KUALA LUMPUR: About 9.44 million Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) account holders will continue to enjoy an electricity rebate of 2 sen per kilowatt hour (kWh) from July 1 until the end of the year.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the government decided to do so despite the increase in the cost of gas and coal supplies for the period of Jan to June 2021.
This would mean that the electricity tariff rate at 39.45 sen/kWh would be maintained for the rest of the year.
According to him, the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) cost that needed to be coordinated from July 1 until Dec 31, 2021, was RM638.98 million.
He said this meant that the electricity rebate rate that can be released to consumers is 1.13 sen/kWh compared to the rebate rate for the period of Jan to June 2021 which was 2sen/kWh.
"The increase in ICPT costs occurred due to the increase in the cost of gas and coal supply for the period January to June 2021.
"Considering the challenges Malaysians are facing during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO), the government has agreed to finance the additional rebate of 0.87 sen/kWh which involves an allocation of RM493 million through the Electricity Industry Fund (KWIE).
"The additional rebate enables all TNB users to get an average discount of five per cent for that period," he said during a media conference aired live on the Zoom application today.
For consumers at Kulim High Technology Park (KHTP) who get their electric supply from NUR Power Sdn Bhd, Shamsul said they too would be able to enjoy the same benefits.
"This would be the first time that non-domestic electricity consumers at KHTP get to enjoy electricity rebate since the Incentive-Based Regulations tariff setting mechanism was implemented in 2017.
"This rebate is implemented as there is a drop in fuel and gas prices, TNB's bulk electricity supply in the first half of 2021, and savings from adjustments of the actual fuel cost from July till December last year."
At the same time, Shamsul said the government also agreed to provide targeted electricity bill discounts to domestic and non-domestic users from July until Sept this year for Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
"This will be announced by the prime minister later today.
"Therefore, what I'm announcing here is different, but it is important because the government has agreed to spend RM493 million so that there is no increase in electricity tariff," he said.
Shamsul also said those in the lower-income group with incomes lower than RM1,169 per month who are registered in the e-Kasih system will be eligible for a RM40 electricity rebate.
Shamsul said until May 2021, the number of heads of family who are eligible for the rebate stood at 282,182.
"However, only 113,745 or 40.13 per cent of the heads of eligible heads of families have updated details on the electricity bills.
"Therefore, I'm urging those who are eligible to update their account so they can enjoy that electricity rebate," he added.