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PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
1963-4 the New Territories engineering unit placed 20 contracts to a total value of $400,000. Fifteen of these were for aqua privy latrines, six for footpaths, two for footbridges, two for the repair of seawalls, one for the construction of a water scheme supplying several villages, one for a van track and one for a village hawker ground. Most of the works were for the benefit of remote com- munities.
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Electricity. The Hongkong Electric Company Ltd supplies elec- tricity to the islands of Hong Kong and Lamma from its power station at North Point. The generating capacity of the power station was increased during 1963 to 225 MW by the commission- ing of two 30 MW turbo-alternators. The maximum demand on the station increased in the year by 14.6 per cent to 150 MW. The company's development programme included the placing of orders for two 60 MW turbo-alternators and associated boilers for commissioning in 1966.
The changeover of the company's transmission voltage from 22-kV to 33-kV is nearing completion and plans are well advanced for the introduction of a primary transmission voltage of-66-kV in the near future. Distribution voltages are at 11-kV and 6.6-kV with industrial supply being at 346 volts three-phase and domestic supply at 200 volts single phase; 46 new sub-stations were com- pleted bringing the number of sub-stations to 342.
The amount of electricity generated during 1963 was 663,873,780 kWh, an increase of 11.3 per cent over 1962. The number of consumers increased by six per cent to 118,061 and sales of electricity amounted to 577,882,821 kWh, made up as follows:
Lighting
149,093,101 kWh
Public lighting
Bulk power
+
Domestic and commercial power
5,071,445
99
109,203,451
314,514,824
3.
577,882,821 kWh
Charges for electricity range from 28 cents to 15.4 cents a unit for lighting and 12 cents to 11.4 cents a unit for power. These rates are subject to a variable fuel surcharge which at the end of the year was four per cent. Special rates are quoted for the bulk supply of industrial power.