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■中電採用電動旅遊巴士推動環保。 資料圖片
據報道，政府和兩間電力公司已完成管制計劃協議的中期檢討，兩電9.99%准許回報率未來5年都不會調整，但要求電力公司提供資助，鼓勵用戶更換節能裝置。電費連年上調備受市民非議，政府必須加強審核，勿讓電力公司「賺到盡」。需要注意的是，在節能減排政策下，清潔能源使用比重上升，燃料成本增加，耗電量卻可能下降，電力公司有更大理由大幅加價。在利潤保證的情況下，政府尤其要做好電力公司的財務監督，一是嚴格控制電力公司的投資規模，二是不能讓電力公司將增加的成本全數轉嫁到市民身上。未來政府更需積極考慮開放本地電力市場，吸引更多競爭者，降低電費水平。
電費加價是市民最關心的問題之一。2011年中電曾宣布加價9.2%，加幅拋離通脹，輿論譁然。當時政府坦言加幅「不能接受」，最後在社會的壓力下，中電不得不將加幅下調至7.4%。如今政府與兩電完成管制計劃的中期檢討，兩電很快也要提出下一年度的加價申請，政府審批加價申請時，要加強把關，除了審核電力公司付出的投資成本外，亦要兼顧市民的承受力。
Tighten auditing of electricity tariff to relieve the public of increasing burden
According to reports, the interim review of the Scheme of Control Agreement between the government and the two power companies has just completed. It was decided that the permitted return of the two companies will remain at 9.99% in the next 5 years, and that the companies are required to provide financial assistance to encourage users to install energy-saving structures. Repeated upward adjustments of electricity tariff over the years have provoked widespread criticism in society. The government must strengthen its auditing efforts in order to prevent the power companies from "reaping profits to the utmost". It should be noted that under the conservation and emission reduction policy, the proportion of clean energy usage will increase, followed by a rise in the cost of fuel but a probable fall in the level of power consumption. This can give more grounds for the power companies to raise tariff substantially. In view of guaranteed profit, the government has to monitor the financial affairs of the power companies more closely. First, it should stringently control the scales of investments made by the two companies, and second make sure that the companies will not transfer all the increased cost onto the citizens. In future, the government should seriously consider opening the local power market to attract more competitors and to lower the level of electricity tariff.
Rise in electricity tariff is one of the issues people concern most. In 2011, China Light and Power (CLP) announced a tariff rise of 9.2%, a rate which far exceeded that of inflation. This provoked a public outcry and the then government in office made it clear that the increase was "unacceptable". In the end, under the pressure of the general public, CLP could not but reduce the rate of increase to 7.4%. Now that the government and the two power companies have completed the interim review of the Scheme of Control Agreement, the companies will soon submit their applications for tariff increase for the next year. As the gatekeeper, the government must tighten its control. While vetting the applications, the government should not just audit the costs of investments made by the two companies, but also consider the affordability of the citizens at large.（節自香港《文匯報》2013年11月21日）
■English Translation by Tung-ming [ tungming23@gmail.com ]
隔星期三見報
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