PUTRAJAYA, Sept 18 — The Madani Government has expanded electricity bill protection for domestic users from 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 800 kWh a month, effective for electricity consumption from September to December 31, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday.
The Prime Minister, who is also Finance Minister, said the enhanced electricity bill subsidy was an immediate measure to ease the cost-of-living pressures faced by the people.
“Under this measure, domestic users consuming up to 800 kWh a month will be protected through exemptions from the Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA), retail charges and Sales and Service Tax (SST),” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Anwar said haze and hotter weather in recent times had driven up electricity consumption among some households, pushing their monthly usage above 600 kWh and resulting in unusually high bills.
He said the Madani Government would continue to closely monitor fuel costs and current energy market conditions to ensure decisions on electricity tariffs balance affordability and the people's cost of living, electricity supply security and the sustainability of the country's energy sector.
Anwar also expressed appreciation to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) and the Energy Commission (ST) for their roles in enabling the measure to be implemented swiftly.
Earlier, Anwar chaired a special meeting to discuss concerns over recent increases in electricity bills affecting some consumers.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour at the Ministry of Finance, was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. — Bernama
