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12.
Realignment of Black Point power line not justified
The Governor-in-Council has decided that there is no justification to continue the discussions with China Light and Power Company Limited (CLP) about the possibility of re-routing the approved alignment of the Black Point 400kV Transmission System at the Fei Ngo Shan and Yick Yuen sections.
The decision was taken after the Executive Council had considered carefully the advice of the Working Group on Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) comprising experts from the Government, the two power companies and three local universities, and the assessment by the Administration and CLP on the possibility of realignment at Fei Ngo Shan and Yick Yuen.
In formulating the advice, the Working Group reviewed the most up-to-date EMF studies and reviews conducted by authoritative international organisations and independent scientific panels and found no conclusive evidence of adverse EMF effects on health. This is also the international mainstream scientific view and has been confirmed by the Director of Health.
The Executive Council also took into account the fact that the Government and CLP had acted prudently in the design of the Black Point Transmission System.
A government spokesman said: "Acting prudently means the taking of steps to managing and minimising exposure to EMF when such steps can be taken without substantial costs or other technical or societal consequences.
"We have routed the transmission system away from densely populated areas as far as practicable and CLP has adopted a low EMF power line design and constructed power line pylons taller than required to bring the cable farther away from residences.
"As a result, the calculated magnetic field level below the power line at Yick Yuen Tsuen in Tuen Mun, and at Clearwater Bay Apartments and Flamingo Gardens in Fei Ngo Shan will be around 20 to 200 times lower than the level recommended in the guidelines published by the authoritative International Radiation Protection Association in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1990."
The spokesman said that in Fei Ngo Shan area, no building structure is oversailed by the power line. The closest structure will be about 40 metres away from the overhead power line.
The validity of the EMF guidelines was re-confirmed by the WHO and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in April
1995.