Taiwan's state oil company is charging power plants more for natural gas again, deepening losses at Taipower and raising the risk that electricity bills and prices rise for everyone.

• Gas prices for power plants went up again in September, on top of a jump of more than 56% since April.
• The Middle East conflict is driving the increase, pushing global gas prices sharply higher.
• Taipower now expects its gas bill to rise by more than NT$130 billion this year, about NT$17 billion more each month.
• Taipower is absorbing the cost to keep electricity prices down, but it lost money in the first half and its total losses have piled up to nearly NT$380 billion.
• Debt now sits at almost 92% of assets, though summer electricity rates gave it a profitable month in July.

Outlook: If gas prices stay high, pressure to raise electricity rates in Taiwan will keep building.