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43 measures for Hong Kong’s CLP to improve power supply after series of failures

Government releases report analysing power supply interruptions and voltage dips between 2021 and mid-2024

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Lightning streaks across the sky above Fanling. CLP supplies electricity to the New Territories, Kowloon and most of the outlying islands. Photo: Eugene Lee
Edith Lin
Hong Kong’s biggest electricity company, CLP Power, has been urged to implement 43 measures to improve the stability of its supply, including enhancing lightning protection systems, after a series of failures.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department released a review report on CLP on Friday, following an independent consultant’s analysis – under the supervision of experts – of power supply interruptions and voltage dips between 2021 and mid-2024.

CLP, which supplies electricity to Kowloon, the New Territories and most of the city’s outlying islands, said that it had drawn up action plans to implement various measures, with some beginning in the second half of 2024. It highlighted the use of technology to monitor facilities and equipment, and the installation of lightning arresters on overhead lines.

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Environment minister Tse Chin-wan ordered the company to conduct a review of its power supply systems in June 2024 after nine major incidents in the first half of the year sparked public concern, including a blackout in Wong Tai Sin that lasted for more than four hours and affected over 2,000 people.

The report did not disclose the total number of incidents during the 3½ years but noted recurring events such as those involving lightning strikes, typhoon impacts and external interference.

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“While CLP has introduced measures to address these incidents, the number of similar incidents has yet to show a downward trend, indicating that CLP’s previous measures have failed to systematically address the root causes of these incidents,” the report said.

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