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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
In 1978, HEC was granted a site on Lamma Island for a new dual fuel (coal or oil) power station. The first 750 MW phase of this station was completed in February 1984 with the commissioning of the final 250 MW unit. Phase two will consist of two 350 MW units and will ensure that the company can meet rising electricity demand in the future - a demand that has grown by 244 per cent over the last decade.
HEC's transmission system operates at 275 kV, 132 kV and 66 kV. Distribution is effected mainly at 11 kV and 346 volts. With the exception of a small proportion of 132 kV overhead transmission lines, all transmission and distribution are carried out underground or by submarine cables. The supply is 50 hertz, 200 volts single phase and 346 volts three phase. For larger consumers, supplies at high voltage are also available.
The transmission systems of CLP and HEC are interconnected by a cross-harbour link. The interconnector, which was commissioned in 1981, now has a capacity of 480 MVA; when completed, it will have a capacity of 720 MVA. The interconnector brings cost savings to consumers through economic energy transfers between the two systems and a reduction in spinning reserve requirements.
CLP's system is also interconnected with that of Guangdong Power Company of China and over two million units of electricity are exported to Guangdong Province each day. This interconnection results in better utilisation of the company's generating plant during off-peak demand periods. In July, CLP signed a contract with the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company to supply power to the industrial zone of Shekou. This arrangement, which will afford to Shekou a reliable electricity supply without subsidy from Hong Kong consumers, is an example of the close co-operation on energy matters which has developed on both sides of the border.
The most important example of this co-operation during the year was the signing in Peking on January 18 of a joint venture contract between the Hong Kong Nuclear Invest- ment Company and the Guangdong Nuclear Investment Company. The two companies own 25 and 75 per cent respectively of the new Guangdong Nuclear Joint Venture Company, which will construct and operate a nuclear power station at Daya Bay in Guangdong Province. Roughly 70 per cent of the power from this station will be supplied to Hong Kong and will help to meet the territory's demand for electricity well into the 1990s.
The Daya Bay station, when complete, will comprise two 980 MW nuclear reactors. The first unit is expected to enter commercial operation in 1992 and the second unit about a year later. The Daya Bay plant will be built to the highest international safety standards and situated at such a distance from Hong Kong that Hong Kong residents are unlikely to be affected even in the extremely improbable event of an accident at the plant taking -place. The government, however, is aware of potential public concern on any issue relating to nuclear safety. It has therefore commissioned the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to provide expert advice on the details of a radiation monitoring programme. This programme, which will be conducted by the Royal Observatory, will make it possible to detect any changes in the level of background radiation in the territory.
Main electricity statistics and sales figures are at Appendix 30.
Gas
Gas is supplied for domestic, commercial and industrial use as Towngas by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company (HKCG) and in the form of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by most of the major oil companies in Hong Kong. Towngas accounts for approximately 51 per cent of the total gas sold and LPG for 49 per cent. The customer split, however, is approximately 408 000 for Towngas and 950 000 for LPG.