ENG-1993 — Page 275

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

the necessary experience and qualifications. The registration of electrical workers and contractors started in November 1990 and November 1991, respectively. At the end of December 1993, over 53 000 and 7 200 qualified electrical workers and contractors, respectively, had been registered.

To further enhance public safety, the government is planning to introduce statutory controls over electrical products and the power supply industry. Initially, legislation will provide control over plugs and adaptors. Comprehensive legislation on electrical product safety will be enacted in 1995 to provide control over all domestic electrical products. The introduction of the new Electricity Supply Regulations is scheduled for 1996.

In May 1990, the government decided that the electricity supply voltage in Hong Kong should be upgraded from 200 volts single phase or 346 volts three phase to 220 volts single phase or 380 volts three phase. A Supply Voltage Advisory Committee was appointed in February 1991 to advise on the implementation of voltage upgrading in the territory. The voltage upgrading is being carried out in two phases and will be completed in about six years. Phase I conversion, covering existing installations inside government buildings, started in August 1990 and was completed in November 1992. Phase II conversion, covering existing installations in Housing Authority and private sector buildings, commenced in January 1993 and will take about four years to complete.

Electricity statistics and sales figures are at Appendix 36.

Gas

Gas is widely used throughout the territory for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes. Two main types of fuel gas are available: Towngas, distributed by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (HKCG); and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), supplied by major oil companies based in Hong Kong, namely Shell, Mobil, Esso, Caltex, Concord Oil and China Resources. Towngas is mainly supplied as a manufactured gas, but for some customers, substitute natural gas (SNG) is supplied under the Towngas trademark. The constituents of LPG are butane and propane, mixed in approximate proportions of 75 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

The total number of gas customers is about 1.865 million. In 1993, Towngas accounted for 65 per cent of the total fuel gas sold in energy terms and LPG for 35 per cent.

HKCG manufactures Towngas at two plants, at Ma Tau Kok and the Tai Po Industrial Estate. Both use naphtha as a feedstock. They currently have output capacities of 2.2 million and 8.4 million cubic metres per day, respectively.

Towngas is distributed through an integrated distribution system to about 985 000 customers for cooking and heating purposes. The mains network extends to the urban areas of Hong Kong Island, including Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, Stanley and Ap Lei Chau; Kowloon; and many new towns in the New Territories, including Sha Tin and Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tsing Yi Island. HKCG is currently constructing a 90-kilometre network transmission pipeline in the New Territories. The new transmission line is designed to operate at elevated pressure and will provide an additional 0.8 million cubic metres of line pack storage capacity.

SNG is distributed by HKCG under the Towngas trademark from a temporary plant located in Tuen Mun, specifically designed and operated to provide the gas requirements of the new town. The plant will remain in situ until the new transmission pipeline connecting Tai Po to Tuen Mun has been completed.

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