New electricity tariff may be introduced from January if it is approved by the cabinet, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.

He said the ministry was studying an application for the tariff increase by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) before submitting it to the cabinet.

tenaga nasional and electricity price"The electric tariff is being reviewed every six months due the fuel price adjustment but whether there will be a new tariff or not depends on the cabinet," he told reporters after the ministry's monthly assembly and Innovation Day here today.

He said it was normal for TNB to ask for a tariff increase due to escalating production cost but the Cabinet would look at the whole situation, including the economic condition and whether the people could afford it.

Aim to reduce blackout in Sabah

In another development, Chin said the ministry's main Key Performance Indicators (KPI) was to reduce power outage or the System Average Interruption Duration Index (Saidi) in Sabah, which was higher than in the peninsular and Sarawak.

He said as such, the ministry would cooperate with Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) to overcome the problem within one year by ensuring the energy capacity supplied to consumers would be adequate.

Other KPIs include to increase the coverage of treated water supply, to increase the use of renewal energy and energy effectiveness, and to build more central sewerage plants, he added.

On the monthly assembly, Chin said he would personally reward ministry employees, who came out with innovative ideas.

Earlier, Chin launched his blog, http://peterchin.my.

- Bernama