ENG-1998 — Page 291

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

To eliminate the risks associated with chlorine storage, on-site hypochlorite generation plants have replaced gas chlorination plants at sea water pumping stations.

Water Accounts and Customer Relations

The number of consumer accounts kept rising at a rate of about 2 per cent per annum. and the consumer account base expanded to approximately 2.2 million accounts at the end of 1998. The department continued to act as an agent to collect general sewage charges on behalf of the Drainage Services Department.

To centralise and improve the technical fault report service, the two existing Technical Complaint Centres were replaced by a Technical Fault Report Centre in September 1998, which is manned 24 hours a day by specially trained customer service officers.

Efforts to promote the autopay service continued, and the number of consumer accounts using autopay for payment of water charges reached 331 000, or about 15 per cent of all consumers. The Payment-by-Phone service was also well received and about 13.9 per cent of the total payments received used this service at the end of 1998.

To enhance the accuracy of meter reading, the department implemented the ISO 9002 quality system in its meter-reading operation in January 1998. The department also announced in August its achievements against performance targets for the past year which showed improvement over those of the previous year

in some areas. Most achievement rates were close to, or reached, 100 per cent. New enhanced performance targets were also publicised.

Electricity

The Hongkong Electric Company Limited (HEC) supplies Hong Kong Island and the neighbouring islands of Ap Lei Chau and Lamma; China Light and Power Company Limited (CLP) supplies Kowloon and the New Territories, including Lantau and several outlying islands. The supply to consumers is at 50Hz alternating current while the voltage is 220 volts single-phase and 380 volts three-phase.

The two supply companies are investor-owned. The government monitors their performance through mutually-agreed Scheme of Control Agreements. Current agreements with CLP and HEC came into effect on October 1, 1993, and January 1, 1994, respectively. Both last for 15 years and the first interim review is being carried out while the next review will be carried out in 2003. The agreements require each company to seek the approval of the government for certain aspects of their financing plans, including projected tariff levels. The agreements do not grant the companies any exclusive rights.

Electricity for HEC's supply areas is supplied from the Lamma Power Station. At the end of 1998, total installed capacity at the Lamma Power Station was 3 305MW.

HEC's transmission system operates at 275kV, 132kV and 66kV and distribution is effected mainly at 11kV and 380 volts. Apart from a small proportion of 132kV overhead transmission lines, all supplies are transmitted and distributed by underground or submarine cables.

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