Electricity Prices to Go Up Earlier Due to Climate Change: MOEA DM 曾文生:極端氣候影響 夏月電價定會提前

Taiwan's power consumption hit a record 40.7 million watts in late July. With blackouts all over the country this summer, Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Tseng Wen-sheng says electricity prices will go up earlier in the year because of extreme weather.

The owners of this breakfast eatery say they must keep the air conditioning on if they want customers to come in. They pay close to NT$5,000 a month for electricity and are not looking forward to summer electricity rates going into effect in May instead of June.

Breakfast Eatery Owner: “If we don't turn on the air conditioning, customers will go elsewhere. Raising our prices would also drive them away, so we're caught between a rock and a hard place.”

Taiwan's power consumption hit a record 40.7 million watts in late July. Citing extreme weather and climate change, Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Tseng Wen-sheng said during an interview that electricity prices will go into effect earlier in the year in the future.

Tseng Wen-sheng, Deputy Economic Affairs Minister: “(Electricity consumption) during high noon in the summer months is no longer the greatest challenge for our (operating) reserve. The greatest challenge right now is nighttime. With summer prices going into effect earlier in the year, users will be more motivated to reduce power usage.”

Lin Bo-fong, Chair, Third Wednesday Club: “Consumer prices will keep going up because they will definitely (affect major power users).”

According to Tseng, higher rates going into effect earlier in the year is Taiwan Power's greatest hope, but such a decision requires the approval of an electricity price review committee. Industrial users are also expected to adjust their electricity consumption depending on seasonal prices.

玉米蛋餅及蘿蔔糕在鐵盤上煎的滋滋作響，早餐店老闆忙碌的雙手沒有停過，為了讓顧客有舒服的用餐環境，營業時間還要開冷氣讓客人吹，光是電費成本2個月就要近萬元，現在傳出夏季電費將從原先的6月1日提前至5月中實施，讓老闆大喊吃不消。

早餐店老闆說道：「說實在我們小店家沒有開冷氣客人不會進來，然後我們又不敢轉嫁給消費者，所以對我們來講是負擔很大。」

天氣越來越熱，用電量真的吃緊，雖然今年最高尖峰用電4070萬瓩仍然在7月下旬大暑前後出現，但經濟部次長曾文生接受網路媒體專訪時表示，受極端氣候因素影響，台灣出現高溫的時間也越來越早，「台灣一定會走上夏月電價提前這條路」。

經濟部次長曾文生表示：「我們的夏季尖峰中午已經不是我們備轉最大的考驗，最大的考驗其實已經移到晚上，夏季電價往前走它的價差會高，它去調整它的用電，想辦法下午夜尖峰，減少用電的動機就會更強。」

三三企業交流會理事長林伯豐則表示：「一定會（衝擊用電大戶）所以物價會上漲。」

曾文生坦言將夏季電價前挪是台電的期待，但仍要送電價審議委員會討論，且夏季電價往前，價差會提高，工商業尖鋒時段減少用電機會大增，時間電價效果也會越來越明顯。