XN000022-1986-07-16 — Page 33

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JULY 16, 1986.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16,

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BASED ON THE SAME ANALOGY, MR WONG SAID WHETHER A PERSON WAS SICK WAS SIMILAR TO WHETHER THE POWER SUPPLY IN HONG KONG WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO MEET DEMAND IN THE EARLY 1990S.

HE SAID HE BASICALLY ACCEPTED THE CONCLUSION BY CHINA LIGHT AND THE GOVERNMENT THAT POWER SUPPLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MEET SUCH A DEMAND.

+BUT HOW DO WE SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF INSUFFICIENT POWER SUPPLY? BUY OR GENERATE ELECTRICITY? IF BUYING ELECTRICITY, WHETHER TO BUY NUCLEAR GENERATED ELECTRICITY OR COAL-FIRED OR OIL-FIRED ELECTRICITY?+ MR WONG ASKED.

THIS WAS JUST LIKE DECIDING ON WHETHER TO UNDERGO AN OPERATION OR TO TAKE MEDICINE, HE SAID.

BASED ON COMMON SENSE ECONOMICS, MR WONG EXPRESSED DOUBTS THAT THE COST OF NUCLEAR POWER WOULD BE CHEAPER THAN THAT OF COAL-FIRED ELECTRICITY.

AS TO ARRANGEMENTS FOR BUYING ELECTRICITY, HE SAID HE WAS RATHER PUZZLED BY THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND RAISED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

* WHAT WOULD THE PROFIT BE?

* WAS THE FORMULAE FOR CALCULATING THE NOMINAL PRICE

OF COAL-FIRED ELECTRICITY LOGICAL? AND

* WOULD THE PRICE OF NUCLEAR GENERATED ELECTRICITY BE

ARBITRARILY FIXED BY THE JOINT VENTURE COMPANY WHOSE MAJOR SHAREHOLDER WAS GUANGDONG NUCLEAR INVESTMENT COMPANY?

AS TO THE ARRANGEMENT FOR THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY TO BE PURCHASED, MR WONG QUESTIONED WHETHER HONG KONG WAS REQUIRED TO BUY 70 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL OUTPUT UNDER THE CONTRACT OR ONLY 25 PER CENT WHICH IT HAD ORIGINALLY UNDERTAKEN TO BUY PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 45 PER CENT TO BE PURCHASED FROM GUANGDONG.

THERE WAS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, HE SAID. FINALLY, MR WONG CALLED ON CHINA TO DEVELOP ITS POTENTIAL ON COAL-FIRED ELECTRICITY AS THIS WOULD MEET THE PRINCIPLE OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD SET UP A STANDING COMMITTEE TO MONITOR, WITHIN ITS JURISDICTION AND AUTHORITY, THE PROBLEMS AND POLICIES RELATING TO POWER SUPPLY THROUGH PUBLIC MEETINGS AND OPEN HEARINGS.

SINCE THE PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEE WOULD BE A FORMAL MONITORING BODY MEMBERS SHOULD NOT INCLUDE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS, HE ADDED.

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