Recently Hongkong Electric released statements declaring its refusal to interconnect with CLP Power and has responded irresponsibly to the aftermath of the Lamma Island June 19 power outage.
Such gestures exhibit a lack of integrity and commitment to the future of Hong Kong's sustainable development and an unfortunate failure to fulfil its responsibility to its customers.
Hongkong Electric has stated that its electric reserves might not meet the demands for the year 2003 but still refuses to interconnect its network.
Last year, China Light & Power declared it has surplus power reserved - why won't Hongkong Electric make use of this surplus power? Not only is such action an unnecessary waste of valuable natural resources, but Hongkong Electric's proposed plan to expand its Lamma Island power plant is an expensive and unnecessary project.
The huge cost of this expansion will be another financial burden on the Hong Kong public in this time of economic difficulties. At this stage while the Government has yet to make any official decisions, Hongkong Electric has unilaterally declared its refusal to interconnect.
On the one hand Hongkong Electric is hurriedly pressuring the Government to approve its power plant expansion plans; on the other it has already gone ahead and signed a contract with China National Offshore Oil Corporation for their Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal.
Hongkong Electric's premature signing of this contract before official government approval raises suspicion that it acts solely in the profit-seeking interests of its company by continuously increasing its fixed assets, without due regard for public concerns or protocol. They are attempting to take advantage of the existing loopholes in the outdated Scheme of Control Agreements to reap even greater profits.