SP Group to raise household electricity tariff by about 8% from July to September amid 'higher energy cost'

SINGAPORE — The electricity tariff for households will increase by an average of 8 per cent from July to September this year, compared with the previous quarter.

This is mainly due to higher energy cost driven by rising global gas and oil prices exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine, utilities company SP Group said on Thursday (June 30).

Excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST), the tariff will increase from 27.94 to 30.17 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) from July 1 to Sept 30 this year.

Including GST, this rate is 32.28 cents per kWh.

This means that the average monthly electricity bill for families living in four-room Housing and Development Board flats will increase by S$8.25 before GST. Including GST, this figure is S$8.82.

This is the sixth consecutive quarter of increase.

SP Group said that it reviews the electricity tariffs every quarter of the year based on guidelines set by the electricity industry regulator, the Energy Market Authority (EMA). The revised tariffs have been approved by EMA, the company added.

Separately, gas supplier City Energy — rebranded from City Gas last year — also announced on Thursday that the gas tariff for households will increase by 1.43 cents per kWh, from 21.66 cents per kWh to 23.09 cents per kWh, before GST, for the July to September period.

The increase is due to higher fuel costs compared with the previous quarter, it added.

City Energy also said that it reviews the gas tariff based on guidelines set by EMA. The revised tariffs have been approved by the authority, it added.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong announced that eligible adult Singaporeans will receive a one-off cash payment of up to S$300, on top of the regular Goods and Services Tax (GST) vouchers to be disbursed this year, as part of an extra S$1.5 billion package to help more vulnerable groups cope with rising living costs.

In addition, all Singaporean households will receive a S$100 credit to offset their utilities bills. This will be disbursed by September.