ERC approves Bt20bn relief measures
The Energy Regulatory Commission approved relief measures for individuals and manufacturers, which could be valued about Bt20 billion.
Direk Lawansiri, chairman of the commission, said that the measures cover a waiver of service fee, the payment of electricity bills in installments, a temporary maintenance of fuel tariff (FT), the exempt of demand charge or minimum charges on factories, and a cut in power factor for all manufacturers.
Nationwide, service fees (Bt8.1-Bt38.22 monthly) levied on households will be waived from the period when the houses are flooded. Factories will also be waived from the Bt312 monthly fee, while non-profit organisation's fee will be cut from Bt320 to Bt20. The unpaid bills during the flood period could be paid in 3 instalments, without interest. The Metropolitan and Provincial Electricity Authority will shoulder the cost.
The fuel tariff for the Jan-Apr period would also be maintained, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will shoulder the cost of about Bt7.7 billion.
The commission also approved a cut in free electricity from 90 units per month per household to 50 units, starting from January 2012. Direk said that this will reduce the number of eligible households from 7.9 million to about 4 million, and reduce the subsidy from Bt12 billion to Bt3.6 billion per annum. The National Energy Policy Council will later decide whether the burden would be shared by all power users at the cost of 3 satang per unit, or if the government would shoulder the entire cost.
