Hong Kong govt highly concerned about power supply disruptions

The outage on April 19 lasted for around 40 minutes in some areas, leaving traffic lights malfunctioning and some people trapped inside lifts.

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A man wearing face mask looks at night view of Hong Kong's business district, May 28, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

April 21, 2023

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has expressed concern over power supply disruptions in some areas on Hong Kong Island in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has asked the Hongkong Electric Company, the power company which provides power to the affected areas, to identify the cause of the incident and submit a detailed report on it in four weeks, according to a government statement issued late on Wednesday.

The voltage dip occurred in areas in Hong Kong Island at around 0:45 am on Wednesday, according to the Fire Services Department. Local media reported that the outage lasted for around 40 minutes in some areas, leaving traffic lights malfunctioning and some people trapped inside lifts.

We will follow up in the auditing review of the year and examine whether this power supply incident will trigger the relevant incentive and penalty mechanism.

Spokesman, HKSAR Govt

The FSD received 11 reports of persons being trapped in elevators in Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Ap Lei Chau, North Point, and Sai Wan Ho between 1 am and 1:29 am while many others reported automatic fire alarms setting off.

Local media also reported that over 10 shops inside the MTR’s Hong Kong station plunged into darkness around noon on Wednesday due to a power failure. Most shops on the MTR concourse were forced to operate without lighting and undergo transactions with cash following the outage.

The EMSD, which monitors the operation of the power companies to ensure a safe and reliable supply of electricity in the city, received a report on the incident from Hongkong Electric Company at 1:27 am that day.

It said it has been closely following up with the power company on the development of the incident, and monitoring the progress of repair work.

Pointing out that the government conducts annual auditing review with the power companies with regards to technical, environmental and financial performance, a government spokesman said: “We will follow up in the auditing review of the year and examine whether this power supply incident will trigger the relevant incentive and penalty mechanism.”

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