TENAGA Nasional Bhd is not raising electricity tariffs this year.

The rates will be maintained at 34.52 sen/kWh in Sabah and Labuan and 33.54 sen/kWh in the peninsula until December 31, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Dr Maximus Ongkili in Kota Kinabalu today.

“This is a piece of good news for Malaysians after the Hari Raya festivities,” he said.

However, consumers in the Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Kedah will be charged a different tariff, with the revised rates to be announced soon.

Ongkili said the federal cabinet will spend RM468 million in Sabah and RM1.3 billion in the peninsula on special subsidies to absorb the cost of fuel and other generation-related costs.

Ongkili said the RM1.3 billion allocation came from the Renegotiation of Power Purchase Agreements with First Generation Independent Power Producers (PPA Savings Fund).

“Consumers in the peninsula will enjoy a rebate of 2.54 sen/kWh, which comprises a fuel surcharge of 1.02 sen/kWh and tariff rebate of 1.52 sen/kWh, and all by utilising the PPA Savings Fund for the period July to December 2017.

“In Sabah and Labuan the electricity rebate will be 1.2 sen/kWh,” he said.

Ongkili said the tariff adjustments  under the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through Mechanism has enabled electricity consumers to enjoy a total rebate of RM5.4 billion in Peninsular Malaysia, and RM196 million in Sabah and Labuan during the period March 2015 to December 2017.

Meanwhile, said Ongkili, the lab to reduce the System Average Interruption Duration Index (Saidi) in Sabah will be operational next month.

“The lab will look into the issues of power disruption in Sabah as the state missed its target of 250 minutes of Saidi and hit 311 minutes of interruption last year,” he said. – June 30, 2017.