Electricite du Laos has made a statement after issuing a LAK 68 million electricity bill to a resident of Vientiane Capital.
A resident of Naxaythong District in Vientiane Capital posted a photograph of his electricity bill on social media recently, revealing an unexpectedly large amount amid the controversy surrounding high utility bills during the warmer months of April, May, and June.
The man received the exorbitant bill of over LAK 68 million for electricity consumption at his residence in Namyen Village for the month of May.
![A resident of Naxaythong District recieved a LAK 68 million electricity bill](https://laotiantimes-com.laocdn.com/2021/06/Electricity-bill.jpeg)
Deputy Director-General of Électricité du Laos (EDL), Mr. Khoun Bouaphengphan, said in a statement broadcast live on the company’s Facebook page yesterday that an EDL employee was called to the scene and was told to review the usage displayed on the customer’s electricity meter.
“The EDL employee misinterpreted the figure from the electric meter, recording 78,355 KWh of usage instead of just 18,355 KWh, resulting in an electricity bill of over LAK 68 million,” said Mr. Khoun Bouaphengphan.
He said that EDL has disciplined four irresponsible employees in accordance with a notice issued by EDL last month saying that the state enterprise would place a greater focus on customer service.
“We recalculated the electricity bill for this customer at LAK 940,032 instead of over LAK 68 million because resident’s electricity usage was only 61,240 KWh,” Mr. Khoun Bouaphengphan added.
Lao people took to social media recently to share their dissatisfaction with high electricity bills, comparing bills with one another and checking bills against previous periods.
In response to the overwhelming number of public complaints, the power company has set up a special complaints center at its headquarters in Nongpeuk Village, Sikhottabong District, in Vientiane Capital.