11:13:51 AM | 3/10/2008
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to raise power price from 2009 but the exact hike level has not yet been decided, said Deputy Minister Bui Xuan Khu.
The ministry is seeking the government approval to raise the average power price from current VND862 per kWh by between 20 per cent and 30 per cent in the 2009-2010 period, the official said.
The premier has given the nod to an increase in domestic power price from 2009 with a strong hike in power price for household consumption, and the government will provide incentive policies for poor households upon the rise.
The government leader also said that the domestic power price should be raised under an appropriate roadmap so as to be equivalent to regional country by 2010.
Vietnam maintains power price stable this year in order to fuel the national efforts to curb bourgeoning inflation, Khu attributed.
In early this year, state-owned Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN) proposed the government to approve a hike in the average power price by 7 per cent to VND917 per kWh for production consumption and by 10.4 per cent to VND952 per kWh for household consumption but the government has declined. (Saigon Liberation, VTC News, Icon)
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