Companhia de Electricidade de Macau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Companhia de Electricidade de Macau

Industry	Electrical power
Founded	1972 (1972)
Headquarters	Macau
Key people	Fu Jianguo (Chairman of Board of Directors) João Marques da Cruz (Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors) Bernie Leong (Chairman of Executive Committee)
Products	Electricity
Services	Electricity distribution and transmission
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	澳門電力股份有限公司
Simplified Chinese	澳门电力股份有限公司
Transcriptions
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	澳門電力
Simplified Chinese	澳门电力
Transcriptions
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	澳電
Simplified Chinese	澳电
Transcriptions

CEM Headquarter

Customer Service Centre at CEM Building

Companhia de Electricidade de Macau, or simply CEM, is the main company that provides electricity to Macau. It is a private company that has the special right to bring electricity to homes and businesses. CEM also has its own power plants that can produce a lot of electricity.

History of CEM

How CEM Started

Before CEM, another company called "Macao Electric Lighting Company Ltd." provided electricity from 1906 to 1972. This company was based in British Hong Kong. In 1972, the company did not follow its agreement with the government of Portuguese Macau. Because of this, CEM took over the job of supplying electricity.

Growing and Improving

CEM was reorganized in 1982 with help from the Portuguese government. In 1985, CEM signed a 25-year agreement to provide electricity. Since then, the company has done well in saving money and using new technology.

In November 2010, the Government of Macau and CEM signed a new agreement. This new contract for supplying power lasted for 15 years. The new rules started on December 1, 2010.

In 2014, a company called Nam Kwong (Group) Company Limited bought a large part of another company. This made Nam Kwong the biggest owner of CEM. In 2016, the Macau Power Station, which had been running for over 110 years, was officially closed down.

How Electricity Reaches You

The Power Network

CEM's electricity network in Macau is very important. It includes 25 main power stations and many high-voltage cables. These cables stretch for 953 kilometers. The Macau electricity network is also connected to China's power grid. This connection uses special cables to bring more electricity to Macau when needed.

The network also has many smaller stations and cables that spread electricity around. These cables run for thousands of kilometers underground. This means most of Macau's power lines are hidden, which makes the city look nicer and keeps the lines safe. There are also many streetlights connected to this network, lighting up the streets at night.

Keeping the Lights On

CEM works hard to make sure electricity is always available. In 2018, the company's records showed that electricity was available almost all the time, about 99.9998% of the time. This means that on average, customers only lost power for about 6.56 minutes in a whole year. This is a great achievement, as their goal was to keep outages under 20 minutes.

CEM uses international standards to manage its operations. This helps them make sure they are working in a good way for the environment and for their employees. They have received special certifications for managing the environment, keeping workers safe, and providing good quality service.

How Electricity is Made

CEM produces electricity at two power stations. Both of these stations are located on Coloane Island. They are called Coloane Power Station A (CCA) and Coloane Power Station B (CCB). These stations use different technologies to make electricity. One uses large diesel generators, and the other uses a special type of gas turbine.

Who Owns CEM

Many different companies and groups own parts of CEM. The largest owner is Nam Kwong Development (H.K.) Limited, which owns 42% of the company. Other owners include Energy Asia Consultancy, Polytech Industrial, and Asiainvest. The Government of Macau also owns 8% of CEM.

Before 1987, the Government of Macau was the biggest owner of CEM. However, over time, the government sold off some of its shares. This is why they now own a smaller part of the company.

How CEM is Organized

CEM has different departments that work together to provide electricity. These departments help with everything from customer service to making sure the power plants run smoothly. Some of the main departments include:

• Customer Services Department
• Transmission and Distribution Department
• Generation Department
• Power and Networks Dispatch Department
• Finance Department
• Procurement and Logistics Department
• Human Resources and Sustainability Department
• Information Systems Department
• Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications Office

See also

• Electricity sector in Macau
• List of power stations in Macau