Hongkong Electric Company facts for kids
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Hongkong Electric Company headquarters in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong
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Trade name
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HK Electric Investments and HK Electric Investments |
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| Traded as | SEHK: 2638 |
| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=HK0000179108 HK0000179108] |
| Industry | Public utility |
| Founded | 1 December 1890 in British Hong Kong |
| Headquarters | Hongkong Electric Centre, 44 Kennedy Road, |
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Key people
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| Products | Electric service |
| Revenue | HK$ 11,344 million (2021) |
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Number of employees
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1,682 (2022) |
| Hongkong Electric Company | |||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 香港電燈有限公司 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 香港电灯有限公司 | ||||||||||
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| HK Electric | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 港燈 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 港灯 | ||||||||||
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The Hongkong Electric Company (HEC; Chinese: 香港電燈有限公司), also known as HK Electric, is one of the main companies that provides electricity in Hong Kong. The other big electricity company is China Light & Power. HK Electric is owned by several companies, including Power Assets Holdings and State Grid Corporation of China.
This company was the first to bring electricity to Hong Kong. It has been providing power continuously since the late 1800s!
Contents
History of Power in Hong Kong
In the late 1880s, people in Hong Kong started thinking about getting electricity. A man named Bendyshe Layton suggested that Hong Kong should get an electricity generator. Sir Catchick Paul Chater helped raise money for this big project.
The company gathered $300,000, which was a lot of money back then! They built the first power station in secret. It was located in Star Street in Wan Chai, on the site of an old graveyard. An electrical engineer named William Wickham designed the plant.
On December 1, 1890, at 6:00 PM, a big moment happened. Fifty street lights along Queen's Road Central, Battery Path, and Upper Albert Road were switched on for the very first time! The lights had a few small problems at first, but after that, they worked perfectly for 26 years.
Growing Electricity Use
Over time, street lighting spread to more areas. As electricity became more popular, people started connecting their homes to the company's power supply. This allowed them to use electric lights and fans.
By 1898, a special power station was built to help power the lifts (elevators) in the new tall buildings near the waterfront. By 1905, the company was supplying power for 15 lifts and thousands of lamps. The power lines also went underground to reach more places like Victoria Peak and Shau Kei Wan. By 1916, even Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau were connected.
Many large organizations that used to make their own electricity, like Dairy Farm and the University of Hong Kong, eventually switched to HK Electric's supply. In 1924, there were still many gas lamps, but by 1936, most had been replaced by electric lights.
World War II and Beyond
During the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, the North Point power plant faced a tough defense against the Japanese invasion. Sadly, the plant's manager, Vincent Sorby, died in a prison camp from injuries he got during the attack.
After the war, HK Electric continued to grow. A second power plant was built in North Point in 1919. A third one was built in Ap Lei Chau in 1968, but it was later closed in 1989. Since 1990, all of HK Electric's main power generators have been located at the Lamma Power Station.
In 1985, a company called Hongkong Land sold its share in HK Electric to reduce its debts. Today, HK Electric is controlled by Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong Holdings. It is part of a larger company called Power Assets Holdings.
How HK Electric Makes Power
HK Electric uses different ways to create the electricity that powers Hong Kong.
Sources of electricity generated by Hongkong Electric in 2021 Natural gas (48.325%) Coal and oil (51.619%) Renewable energy (0.056%)
Lamma Power Station
The Lamma Power Station is a very large power plant. It can produce 3,736 megawatts of electricity. It uses both coal and natural gas to generate power. The station was first built in 1982 and has been upgraded many times to produce more and more electricity.
Lamma Winds
Lamma Winds is a special project that uses wind turbines to make electricity. It has a large wind turbine that is 50 meters (about 164 feet) tall! This turbine started working in 2006. It helps to create clean energy from the wind.
Solar Power System
In 2010, HK Electric started using a large solar power system. This system uses solar panels placed on the rooftops of the main building at Lamma Power Station. These panels turn sunlight directly into electricity.
The solar panels are designed to face south to get the most sunlight. This system can produce 550 kilowatts of power. It is expected to generate about 620,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year! This is a great way to use renewable energy.
Past Power Plants
Many of HK Electric's older power stations were closed down. This happened as more homes and buildings were built around them. Since HK Electric was also owned by a company that developed land, these old power plant sites were often turned into new housing areas.
Wan Chai Power Station
The first power station in Wan Chai opened in 1890. It used coal to make electricity. It was a small plant, producing 50 kilowatts of power. It closed in 1922. The old building was later taken down, and now there are residential flats on that spot.
North Point Power Stations
The North Point Power Stations were a series of power plants built between 1919 and 1966. These plants also used coal and oil. They were all closed by 1989. Today, the area where these power stations once stood is home to the City Garden residential flats and a shopping mall.
Ap Lei Chau Power Station
The Ap Lei Chau Power Station opened in 1968. It was a large plant that used oil to make electricity. It could produce 750 megawatts of power. Between 1984 and 1989, this plant was closed. Its generators were moved to the Lamma Power Station. Now, the area around the old Ap Lei Chau plant is surrounded by the South Horizons housing estate, which has 34 tall buildings.
Images for kids
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North Point Power Station during the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941.
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City Garden was built on the site of North Point Power Station.
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Ap Lei Chau Power Station in 1971.
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Hongkong Electric power substation in Cheung Lee Street, Chai Wan
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Hongkong Electric power substation in Healthy Street East, Quarry Bay
