New | Public demands more information about energy plans from government
Environment secretary tells people to look to the future rather than worrying about unreliability of mainland power grid in the past
The Environment Bureau is under pressure to provide more information about its two controversial proposals for the city’s future energy mix, after energy experts and the public complained of not being able to make an informed decision.
At a meeting of the Legislative Council’s economic development panel on Monday, a total of 27 energy experts, political party members and concerned residents delivered their views on the bureau’s plans, but almost all said they needed more facts before they could draw conclusions.
Under the first proposal, up to 30 per cent of the city’s power would be provided by the China Southern Power Grid by 2023.
The alternative plan would see the proportion of energy generated locally from natural gas tripled to 60 per cent in order to meet growing electricity demand. Both plans are undergoing public consultation until mid-June.
Critics of the import option have questioned how reliable the supply would be and what impact it would have environmentally. The local generation option might expose Hongkongers to international fluctuations in the price of gas, leading to raised tariffs, others have argued.
Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing told the hearing that the public should not be overly worried about connecting with the mainland grid, saying grid-to-grid connections were common and had proved to be reliable in other parts of the world.
