KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — The government has allocated RM1.935 billion in electricity subsidy for consumers in Peninsular Malaysia for the January to June 2024 period, according to the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra).
Petra said the subsidy is given to minimise the impact of a rise in the global prices of fuel used for power generation on the people.
“The government cannot determine the number of electricity consumers from the M40 group. This is because electricity bills are based on their power consumption and not household incomes.
“Nevertheless, domestic users who consume less than 600 kWj monthly (electricity bill estimates below RM223.51), or about 84.4 per cent of domestic users in the peninsula, are still enjoying the two sen/kWj rebate as part of the subsidy retargeting initiative implemented by the government,” Petra said in a written reply published on the Parliament website.
The ministry said this in reply to a question from Captain (Rtd) Azahari Hasan (PN-Padang Rengas), who asked whether the ministry would review electricity tariffs, which have somewhat impacted the monthly expenditure of those in the M40 group since January.
Petra said the government had decided that for the January-June 2024 period, some 1.2 million domestic consumers with usage of between 601 kWj and 1500 kWj, comprising 14.7 per cent of domestic consumers in Peninsular Malaysia, would no longer be given the two sen/kWj rebate and would not be subjected to a surcharge.
This means consumers with electricity bill estimates of between RM250 and RM794.30 will have to pay just an additional RM12 to RM32 per month.
“However, the government is still caring and has allocated subsidies totalling RM266.19 million to cover the actual surcharge which would otherwise be passed on to consumers in this category,” the ministry said. — Bernama
