The electricity tariffs of the two electricity companies will be adjusted starting from New Year's Day, and CLP and HK Electric will increase by about 19.8% and 45.6% year-on-year respectively.
The Secretary for the Environment and Ecology, Xie Zhanhuan, said that in the past two years, the individual market prices of crude oil, natural gas and coal have increased by as much as one-fold, two-fold and five-fold respectively, and Hong Kong cannot stand alone.
In several rounds of negotiations, the government has clearly required the power companies to do everything possible to reduce electricity prices, shoulder social responsibilities, and try their best to tide over the difficulties with the citizens.
At present, the government has two electricity bill subsidy schemes, including a monthly electricity bill relief payment of 50 yuan to eligible households, which will end at the end of next year; and a new round of 1,000 yuan electricity bill subsidy for households starting in June this year, which will also be launched in May next year end.
When asked whether the plan would be extended, Xie Zhanhuan pointed out that relying on government subsidies alone is not a long-term sustainable solution and will pose a heavy burden on public finances. The best way to deal with it is to save electricity. Save electricity.
The outlook for international energy prices remains rather volatile
Xie Zhanhuan pointed out that international energy prices are affected by many factors, and the outlook will still be quite unstable. In the future, a number of measures will be explored to stabilize electricity prices, including the development of a diversified energy mix, including the development of zero-carbon energy in cooperation with neighboring regions.
In Hong Kong's current power generation fuel mix, natural gas is the most important fuel, accounting for about half of the power generation mix, nuclear power imported from the Mainland accounts for about 30%, and the rest is mainly coal-fired. The current international energy crisis has the greatest impact on coal prices. Hong Kong's energy mix Just played a certain role in reducing the increase.
Seeking to participate in zero-carbon energy projects near Hong Kong in the future
The two power companies are jointly setting up an offshore liquefied natural gas receiving terminal in Hong Kong waters, which is expected to be put into operation next year. Xie Zhanhuan pointed out that at that time, they can directly purchase liquefied natural gas from the international market, reducing the pressure on electricity bills from natural gas price fluctuations.
The CLP power system is also connected to the China Southern Power Grid and the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station. Nuclear power has been imported from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station since 1994. This 160-kilometer cross-border overhead cable, which has been in use for nearly 30 years, is expected to be replaced with a higher transmission capacity before 2025. The cables will allow more flexibility to input more clean energy.
He said that the government will work with the two power companies to explore more zero-carbon energy supplies in surrounding areas, including seeking opportunities for joint investment and joint development, participating in and operating zero-carbon energy projects near Hong Kong, so that Hong Kong can gradually reduce its dependence on fossil fuels for power generation.
In addition to nuclear energy, common zero-carbon energy sources include solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, and biogas.
Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant.
(Information picture/Vision China)
Electricity fee increase｜Li Haoran raised an urgent question and was rejected. He advocated setting a cap on fuel costs and introducing competition for electricity increase fees｜Tian Beichen denounced the fuel combination as "anarchy" and the councilor advocated the purchase of mainland electricity to increase electricity fee｜The councilor criticized the two electricity as unreasonable and socially responsible Guo Weiqiang: How to make money and increase electricity bill｜Tian Beichen: If fuel is expensive and the price of electricity is not increased, the two electricity bills will be miserable. Advocate to understand public opinion and use more nuclear power to increase electricity bill｜The two electricity bills are not exhausted. Guo Zhenhua of the Advisory Committee: The failure of the two power companies to make full profits will affect the dividend payout and drag down Hong Kong's financial center status and increase the electricity fee