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Businesses shocked by power bills after tariff changes
Following a hike in peak-hour power tariffs two months ago, many businesses complain they are forced to pay unreasonably high bills.
The increase in rates effected by Circular 05/2009/TT-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is against Decision 21/2009/QD-TTG from the Prime Minister, they said, as did experts.
The Decision caps the increase in average tariffs at 8.92 percent but the actual increase is as high as 33.4 percent, according to some estimates.
But the ministry denies this charge, saying it has increased the power price for industry by just 6.25-7 percent.
The Electricity Regulation Department in Ha Noi, Tien Giang, and Long An have found that the actual increase for many businesses has been over 22 percent.
For instance, the Garment Joint Stock Company No. 10 paid 22.6 percent more in March, and Viet-Tiep Locks Joint Stock Company 12.6 percent.
Particularly, the Gia Dinh – Phong Phu Company said it is paying 24 percent more every month.
Asking for crossing out morning peak-hours
Analysts explained the tariff hike could be as much as 33.4 percent since the number of peak hours has almost been doubled to seven, including two hours in the morning (9:30 – 11:30).
Do Phuoc Tong, an engineer and deputy chairman of the HCM City Mechanical Electricity Association, said if a business operates eight hours a day (7:30-11:30 and 13:00-17:00) and consumes 100 kW per hour, it has to pay VND 918,000 a day instead of the VND688,000 it did previously, a third higher.
Out of the eight peak hours, the tariff is VND920 during six of them, while for the two morning hours it is VND1,830 for a kilowatt-hour, he said.
Many business associations said they would continue to ask the Ministry of Industry and Trade to abolish the morning peak-hour tariff.
If the ministry fails to do so, they would ask the Ministry of Justice to consider the legitimacy of the Circular, they warned.
VietNamNet, sai gon giai phong
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