PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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The Hongkong Electric Company's Ap Lei Chau Power Station has two 60 MW and seven 125 MW units in operation. The last 125 MW turbo-generator was commissioned in March, 1980, bringing the total generating capacity of Ap Lei Chau Power Station to 1,061 MW.
Generation of electricity on the mainland is carried out by China Light and Power, Peninsula Electric Power Company Limited (PEPCO) and Kowloon Electric Supply Company Limited (KESCO). Both PEPCO and KESCO are financed 60 per cent by Esso and 40 per cent by China Light. PEPCO owns power stations 'A' (762 MW) and 'B' (800 MW) at Tsing Yi and Hok Un Station 'C' (240 MW). Four gas turbines units of KESCO (264 MW) are housed at Hok Un. Operation of plants owned by PEPCO and KESCO is in the hands of China Light, which also has its own stations Hok Un ‘A' and 'B' (total 350 MW) and a number of diesel sets (total 6 MW).
Transmission by China Light and Power and Hongkong Electric is carried out at 132 kilovolts (kV) and 66 kV, while distribution is mainly at 33 kV, 11 kV and 346 volts (V). Supply is 50 hertz (Hz) alternating current (ac), normally at 200 V single-phase or 346/200 V three-phase.
Work on the interconnection between the systems of China Light and Power and Hong- kong Electric has proceeded smoothly. The interconnection will be made through submarine cables and is scheduled to be completed by April, 1981.
Since April, 1979, China Light and Power's system has been interconnected with that of Guangdong Electric Company of China and about one million units of electricity is exported to Guangdong (Kwangtung) Province daily. The interconnection results in the better utilisation of the company's generating capacities during off-peak demand periods and provides the facility to feed power from Guangdong to the company's system when required. The connection with Guangdong comprises 11 kilometres (km) of 66 kV overhead line between China Light's substation at Fanling and that of the Guangdong Electric Company at Shenzhen (Shum Chun) in China.
Since October, 1979, when restrictions on the use of electricity for advertising, flood- lighting and display purposes were lifted because of an easing in the oil supply situation, the public has been exhorted to achieve voluntary savings. Despite the government's energy conservation measures and the increased cost of fuel, the demand for electricity continued to grow during the year. This reflected Hong Kong's continuing development as a manu- facturing centre and the general improvement in the standard of living of the population. Main electricity statistics for 1980, as well as electricity sales figures for 1978 to 1980, are shown in Appendix 34.
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To cater for the rising demand for electricity, two new power stations are being construct- ed; one is being built on Lamma Island by Hongkong Electric, while the other is being built at Tap Shek Kok by KESCO. A significant feature of the projects is that in both cases the generators will be capable of being fired by either oil or coal. Given the instability of the world oil supply situation and the greatly increased cost of oil, both power companies intend to use coal to fire their new stations, with an oil-firing facility for start-up and stand- by. Hongkong Electric's Lamma Island power station will initially house two 250 MW generating sets, while KESCO's power station at Tap Shek Kok will initially have four dual coal/oil-fired 350 MW units in addition to a number of gas turbines. It is expected that the first sets at both stations will be commissioned in 1982.
To tie in with the new power stations, work has already commenced on the staged development of an extra high-voltage transmission system to transmit power from the Tap Shek Kok station to the various load centres. The new network, at 400 kV, will comprise