Wang Meihua, head of the economic department of the Taiwan authorities Image source: Taiwan's "China Times"
On the 22nd, the economic department of the Taiwan authorities decided to raise electricity prices in April, with an average range of 11%, the largest increase in the past eight years. Although it was predicted that electricity prices would rise a year ago, after the decision was made, it still caused a huge wave of criticism on the island, and the people were even more worried that the rise in electricity prices would set off a butterfly effect of rising prices.
Post-election electricity price surge "entirely political considerations"
Lin Wenchang, former director of Taipower's No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant, said in a letter to the media that the biggest purpose of the price adjustment is to subsidize the Taiwan Power Company ("Taipower"), a public enterprise. Taipower's cumulative losses of more than NT$380 billion (NT$, the same below) are inseparable from the Taiwan authorities' erroneous energy policy, which is the inevitable result of the DPP's obstinate pursuit of the "non-nuclear homeland" policy.
The economic department of the Taiwan authorities decided on the 22nd to raise electricity prices in April, with an average range of 11%. Image source: Taiwan's "China Times"
He pointed out that although nuclear power cannot help Taipower completely solve its losses, if the authorities do not insist on "abolishing nuclear power," the four nuclear power plants can guarantee the supply of 60 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, saving about 1.95 yuan in power generation costs per kilowatt-hour and reducing Taipower's losses by more than 120 billion yuan a year. In this way, the upward pressure on electricity prices can be greatly eased. However, the DPP is worried about losing votes, and is unwilling to raise electricity prices moderately, knowing that Taipower is losing a lot of money, and even adopts the opposite strategy of "freezing prices" to raise prices after the election.
The Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry also bluntly said on the 24th that the comprehensive increase in electricity prices will impact the operation of manufacturing and small-scale enterprises on the island and weaken Taiwan's economic recovery.
Taipower fell "Green energy fraud case while it was fired?"
The Kuomintang once held a press conference on "Taipower Falls, Clouded Leopard Earns Enough" Image source: Taiwan's "China Times News Network"
Public opinion on the island is bitterly criticizing "Taipower has fallen, and green power is full". Taiwan media person Shan Houzhi pointed out in the island's political discussion program "Critical Moment" that Clouded Leopard Energy held a legal conference in March, and last year's revenue increased by 7.66% year-on-year, consolidated net profit increased by 116% year-on-year, and net profit per share EPS was 8.77, and it is estimated that this year's revenue is 3 times, and the profit challenges a share capital, "this kind of company makes more money than TSMC", but others can't buy it, "green electricity" makes so much money, but the Taiwan authorities have been subsidizing electricity prices, and how much money do the people have to make up for these things? The price of electricity is going to rise.
Zhao Shaokang, a media person on the island, denounced the DPP, saying that the price increase would make the people on the island "be stripped of three skins". Zhao Shaokang pointed out that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is clinging to the "god card" of a "non-nuclear homeland" and sacrificing people's livelihood and economy to not change its erroneous energy policy. Zhao Shaokang said that 40 percent of the voters voted for Lai Qingde, but 100 percent of the voters suffered, and the DPP really made people want to cry without tears.
The picture comes from Taiwan's "China Times News Network" data map
Luo Tingwei, a representative of the Kuomintang Democratic Party, said on the 23rd that Taipower has abandoned many low-cost power generation, including nuclear energy, and has adopted non-nuclear power generation, that is, thermal power generation, "green power" and other high-cost methods. What is even more despicable is that the "Clouded Leopard Green Energy (Green Power Company)" is applying for listing, and Taipower is constantly losing money, so how can the people be relieved when they see the two feelings? The DPP authorities should suffer from the people's suffering, not the common people, and not rob the poor and help the rich.
"People's living misery is rising, "caused by the DPP's greed and incompetence"
On the 23rd, an online poll on the island aimed at "the sharp rise in prices, the sharp increase in electricity bills, the increase in the burden of housing loans caused by interest rate hikes, and the proposed increase in Taiwan Railway fares, etc., the people's living misery index has risen sharply, what do you think is the main reason?", as of 23 o'clock on the 24th, 15,000 people have voted, of which 90% of the people believe that it is "caused by the greed and incompetence of the DPP authorities".
The picture comes from Taiwan's "China Times News Network" data map
Netizens who participated in the voting also left messages saying, "Incompetent and corrupt, evolving today's economic recession, the DPP should step down quickly" "In addition, the ruling DPP is incompetent, there is nuclear power but it does not start, and it does not supervise the rise in market prices, and the officials are messing around" "Taipower's loss is caused by the DPP's abolition of nuclear power and wrong energy policy, and it should be the DPP's party property and DPP members who should compensate for the losses!" "The wrong policy and the people's wrong concept choice, the Taiwan people are really going to wake up" Insatiable, hollowing out to the point of generating losses, and then asking the people to fill it, causing inflation and the people paying, this authority really has a problem."
Chen Zhihan, the "curator" of Taiwan's Internet celebrity, also predicted during the live broadcast that "Taiwan's prices will definitely rise in a wave." The electricity consumption of the common people will rise less, the electricity used for business will rise much more, and the electricity consumption of factories will rise to an explosion, "Let me tell you what the facts are? The fact is that Taiwan's prices will rise again!" Chen Zhihan sarcastically said, why didn't the DPP play it? What else would they do if they were elected? If they have an Internet army and a flank, what else should they do? He bitterly criticized Lai Qingde for being blind when he was elected, and in the next four years, the people of Taiwan will suffer from it.
Taiwan's special commentator Huang Huihua pointed out in a comment on "Huaxia Jingwei.com" that raising electricity prices will not only affect the quality of life and costs of the people on the island, but also all walks of life, and that the cost of electricity prices should be formed on the basis of the market of measurement, quantity and price, and that Taipower should face up to the needs of each consumer and transfer the cost of electricity prices to the shoulders of consumers, just to solve the problem of losses. However, it is regrettable that the current electricity price policy of the Taiwan authorities is obviously adjusted on a political basis.
The Tsai Ing-wen authorities are about to step down and hand over the baton to the incoming Lai Qingde Photo source: Taiwan media
Some Taiwan media analysis pointed out that the Tsai Ing-wen authorities are about to step down and hand over the baton to the incoming Lai Qingde, and the electricity price has been raised recently, and some people interpret that Tsai Ing-wen is going to "defuse the bomb" for Lai Qingde before the "520", but these adjustments are bound to accumulate public resentment. The DPP's erroneous energy policy has caused the consequences of rising electricity prices and inflation, and it thinks it is "defusing bombs", but in fact it is "releasing poison." Lai Qingde's first day in office was the beginning of public resentment.