Malaysia to study relief measures after haze, weather push households above power subsidy threshold

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian government will hold a special meeting on Sept 17 to examine immediate measures to reduce the impact of increased electricity bills on affected households.Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said public concern over the recent spike in electricity bills required immediate attention.“Upon returning from India and the Maldives, my attention was immediately drawn to the concerns of the people over the increase in electricity bills.“I have heard the complaints. This matter must be given attention and addressed immediately,” he said.Anwar said the targeted subsidy approach would be maintained to protect the majority of consumers.He said about 80 per cent of domestic consumers who use no more than 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a month remained protected and were not affected by the increase in rates resulting from higher fuel costs in 2026.However, he noted that the haze and hotter weather had caused some households to use more electricity, pushing their monthly consumption above 600kWh and making them subject to the automatic fuel adjustment mechanism.“The government will hold a special meeting with the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry, Energy Commission, Tenaga Nasional and Finance Ministry to examine immediate mitigation measures to reduce the impact of higher electricity bills on affected households,” he said.Anwar added that the government would continue to ensure that targeted subsidies were implemented fairly and reasonably, with the interests and well-being of the people remaining the priority. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK