Anwar says measures will ease the impact of higher electricity costs
PETALING JAYA: A special meeting will be held today to consider measures to cushion households against soaring electricity bills, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic).
The Prime Minister said the meeting would involve the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra), Energy Commission, Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Finance Ministry.
Anwar said the meeting is being held following growing public concerns over recent increases in their monthly electricity bills.
“I have heard the grievances being voiced, and this matter needs to be given attention and addressed immediately.
“I wish to emphasise that efforts to target subsidies will continue to be upheld to protect the majority of the people, as 80% of domestic users consume no more than 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Anwar acknowledged that the recent hotter weather and worrying haze situation in the region are driving rising energy costs, affecting households.
“This has clearly pushed some consumers beyond the 600kWh monthly threshold, making them subject to the Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA),” he added.
Under the current electricity tariff structure, domestic consumers using 600kWh or less monthly are exempt from AFA and the retail charge.
The AFA mechanism adjusts electricity generation charges monthly based on changes in fuel prices, power purchase costs and other generation-related costs.
The current AFA rate has been set at 3.67 sen per kWh.
“The government will continue to ensure that every targeted subsidy measure is implemented fairly and reasonably, with the interests and welfare of the people always being the priority,“ Anwar added.
