<Anchor> It
is a friendly economy time.
Today (30th), I will be with reporter Kwon Ae-ri.
January of this year is almost over already.
I think next month will come soon, but I'm worried about the heating bill the next day.
Yes.
But the problem is that next winter's heating bill will be more than this year's.
<Reporter>
Yes.
You've probably heard a lot lately that gas rates will go up a little more.
What the hell is going on and how much will it rise? Our country must import all natural gas, the raw material for gas used for heating.
Same with oil.
Korea Gas Corporation is in charge of most of this revenue, according to data submitted by KOGAS to the National Assembly and the government.
So far, it is known that the gas corporation first paid for the gas needed for each household, and the money that it has not yet received reaches 9 trillion won.
If the money is to be paid off within this year, it is an amount of money that would require raising the gas bill three times as much as it is now.
Of course, just because KOGAS has some receivables, it cannot say that it will liquidate them right away.
But I'm asking you to liquidate it little by little, step by step.
In order to do so, KOGAS calculates that this year it must be raised more than last year.
Specifically, it is believed that an increase of 8.4 won per megajoule, which is the unit of gas leakage this year, can be settled by 2027, and an increase of 10.4 won by 2026.
Last year, the combined cost of gas rose by 5.5 won per megajoule.
The heating cost reflected in that is the gas price that came out this month.
However, if the calculation of the gas corporation is reflected this year, the gas bill to be accepted at this time next year will inevitably be marked with a much higher amount.
<Anchor>
So, this is because the price of gas we import has risen a lot in a short period of time.
Can you see it like this?
<Reporter>
Yes.
That's right.
It is crucial to blame for the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine that started last year, but in fact, natural gas prices have soared since 2021.
At the end of 2021, offshore wind power generation did not work well in Europe, and natural gas prices rose a lot.
Also, Australia stopped selling natural gas to China.
At this time, China once again raised international natural gas prices.
As these things overlap, at the end of 2021, the price has already risen to more than twice that of the year before, and in September, when the price was highest, it rises to a whopping $ 1,470 per ton.
Now, even though it is said to have fallen from there, it is at the level of $ 1,255.
It is more than 3.5 times what it was two years ago.
Considering that the dollar has become more expensive in the meantime, the burden has increased.
Even if you look at the yearly conversion, you can see that it has risen by 2 times.
When signing a contract to import natural gas, it may be necessary to make an effort to make a contract that is more favorable to Korea.
In addition, we should continue to develop eco-friendly energy sources, but in fact, this is a very long-term task and we need a lot of natural gas, which is very expensive right now.
The government decided not to raise gas rates further in the first quarter of this year, but this means that discussions on the increase should begin after the second quarter.
It is a situation where we have to find a way to minimize the household shock somehow.
<Anchor>
Looking at the current situation, gas rates are also gas rates, but other public rates have already risen or are expected to rise?
<Reporter>
Yes.
That's the problem.
First of all, since January, electricity rates have risen by more than 13 won per kilowatt hour.
However, looking at the KEPCO normalization plan presented by the government to the National Assembly at the end of last year, the electricity rate that rose this way in January only reflected a quarter of the level that needed to be raised.
This means that further increases may be pursued in the future.
And transportation costs are also estimated to have risen by nearly 10% last year, and now Seoul is pushing for a plan to raise bus and subway fares that have been frozen for the past eight years.
The size of the increase is under review, but if Seoul's rate increase materializes, it is highly likely that similar increases will follow nationwide.
Seoul has already raised the water fee, and there is a movement to raise it nationwide as well.
When public utility bills rise all at once, the burden alone is heavy.
It stimulates other costs as well, resulting in a rise in overall prices.
So this year, as well as last year, these public charges are among the key factors that I am concerned about as the speed of rising prices will not be unusual.