Authorities have ordered Hong Kong’s largest electricity provider to identify problems with its power supply system and submit a report after the latest in a series of outages affected more than 1,400 households for up 2½ hours in Tseung Kwan O.
The Environment and Ecology Bureau on Friday told CLP Power to hand in its report within a month, a day after a blaze damaged the electricity meter room at Po Kan House in Po Lam Estate, affecting 1,470 households.
“The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has requested CLP to identify the cause of the incident as soon as possible and submit a detailed report within four weeks,” a bureau spokesman said.
“Given the recent voltage dip and outage incidents, the bureau considers it necessary for CLP to identify the problems and minimise the chances of future incidents, so as to maintain the stable and reliable power supply that Hong Kong has all along been relying on.”
Power supply equipment at Po Kan House was damaged at 2.27pm, with firefighters putting out the blaze in around 45 minutes.
CLP said it restored the electricity supply to around 1,000 households at 3.25pm and to the rest at 5.11pm.
The firm, which supplies electricity to Kowloon, the New Territories and most outlying islands, logged five supply disruptions in the first four months of this year, including three voltage dip incidents that left more than 200 residents trapped in lifts.
In June, a blackout in Wong Tai Sin affected about 2,250 households and businesses. Other incidents occurred in Tsing Yi, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun.
The government in June formed a task force to review CLP’s power supply system, which will look into voltage dips and outages over the past three years and provide suggestions on maintaining a stable supply.
The bureau said on Friday that the task force would hold its first meeting by the end of this month. The department would continue to monitor the company, including stepping up regular inspections.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan summoned CLP’s boss to request “fundamental improvements” to its culture and electricity supply management system in the wake of the Wong Tai Sin power outage.
