Electricity Price for 6 Industries Unraised, Excluding Travel Industry 6產業電價凍漲排除觀光旅宿 業者無奈

Taiwan will raise electricity prices by an average of 8.4 percent starting from July 1 in response to rising global energy prices including a 15 percent increase for large industrial users. The National Federation of Industries thinks a higher power rate would pile on a lot of pressure especially on traditional industries. Even though six industries' electricity price will remain the same since has been hit hard by COVID, travel industry was excluded.

The Landis held annual shareholders' meeting on June 28 but did not notify or allow admission of media. The hotel remains low-key to the sensitive issue of the electricity price increase and only issued a response stating that as tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic, it hopes that unions can continue to help international hotels to apply and obtain relevant relief. It also states that it will actively cooperate with the government on all energy-saving measures. Fullon Hotel Taipei notes that it was already prepared for raised electricity prices.

Chen Ping-hua, Assistant Manager, Marketing Dept., Fullon Hotel Taipei: “Actually, because we already expected that electricity prices will increase, so we are already prepared mentally. The hotel occupancy rate is slowly rising, reaching a 50 percent increase.”

This wave of electricity price increase is focused on the largest electricity consumers, with an average increase of 8.4 percent, per electricity unit price starting from NT$2.6253 to NT$2.8458. Residential users whose consumption of electricity exceeds 1000 units will increase by 9 percent, affecting approximately 360,000 residences. In addition, electricity prices will increase by 15 percent for high voltage and ultra-high voltage industrial users, affecting a total of 22,000 users. The National Federation of Industries believes the increase is too much, more than most anticipated, and will impact traditional manufacturers greatly.  

Ho Yu, Executive Director, Chinese National Federation of Industries: “Textile, steel, and metal manufacturers, as well as the iron industry, those with high consumption, will struggle in this hike.”

Taiwan Power Company believes that this proposal for electricity price increase will bring the minimal impact on commodity prices, approximately increasing CPI by 0.043 percent. However, scholars believe that price increases carry psychological anticipations, so the actual impact will be much higher than Taiwan Power's estimated number.

Liang Kuo-yuan, Dean, Yuanta Polaris Research Institute: “Psychological anticipation of price increases is hard to control. I can assure you that prices will definitely go up and based on my judgment, the CPI will be higher than what Taiwan Power Company estimates.”

Taiwan Power Company notes that after raising the electricity price, it will reduce its losses by NT$29 billion. The next electricity price review meeting will be held in September. Taipower's losses stand to exceed several hundred billion dollars. 

亞都麗緻大飯店28日舉行股東會，但沒有開放媒體入場，對於敏感電價漲價議題也很低調，僅發表聲明回應，觀光產業是疫情的受害者，希望透過公會，繼續幫國際飯店爭取相關減免，但強調會積極配合政府節能措施。台北福容大飯店則表示，對於電價調漲已有心理準備。

台北福容飯店綜合行銷部副理陳品樺說：「其實因為我們本來就有預料到，電費相對來說會有上漲的情況，所以我們其實是有做好心理準備，住房率有在慢慢回升中，成長約五成左右。」

這次電價調漲，主要鎖定用電大戶，平均電價漲幅約8.4%，每度電從2.6253元漲至2.8458元。一般住宅，用電度數超過1000度，電價漲9%，約36萬戶受影響。高壓、特高壓工業用戶，電價漲15%，約2.2萬戶受影響。工總認為電價漲幅過大，超乎預期，傳統產業首當其衝。

常務理事何語認為：「紡織業、鋼鐵業、金屬製造業、還有製鐵業，高耗能的產業會比較困難。」

台電表示，這波電價調漲，是對物價影響最小方案，CPI約增加0.043%。不過學者認為，物價上漲有預期心理，衝擊會高於台電預估的數字。

元大寶華經濟研究院院長梁國源指出：「物價預期上漲的心理因素，沒有辦法掌握，我可以跟你研判說，物價方向上一定是上漲的，也可以研判說，CPI數值會比那個台電更高。」

台電表示，電價調漲後，台電虧損將減少290億。下次電價費率審議會於9月再召開，將觀察國際燃料成本漲幅，不過仍悲觀預估，今年虧損將超過千億。