XN000022-1986-05-13 — Page 10

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1986

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COMMONS DEBATE BROADCAST LIVE

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RTHK'S RADIO 3 WILL BROADCAST LIVE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE ON THE DRAFT HONG KONG (BRITISH NATIONALITY) ORDER WHICH WILL START AT ABOUT 5 AM TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY) HONG KONG TIME.

EDITORS OF THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA ARE REMINDED THAT THE DEBATE CANNOT BE RECORDED AND RE-BROADCAST BECAUSE OF CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS OF RTHK.

CONVERSION TO COAL MEANS CHEAPER ELECTRICITY

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ELECTRICITY IN HONG KONG IS CHEAPER IN REAL TERMS THAN IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO, THE DIRECTOR OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SERVICES, MR GRAHAM OSBORNE, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

OPENING THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING SHOW, ELENEX 86, AT THE HONG KONG EXHIBITION CENTRE, MR OSBORNE SAID THE REDUCTION WAS BECAUSE OF THE CONVERSION OF POWER STATIONS FROM OIL TO COAL BURNING.

DESPITE THE DROP IN OIL PRICES, HE SAID, CONSUMERS HAD BENEFITED FROM THE USE OF COAL INSTEAD OF OIL. +THEREFORE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT NORMAL COST ESCALATION, THE HONG KONG CONSUMER IS ACTUALLY ENJOYING, IN REAL TERMS, CONSIDERABLY LOWER ELECTRICITY CHARGES THAN THREE YEARS AGO, HE SAID.

MR OSBORNE EXPLAINED THAT PLANS FOR INSTALLING ADDITIONAL GENERATING CAPACITY WERE ON SCHEDULE AND THAT BY 1990 PRACTICALLY ALL POWER GENERATED IN HONG KONG WOULD BE COAL-FIRED.

ALONG WITH THE DROP IN PRICE HAD COME A RISE IN CONSUMPTION MAKING HONG KONG THE THIRD LARGEST CONSUMER OF ELECTRICITY PER PERSON IN THE REGION AFTER JAPAN AND SINGAPORE.

CONSUMPTION GREW BY FIVE PER CENT IN 1985 TO 10 GIGA-JOULES (2.8 MEGA-WATT-HOURS) PER HEAD. THIS WAS 65 PER CENT OF JAPAN'S CONSUMPTION AND 85 PER CENT OF SINGAPORE'S, SAID MR OSBORNE.

THE RISE IN CONSUMPTION WAS REFLECTED IN THE RISE IN IMPORTS OF HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES. THESE GREW BY OVER 40 PER CENT IN 1985 FROM ABOUT $1 800 MILLION IN 1984 TO $2 500 MILLION LAST YEAR.

THERE HAD

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