CLP Power faults call for serious attention

One unfortunate incident does not cast a utility giant out into the dark, especially if it has a stellar service record of more than a century. But a recent spate of problems affecting electricity supply does raise concerns over the performance of CLP Power. The company and the government must seriously look into what went wrong and identify where improvements can be made.

CLP Power managing director Joseph Law Ka-chun rightly apologised after the latest incident on Saturday led to a sudden drop in voltage, triggering 16 automatic fire alarms in Kowloon and the New Territories, and leaving at least 152 people trapped in lifts. It was the second voltage dip involving the power supplier in eight days, and the third in less than four months.

Law said a high-voltage-equipment failure occurred at Black Point Power Station in Tuen Mun when a thunderstorm warning was in effect, causing what was said to be a 0.1-second voltage dip in the 400kV power supply system.

He said supply was not interrupted, but added that voltage dips were unavoidable in different power systems and a CLP team would show customers how to reduce sensitivity to their equipment in such cases.

The incident followed another late last month when a hillfire at Shap Pat Heung, Yuen Long, affected overhead electricity pylons, resulting in dozens of reports of people stuck in lifts.

Once again, following the latest incident, the government said it was “very concerned” about voltage dips and called for a report into the matter. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department was also told to step up its monitoring of the company’s technical and electrical safety performance. Such remarks have regrettably become all too familiar for the public.

To be fair, the city has made it through many storms relatively unscathed thanks to the reliable services of CLP and its counterpart HK Electric over the years. But as global warming brings more extreme weather, the stability of the power supply cannot be taken for granted. The recent glitches should prompt a greater sense of urgency in further improving the services.