Govt asks CLP to speed up lightning rod installation

Environment Secretary Tse Chin-wan on Wednesday said he has urged power company CLP to speed up the installation of more lightning rods, as part of efforts to avoid power outages caused by extreme weather. In response to a question in the legislature, the minister said the company reported 26 "significant" outages in the past three years, 10 of which were caused by external factors. Tse said he met CLP's senior management on Tuesday to discuss recent blackouts and stopping bad weather affecting the power supply. He cited the power company as saying it plans to install another 100 rods in two years at facilities such as transmission towers, but said he asked them to do 500 instead. "The plans are not taken forward fast enough. They're expecting in two years' time they can install 100 more such [devices], but I think this is a bit too slow," Tse told lawmakers at a council meeting. Lawmaker William Wong asked officials to lay more underground cables, so there would be less external disruption. The minister said in response that this has been the practice in new towns, but CLP still has lots of outdoor facilities. Tse added that the power company has told him that in the event of outages, it would deploy more manpower to help residents, as well as using mobile power supply vehicles.