HK Government Electricity handout.

The Hong Kong Government is to credit residents with HK$150 of free electricity each  month. This will benefit 2.5 million homes in the territory.

Each residential home will gain a HK$150 credit on their electricity bills each month for a whole year. This will give a total of HK1800 over the course of the scheme. The benefit to low income families could see them pay no charges at-all.

Around 20% of homes in Hong Kong, on average, use less electricity than the 150 dollar credit. Any excess credit remaining each month can be carried forward and for some this will mean they will have free power from more than a year.


The last time the Government of Hong Kong offered such a scheme was in 2008 and I can tell you it was a nice little extra bonus not that we personally needed it.

A side effect of free electricity is that residents might just use more. That in turn would mean more power generation and more pollution which Hong Kong can do without. This air quality in some parts of the territory is a major cause of concern for health.

Even with the pollution aspect, the subsidy is a welcome bonus to those who need it the most. Others may just see it as a bonus paid to to the power companies.

There are two Hong Kong Power Companies, Hong Kong Electric and China Light and Power which supply the needs of Hong Kong mainly through Coal and Gas power stations.

Electric Vehicle Chargers Expand Across Hong Kong

There is some good news for environmentalists and residents in Hong Kong with the expansion of electric vehicle charging stations across the territory.



Hong Kong is ideally suited for the mass use of electric cars than many other countries with its small geographic size and the only external routes are cross border with China.

Road side pollution is of a major concern and even with a comprehensive mass transport system many commuters still drive around the SAR and emit toxins in to the air.

Now with up to 300 electric charging stations there is a viable alternative in the the electric car. While energy must still be produced to produce the electric fuel any emissions are not concentrated in the highly urbanised city.

The technology of electric vehicles cannot yet match the performance of fossil fueled cars but this does not matter for a country as small as Hong Kong. Travel distances are small and easily accomplished with a fully charged electric vehicle.


Even with a small number of cleaner cars on the road the charging network needs to be quite comprehensive. Hopefully the charging stations will become more abundant and then there will really be no reason not for residents not to switch to electric.

Hong Kong Radiation Fears

The effects of the recent tsunami in Japan is reaching Hong Kong in waves of despair. While the outpouring of sympathy for the Japanese people was slight evident there were more pressing concerns in the Special Administrative Region.

Image: HKO

Hong Kong hosts many Japanese restaurants and of course they have their customers wallets to entertain. The continuing supply of genuine Japanese raw fish for sushi was in doubt.

Knocking on the door is the continual spewing of radiation that is spreading and invisible cloud of warmth over Japan. Now the door has been opened and the importation of Japanese food has been banned in the country.

With increasingly high rent and the fear of eating potentially radiated fish by customers I wonder how many of those establishments will survive.

Home grown fears of radiation have seen a somewhat deluded idea that salt will protect the population. A rush on salt sales has occurred with prices sky-rocketing for the white condiment to many times their original. Unfortunately the protection does not work and excess consumption of salt will probably make them more sick than any impending radiation.

The government has tried to put the populations fears at rest by indication that there is no threat from any radiation cloud in Hong Kong. This comes at the same time as the Meteorologist at the Hong Kong Observatory have started to publish radiation levels form various locations.

Hong Kong Busses Pollution Improvement

The roads of Hong Kong are to be come a little bit less polluted with the introduction of more Euro V standard busses. There are currently around 90 Euro V busses travelling routes around the region.

Image from Kowloon Motor Bus

The Kowloon Motor Bus company is expecting the arrival of 300 new Euro V standard busses which reduce the emissions of Nitrogen Oxide by nearly 50% when compared with the Euro IV. In addition tests will be carried out in retrofitting existing Euro II and III grade busses with catalytic converters.

The European Emission Standards set the levels of exhaust emissions for road transport in the European Union. These include amounts permissible of Carbon Dioxide, Hydrocarbons and  Nitrogen Oxide.

Hong Kong has a pollution problem caused partly by traffic and on many days the levels of toxins in the air can rise to dangerous levels. This is an increasing problem for Hong Kong and of a major concern for its residents.

Hybrid Buses May Reduce Pollution

Cleaner Buses maybe coming to the streets of Hong Kong. The so called Environment Bureau has proposed buying six Hybrid Buses for trials on the busy Hong Kong roads.


The buses will be given to three companies for trials in the busiest parts of the region. Kowloon Motor Bus, Citybus and New World First bus will operate and maintain the Hybrids during their lifetime, which is expected to be around 18 years.

On completion of the trial and if successful, the Hong Kong Government will implement legislation for new rules on the city's Franchised bus services.

Roadside pollution in Hong Kong often rises to dangerous levels and is becoming an increasing factor on the health of the population. Switching to Hybrid vehicles could reduce the toxic emissions by up to 30%.