Environmental chief put three demands on CLP following Wong Tai Sin power outage

A power outage that affected parts of the Wong Tai Sin district has prompted Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan to express deep concerns and request immediate action from CLP Power.

Tse met with CLP managing director Joseph Law Ka-chun on Thursday after an underground cable fault caused a power outage that affected some 2,250 households for more than four hours.

Tse demanded the electricity giant fund an independent consultant hired by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to comprehensively review all power dips and interruption incidents over the past three years. 

The consultant will also be tasked with identifying the root causes, recommended improvements, and the implementation status and effectiveness of past measures.

Additionally, CLP has been requested to examine the safety design of the power supply system, its resilience against external factors, maintenance and preventive measures, procurement and quality assurance processes, as well as the qualifications and training of employees. 

The consultant will provide recommendations on how to enhance the stability and reliability of the power supply, and reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

The EMSD will work closely with CLP Power to establish a dedicated task force, which will complete the review and submit a report within 12 months.

The EMSD will also invite local experts and scholars to form a steering committee to oversee the consultant's work and provide feedback on the final report.

Separately, Tse has requested that CLP swiftly investigate the cause of the Wong Tai Sin power outage incident and submit a detailed report within four weeks. 

Meanwhile, the Environment and Ecology Bureau will discuss amending the Scheme of Control Agreements with CLP to increase penalty clauses over power outage incidents.

The government has expressed concerns about the increasing frequency of power dips and interruptions experienced by CLP Power recently, raising doubts about the company's service standards.

It stressed that the latest incident should not be regarded as an isolated case. CLP needs to address the underlying issues within its corporate culture and overall management of the power supply system.