Japan faces record electricity bills as government subsidy ends
Okinawa Electric Power’s standard bill for October usage will reach 10,752 yen, while four major Japanese city gas suppliers will also raise charges.
- A government subsidy program for electricity is ending, causing household bills from all 10 major Japanese power utilities to reach record levels.
- The withdrawal of the subsidy will result in an increased cost of 835 to 1,578 yen for a standard household's October electricity consumption.
- For example, Tokyo Electric Power's standard monthly bill will increase by 1,286 yen, while Okinawa Electric Power's will rise by 1,578 yen.
- In addition to the subsidy ending, customers will also pay higher transmission fees for the use of power lines, further contributing to the record bills.
Japanese households will lose monthly electricity savings of about 800–900 yen when government support ends, helping drive standard bills for October consumption to record levels at all 10 major power utilities.
Government support worth 3.50 yen per kilowatt-hour of electricity and 14 yen per cubic metre of city gas is being withdrawn in Japan.
Energy prices remain high amid instability in the Middle East.
Japan’s power suppliers put the extra cost for a standard household at 835–1,578 yen compared with the previous month in announcements on Tuesday.
Electricity used in October will be billed in November.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. will have a standard monthly bill of 9,561 yen, reflecting a 1,286-yen increase.
Okinawa Electric Power Co. will rank highest among the 10 utilities for both the new monthly total, at 10,752 yen, and the increase, at 1,578 yen.
Electricity customers will also pay higher transmission fees, which cover the use of power lines.
The increase starts on November 1 and feeds into the October charges because the billing period extends into part of November.
A 744-yen increase will take Tokyo Gas Co.’s standard monthly bill to 6,488 yen.
The company is one of four major city gas suppliers that announced higher October charges on Tuesday, with standard bills rising by 435–744 yen from the previous month.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
