About 25,000 high-voltage electricity users will be charged higher summer rates from May 16 to the middle of October, state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) announced yesterday.
Summer electricity rates, introduced in 1989 to encourage consumers to conserve electricity during peak usage months, usually take effect from June 1 to Sept. 30.
However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs decided to extend the period the rates are in force to reflect the reality of climate change in Taiwan, Taipower said.
Photo: CNA
The extended period will only affect high-voltage electricity users like science parks, department stores and hotels, which have a supply voltage of more than 11,000 volts per month during that period, Taipower said.
Taiwan’s 14 million household users will not be affected by the change and will only pay summer rates from June 1 to Sept. 30 as before, Taipower added.
Taipower said average temperatures in the nation in May and October had neared those in June and September partly due to global warming.
In addition, an early drought last month and this month, and a lingering fall heat wave, known locally as the “autumn tiger,” is expected to lead to higher demand for electricity around that period, Taipower added.
Taipower said that due to the lowering of non-summer electricity prices in January, average annual bills would remain unchanged, despite the extended period of summer rates.
The new policy is intended to encourage high-voltage customers to conserve electricity and schedule electricity-intensive tasks during off-peak hours.
Taipower said it started negotiating with the affected industries in 2021 and received positive or non-negative responses from 90 percent of businesses surveyed.
Summer electricity rates are expected to reduce the amount of electricity consumed during the peak season by 500,000 kilowatt hours per day, the state utility said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS