Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–Electricity bills for November will hit record highs at seven of Japan’s 10 major utilities, according to their announcements Thursday. The standard household rates for November usage, billed in December, will be raised at the seven companies, reflecting soaring crude oil procurement prices amid the ongoing Middle East turmoil. Chubu Electric Power Co. will have the biggest hike, with its bill for a standard household set to rise by 273 yen from the previous month to 9,920 yen. At Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the bill will increase by 177 yen to 9,738 yen. Meanwhile, rates for Hokkaido Electric Power Co. and Kyushu Electric Power Co. will go down, while that for Kansai Electric Power Co. will stand unchanged. Efforts to diversify procurement routes to reduce dependence on crude oil transported through the Strait of Hormuz have driven up oil acquisition costs including transportation expenses. In September, the government stopped its subsidy program to curb electricity and gas bills mainly for households. Also on Thursday, four major city gas suppliers announced their November rates, with their standard rates set to increase by between 188 yen and 249 yen from the previous month. Tokyo Gas Co.’s rate will rise by 230 yen to 6,718 yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
