650,000 consumers in Sabah, Labuan need not pay more for electricity

 

The Energy Commission said micro, small and medium enterprises in the low-voltage commercial tariff category in Sabah and Labuan were exempted from the surcharge for six months.

PUTRAJAYA: More than 656,000 electricity consumers in Sabah and Labuan will not be affected by a tariff increase from Jan 1 until June 30, 2023 following the imbalance cost pass-through (ICPT) implementation.

The Energy Commission (ST), in a statement, said domestic and non-domestic consumers were exempted from the ICPT surcharge. They included micro, small and medium enterprises in the low-voltage commercial tariff category.

However, non-domestic consumers in Sabah and Labuan, consisting of commercial and industrial consumers, will be charged the full ICPT surcharge at a rate of 10.04 sen per kilowatt hour (kWh).

“The government is allocating RM212.20 million in subsidy over the six-month period to cover the cost of power generation and ensure that there is no tariff increase,” ST said here today.

ST said in the ICPT review, from July 1 to Dec 31 this year, there was an increase in fuel costs and electricity generation costs estimated at RM292.05 million, or equivalent to the ICPT surcharge at a rate of 10.04 sen/kWh.

The increase in cost was due to the increase in the cost of diesel fuel and medium fuel oil, which are part of the fuel used for electricity generation in Sabah and Labuan, in addition to the use of natural gas.

The increase is a result of the global energy crisis, which is beyond the government’s control.

In a separate statement, ST said domestic consumers at the Kulim High Technology Park (KHTP) were also exempted from the ICPT surcharge rate.

They will not experience any increase in electricity tariff for the same six-month period until June 30, 2023.

The ICPT surcharge of 8.19 sen/kWh is also being fully waived for non-domestic consumers.

For the ICPT review period, from July 1 to Dec 31, 2022, there was a higher increase in fuel costs and generation costs at the Kulim High Technology Park, amounting to RM76.02 million or equivalent to the ICPT surcharge at a rate of 8.19 sen/kWh due to the increase in fuel costs in the global market.

The public have been advised to use electricity wisely through the use of energy-efficient electrical appliances.

They should ensure that switches are off when not in use to save electricity and perform regular routine maintenance on electrical equipment.

According to ST, such efforts would indirectly encourage consumers to contribute to the reduction of the country’s carbon footprint, in line with the National Energy Policy 2022-2040. - FMT