Gov't to roll out two electric tariffs via eTOU mechanism

The government plans to roll out two electric tariffs through enhanced Time of Use (eTOU) mechanism in the industrial sector nationwide by year-end. The Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA) said eTOU would be implemented first in the industrial sector as it has higher energy consumption in the country before introducing to all consumers. Its Deputy Secretary-General (Energy), Datuk Dr Nadzri Yahaya, said this would enable the industrial manufacturing process to efficiently use energy at night compared to the morning and to mitigate against higher electricity bills. "Studies are still being done for this mechanism but the concept is the same as in Japan. We plan to maintain electricity rates during the day and lower them at night. "In Japan, the consumers understand the mechanism better, whether it is day or night and which they can capitalize on to carry out their household activities or industries," he told reporters at the launch of ExxonMobil Energy Literacy Campaign here today. Nadzri said it would take a while for the government to implement the mechanism. "If the research was successful, the mechanism would be implemented in Melaka and Putrajaya as they have the infrastructure in place. "We need to have smart meter first in order to implement the eTOU and right now the pilot project is in Melaka and Putrajaya," he said. In November 2014, Tenaga Nasional Bhd said it would consider a national roll-out in 2016 if the smart meter pilot was successful. Nadzri said government has taken great task to ensure that energy was produced and consumed effectively and efficiently. "However, we don't want to rest on our laurels. We want to move forward and embark on more innovative initiatives to ensure sustainability in the field of energy, especially in the power sector," he said.