The price of electricity has been raised to an average 1,508.85 VND per
kWh (exclusive of value added tax) starting August 1, an increase of
71.85 VND (5 percent).
The move was announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on July 31.
The new electricity price will range from 993 VND per kWh (0.046 USD) to 2,420 VND per kWh (0.1142 USD) for households.
The adjustment aims to partly compensate for the increased cost of
power generation caused by increased coal and gas prices.
Poor and low-income households that use 0 to 50 kWh per month will be
charged the same amount (993 VND) as before but households that use
100-400 kWh per month will be charged an additional 6,800 VND to 37,000
VND per month.
The last electricity price rise was
on December 22 last year, with an increase of 5 percent (or 68 VND per
kWh) to 1,437 VND per kWh.
The latest rise is
expected to cause concern among the public and businesses, many of which
are struggling to cope with the economic recession.-VNA