Taipower Should Provide Stable Power Supply: Legislators 漲電價! 在野批評只弭平虧損 應穩定供電

The electricity price increase led to skepticism by opposition party caucus, concerned that it will result in more severe inflation and at the same time appealing to Taiwan Power Company that since it is increasing electricity price, it should resolve power network supply issues as soon as possible. 

Lee De-wei, Chief Deputy Secretary, KMT Caucus: “Minister Wang Mei-hua must step down.”

KMT legislative caucus demands President Tsai apologize and that the Executive Yuan and Ministry of Economic Affairs be held responsible. They said the Tsai administration's energy policies are problematic, incurring severe losses by Taiwan Power Company, and raising electricity prices during the most severe of the epidemic, likely leading to the rise in all commodity prices.

Tseng Ming-chung, KMT Caucus Whip: “This act does not really help with ameliorating Taiwan Power's financial losses, merely providing urgent relief temporarily and not completely resolving Taiwan Power Company's financial crisis. After the elections at the end of the year, will there be another electricity price hike?”

Taiwan People's Party Caucus believes that the Tsai administration is very behind in green energy generation development, and too heavily relying on thermal power generation; hence negatively affected by global oil and fuel price increases. As this wave of price increases is focused on major industrial users, Taiwan Power Company should ensure a steady electricity supply to them.

Kao Hong-an, Legislator (TPP): “Increasing electricity prices is also a means of reducing Taiwan Power Company's losses, but how to improve the quality of their electricity supply is where politics can truly and responsibly service economics.”

Facing myriad criticisms, DPP emphasized that this is not using politics to handle electricity price problems. This wave of electricity price increases has considered people's livelihood and only aptly reflects increased costs. Also, during the epidemic, most commodity import taxes are lowered, all geared towards reducing inflation pressure.

Cheng Yun-peng, Secretary-General, DPP Caucus: “But if they compare, they would know that in Taiwan, public utility costs are still considered quite low. Naturally, we do not wish to see any price increase, but this increase is reasonable concerning Taiwan's power and price structure.”

Cheng Yun-peng further emphasized that Taiwan Power company originally would incur losses of hundreds of billions. However, after this price adjustment, the Taipower still would incur losses of around NT$70 billion. Reasonable adjustment is to reflect international power generation costs and this is not only done in Taiwan, most other countries are doing the same as well. Cheng said the government will demand Taiwan Power Company enhance its power network and stabilize the supply of electricity.

國民黨團首席副書記長李德維說：「王美花部長必須下台」

批評蔡政府能源政策有問題，讓台電嚴重虧損，還在疫情嚴重的時候漲電價，可能引發物價上漲，國民黨立院黨團要求蔡總統道歉，行政院與經濟部負責。

國民黨立院黨團總召曾銘宗表示：「對台電財務的改善助益不大，僅是（解）燃眉之急，根本沒解決台電財務惡化的危機，年底選後會不會又大幅調整電價？」

民眾黨立院黨團也擔心會帶動民生物價上漲，他們認為蔡政府綠能發電進度落後，過度依賴火力發電，才會受到國際油氣價格上漲嚴重壓力，尤其這次主要針對工業用電調整價格，台電更要加強對工商業的穩定供電。

民眾黨立委高虹安指出：「漲電價包含把台電的虧損去作弭平，但是對於他們的供電品質，如何負責任的去提出改善，我想這才是政治真正為經濟服務，負責任的表現。」

面對批評，民進黨強調絕對不是政治處理電價問題，這次電價調整已經兼顧一般民眾生活，工業用電也是適度反映成本，加上目前疫情期間，大宗物資進口稅率都有調降，就是希望降低通膨壓力。

民進黨立院黨團幹事長鄭運鵬回應：「但是他們只要一比較，他就會知道說，在台灣我們相對來說這些公共設施的成本還是很低，雖然是我們也不樂見漲價，但是這個漲價對台灣目前的電力結構跟價格結構來說，還算是合理的。」

鄭運鵬也強調台電今年原本虧損可能高達千億，這次調高電價可能減少290億虧損，但還是要虧700多億。適度調整是為了反映國際發電成本，不只台灣，各國也都如此，未來也會要求台電加強電網，穩定供電。