'Power firms should pitch in if fuel costs surge'
Environment minister Tse Chin-wan on Sunday said he hopes to speak with CLP Power and Hongkong Electric about a mechanism which they can use to share fuel costs with consumers in the event of an energy crisis.  Under the current practice, the two firms have been allowed to pass all the increases in fuel costs onto consumers. Tse told a TV programme that power suppliers should consider shouldering social responsibility when fuel costs surge for a short period of time. He said the establishment of such a mechanism should not be decided by the government alone, and that he hopes to discuss the issue with the power firms when they review their operating agreements next month. On consequences the companies may face for power outages, the official said the existing arrangement did not take into account the possibility of widespread outages. Under the existing arrangement, power firms can receive a financial incentive for quickly resuming electricity supply. The minister said in future, the number of people affected and the duration of the blackout should be considered for the incentive and punishment mechanism.