Electricity Bill Increase: Government to Review Immediate Mitigation Measures Tomorrow

KUALA LUMPUR: A special meeting will be held on Thursday to review immediate mitigation measures following public concerns over recent increases in electricity bills, partly driven by higher electricity consumption due to haze and hot weather.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the meeting would involve the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Energy Commission, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Ministry of Finance (MOF).

He said the government acknowledged the public’s concerns over the issue and regarded it as a matter that required immediate attention and action.

According to Anwar, the government would continue to uphold its targeted subsidy approach to protect the majority of Malaysians.

“About 80 per cent of domestic consumers who use no more than 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month remain protected and are unaffected by the tariff increase resulting from higher fuel costs this year,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

However, Anwar said the recent haze and hot weather had led to higher electricity consumption among some households.

As a result, he said, their monthly consumption had exceeded the 600 kWh threshold, making them subject to the Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA).

Anwar said the government would continue to ensure that every targeted subsidy measure is implemented fairly and reasonably, with the interests and well-being of the people remaining its priority.

Awani