'CLP should prioritise protecting electricity pylons'
There were calls on Monday for CLP Power to weather-proof its transmission towers to ensure they withstand the impact of inclement weather. The electricity supplier said it had begun installing such facilities and would continue to do so in the coming two to three years.  The power firm, which supplies electricity to Kowloon and the New Territories and most of the outlying islands in Hong Kong, set out short-, medium-, and long-term measures to deal with power interruptions, after reports of a power outage in buildings from a voltage dip on Sunday.  CLP said the power supply might have been affected by unstable weather as the thunderstorm warning was in force at the time.  Short-term measures include increasing manpower and resources to minimise the recurrence of power disruptions and restore electricity as quickly as possible, while measures would be taken over the medium term to boost protection of outdoor facilities.  In the long run, the electricity supplier would review its asset management and maintenance with the government.  Ho Wing-yip, an electrical and building services engineer, said the firm should prioritise protective devices for its transmission towers.  "As the rainy season has just started with typhoons expected, the priority should be on implementing waterproofing and anti-lightning facilities. There must be some kind of priority, because there's quite a number of transmission towers, with over 100 of them in the New Territories," Ho told an RTHK programme on Monday. "If we need to put in place such measures, we have to be selective. Some of the transmission towers are on mountain tops, and they are more prone to be struck by lightning, so they should be dealt with first given the limited resources." Eric Cheung, CLP's senior director, power systems, told the same programme there would be more anti-lightning devices in place.  "We had begun installing anti-lightning devices as early as 20 years ago, for the sake of risk management. We referenced data from the Observatory, and installed anti-lightning devices at areas that were more likely to be struck by lightning," Cheung said.  "With the change in climate, there is a rising thunder frequency, so we will set up these protection devices in high, middle, and even low risk areas. We hope to do that in areas that we considered to have such a risk in the coming two to three years." But Cheung did not say whether the firm would compensate affected residents, only noting the electricity supplier was focusing on preventing more future power outages.