Hong Kong must consider wider impact of its energy choices
Simon Ng says Hong Kong's efforts to select a greener fuel mix should consider not just its effect on the city but also the wider region
As part of the government's three-month public consultation on Hong Kong's fuel mix for electricity generation, two options have been put forward for discussion.
The "grid purchase" option would see Hong Kong import enough electricity from the China Southern Power Grid to meet roughly 30 per cent of its needs by 2023. Alternatively, it will rely mainly on local power generation, as before, but natural gas will become the primary fuel in the mix, reaching 60 per cent of the total in 2020, from the current level of just over 20 per cent.
This second option isn't much of a surprise; Hong Kong would be expected to replace coal with gas for electricity generation to cut pollution, while keeping the share of nuclear energy more or less unchanged.
Tariffs will definitely go up, as gas is more expensive than coal, but this is the price many people are now willing to pay for cleaner air and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
The "grid purchase" proposal, however, has triggered a lot of debate. It is fair to say that connecting Hong Kong with the neighbouring power grid in mainland China would bring some benefits in terms of potential access to clean energy sources like renewables, greater flexibility in managing fluctuations in demand, as well as meeting future increases in local electricity more quickly.
Nevertheless, people are concerned about the supply reliability of China Southern Power Grid, and the cost of meeting the reliability levels expected here.
