Hong Kong should avoid more electricity imports from mainland China: British expert
City should focus more on alternative sources for its electricity, according to the consultant
Importing more electricity from the mainland should be the "last option" Hong Kong considers as it might close the door on alternative options, a British expert brought in to study the city's energy market says.
The government is studying ways to enrich the city's energy mix as part of its contribution to fighting climate change. Earlier this year, it put forward two options: boosting imports from the mainland to 30 per cent by 2023 or using cleaner gas to generate 60 per cent of power locally, cutting the reliance on coal.
Stephen Thomas, a professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich in London, said both of these options were oversimplified.
"The link to the south China grid will be very expensive. Once in place, you will have to use it and it will close off other options such as … renewable energy," said Thomas, one of three experts commissioned by the Consumer Council to study the local market.
"This [importing] would be the last thing I would do," he told the
In a report released on Thursday, the council proposed opening up the electricity-generating market, breaking the duopoly of CLP Power and HK Electric. That could be done either using imports or by encouraging the creation of small-scale generators.
