The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday called for clear pricing standards governing the installation of natural gas pipelines, which the foundation said can currently vary anything from NT$30,000 to NT$1 million (US$938 to US$32,150).
The foundation recently surveyed 13 gas companies and found that pricing gas pipeline installation was highly inconsistent, with companies charging extra for 13 different items; application fees, pipeline subsidy fees, gas fee deposits, meter installation fees, blueprint assessment fees and more.
ESTIMATES
The foundation phoned a selection of companies for a rough estimate of prices. Although most firms said the average installation project would cost between NT$20,000 and NT$40,000, some indicated that if the project did not go according to plan, it could cost up to NT$100,000 or even in the millions. Other companies replied that the entire project could be done for a few thousand dollars.
The lack of a standard pricing structure has led to widely divergent profit margins for gas companies and widespread suspicion that authorities are tolerant of such muddled pricing schemes.
“The wide range of pricing causes consumers to doubt that the gas companies are charging reasonably,” said Hwang Yu-sheng (黃鈺生), secretary-general of the Consumers’ Foundation.
APPLICATION FEE
Some gas companies require an application fee of less than NT$100 before they send a technician to conduct an on-site price assessment. However, others say this fee is not necessary, which shows that the authorities are turning a blind eye to the chaotic pricing systems of gas companies, Hwang said.
The foundation called on the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Energy to resolve this matter and set standard fees for each meter of gas pipeline installed. It also urged the government to support legislation governing gas and other public utilities in order to end the problem of dramatic price variations.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS