Hong Kong electric utility CLP Holdings looks to next generation ‘smart’ meters, solar projects in China, India
- Hong Kong’s biggest power utility plans to invest HK$2 billion on ‘smart’ electric meters which will help curb the need to build more capacity
CLP Holdings, which owns the larger of Hong Kong’s two power utilities, will spend around HK$2 billion (US$256 million) to install smart electricity meters for 2.3 million customers in the city over the next seven years, which will help save on costs and plant investment, according to the company’s chief executive officer Richard Lancaster.
The meters, together with a mobile app, are part of the 118 year-old utility’s drive to harness technology to enhance efficiency and customer services. The meters will be a tool for cutting bills and carbon footprint through a change in consumer habits.
“Many of our larger commercial customers already have them installed,” Lancaster told reporters visiting the company’s SmartHub centre in Kowloon showcasing concepts on data-enabled energy generation, distribution and consumption.
“It will enable greener usage of electricity and allow us to pass on savings to customers,” he said.
Lancaster said the devices will allow the company to avoid having to build around 300 megawatts of generation capacity to meet rising demand, based on estimates using data from pilot installations.
The savings amount to roughly 4 per cent of its total generating capacity of 7,533MW in operation and under construction. The company is building a 550MW natural gas-fired unit at an estimated cost of HK$5.5 billion.