TNAG-0636-FCO40-784-Supplies-of-electricity-for-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 35

MR LIPPITT

COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE

I willen

From this it looks as though the Sa pamese Ambscessuder might just he night. I myself have from the stand wed hagging dosbts about the timing with melemoved to the MIA - Should we

Mr Baker Ind Adv Mr Clark MEFT Mr Havelock MEPT Miss Mueller IC

do an intermedius Mr Roberts CRE

submissim to

Mr Mingay G Mr Kemp ECGD

Mr Morphet Energy

Under Secmelanie? Mr Bryant OP

Jas

Draft yunke

To Ale. Megway /

HONG KONG POWER STATION PROJECT

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Mr Stewart FCO

Mr Forster M

Mr Battersby IP

Mr March BTC Hong Kong Mr Field IC

Uu. Cortizzi

Biu

23/6.

This minute reviews the progress made during the visit which Mr Gemmill (Lazards) and I made to Hong Kong last week following your telex message of 4 June which set out general proposals as a basis for discussion.

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Accompanied by Mr March (Senior British Trade Commissioner) I met Sir Lawrence Kadoorie (Chairman, China Light and Power) three times - twice in formal session with representatives of PEPCO/CLF/Schroder and Chartered and once for a long private discussion. I also met Sir Murray MacLehose, the Governor of Hong Kong, and representatives of Schroder and Chartered Bank. I attach a detailed note of each of these discussions: we covered a wide range of other Departments' interests in our talks and I felt it best to provide colleagues with a full account of all the discussions.

My main impressions from the visit are as follows:

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because of the strongly rising trend in demand for electricity, CLP/PEPCO would ideally like to place an order for a power station fairly urgently. They would like to have additional capacity available by the end of 1981 if possible. With the exception of the transmission system, the other elements in the programme pump storage, desalination etc must be regarded as long term opportunities;

Sir Lawrence Kadoorie had been hoping that the British Government would be prepared to sign a contract for the power statiou and later developments.

He now accepts that the Department

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