TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Legislative Yuan (立法院) has voted to remove a NT$100 billion budget allocation intended for Taiwan Power Company (台電), a move that the company claims will weaken its financial ability to support civilian electricity prices and cripple its capacity to upgrade power equipment. Taiwan Power Company officials voiced these concerns on Monday (Jan. 20).
Legislators from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) joined forces to pass the decision, which targets the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA, 經濟部) 2025 budget. Taiwan Power Company absorbed over NT$80 billion annually from 2022 to 2024 to stabilize civilian electricity prices, resulting in accumulated losses exceeding NT$420 billion.
The company highlighted that the Russia-Ukraine war has driven up fuel prices. Unlike other countries that adjust electricity rates or provide financial subsidies, Taiwan maintains relatively low electricity prices by subsidizing most fuel costs. Taiwan Power Company emphasized that a stable power supply relies on continuous investment in power equipment maintenance. Maintenance labor will increase without new equipment, and improving the power system's stability will become challenging.
Reflecting on the year 2012, Taiwan Power Company officials recalled incurring debt due to losses, delaying equipment replacement until reaching its usage limit. This led to over 18,000 power outage incidents in 2013, which the company reduced to 7,000 last year. The company warned that its operations and residential electricity subsidies could be affected without financial improvement.
