Beware of rising electricity prices

► If you do not reduce the power loss and reduce the management cost of electricity price increases did not make much sense ...

                                                    Power loss time in Vietnam nearly 10%

Ministry of Industry and Trade has released, consult the third draft decision provides for restructuring retail electricity tariffs. Accordingly, the electricity price is given by the supply voltage.

Prices for electricity produced from time to time use will increase from 2-7%, retail electricity prices for business proposed 5% reduction in normal hours, down 3% to 8% peak times and during peak hours the voltage level than said current retail price.

In this draft, the Ministry of Industry and Trade suggested retail price of electricity of 6 stairs (currently 7 steps) and ascending order ladder. Specifically, from 0-50 kWh is priced at no more than 80% of the average retail price of electricity and have 0-100 kWh price not greater than the average retail price of electricity. If you use 101 kWh to 200 kWh, the price adjustment is 108% of average power.

Currently, this range is divided into two steps, from 101 kWh to 150 kWh, a price equal to 106% of average power, from 151 kWh to 200 kWh, adjusted rates of up to 134% of average power.

When customers use from 201-300 kWh, at the end of 138% of the average power reduction compared with the rate of 145% is applied first and the kWh price for 301-400 will be 154% of the average electricity , down slightly from the current 155%. From 401 kWh or more, the rate is 165% adjusted average price, up 6% from the current rate of 159%.

Draft regulations clear first step in the electricity tariff applicable from 0-50 kWh for low-income households have subscribed under the guidance of the electric power sales. However, in 3 consecutive months, if the total amount of electricity used by households signed up in excess of 150 kWh, then automatically switches to the 2nd step and the next step.

Households using electricity tariffs applied by other ladder from the 2nd and the next steps. The poor households and social policy support for electricity for domestic purposes 30,000 VND / household / month.

Ministry of Industry and Trade, will apply uniform national electricity prices for customers using the power groups in the region and the national electricity grid in rural, mountainous, border and island areas without grid national power.

New in this draft is the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed voltage electricity prices for steel manufacturing and cement to stop the cross compensation activities for electric power production.

As the current average price of electricity, electricity production will increase by 2-7%, depending on the voltage and time of use. Particularly electricity prices for steel production, cement is expected to be higher from 2-16%. Specifically, the price of electricity for these two sectors into normal hours and off-peak electricity prices will be lower than average, but the peak is calculated by 160-187% of average power, depending on the voltage level.

Ministry of Industry and Trade, the separate production of electricity prices for steel and cement is due to current household businesses are paying very high prices compared with industry.

Some comments from the steel industry, said that the steel is more inventory, rising input costs force businesses to raise prices of steel, but this is impossible. If incur higher electricity prices, the other does not "push" to the industry. More worrisome, will create opportunities for foreign steel, special steel is cheap mass influx.

However, according to some economists, raise electricity prices for steel and cement sectors are needed to promote industry innovation and use of advanced technology to save energy, reduce state subsidize electricity prices, consumers are now wasted. However, for other manufacturing industries, the increase in electricity prices will make business even more difficult. Therefore, consideration should be applied at the appropriate time.

On the other hand, the restructuring of the electricity tariff or price adjustment to public electricity, price transparency, price. In particular, the power sector needs more efforts in reducing power loss. Power loss time in Vietnam nearly 10%. If you do not reduce the power loss and reduce the management cost of electricity price increases did not make much sense, does not help the economy much.