energy usage to hit an all-time high on the 21st, which will trigger a "yellow" operating reserve margin warning.

Wu Chin-chung, Spokesperson, Taipower: “Combined cycle generators at Datan, which have a capacity of 740,000 kilowatts, are undergoing maintenance. Taichung Power Plant's No. 5 generator and Linkou's No. 2 generators are undergoing repairs. Today's operating reserve is slightly low at around 10 percent.”

Taipower says its price review committee will take consumer prices and fuel costs into consideration to come up with an "appropriate" adjustment.

工商協進會改選理事長，現任理事長林伯豐直言，雖然是公開改選，但接任者就是他，台新金控董事長吳東亮。將肩負起企業與政府溝通橋梁。不過，在卸任前，林伯豐有話要說，認為若7月電價調漲，不該只針對用電大戶，應全面調漲。

工商協進會理事長林伯豐表示：「製造業會出走，一定會出走，（若）只漲用電大戶，就是處罰用電大戶，受政府處罰，我們就應該出走了。」

林伯豐表示，縱使電價調漲達上限3%，還是無法解決台電虧損，認為現階段通膨壓力大，建議分階段調漲。不過，也有義美食品董事長高志尚則認為，應適度合理反映電價，認為電價只佔企業經營成本一小部分。

義美食品董事長高志尚指出：「全部都不漲（電價），變成電力供應虧損幾千億，稅收、預算，對經濟也是不利的。」

現階段台電面臨，賣1度虧1度電窘境。但用電量還是隨著氣溫升高，持續增加，台電預估21日用電量，可能創新高，備轉容量率燈號，亮起供電警戒黃燈。

台電發言人吳進忠表示：「大潭的複循環的（機組）（發電量）大約74萬（瓩）還在進行歲修，中火的5號機，還有林口的2號機有破管，今天的備轉容量略低於10%。」

台電表示，電價是否調漲，會考慮物價、燃料成本等因素，電價審議會，會通盤考量，給出最適當版本。