雙語社評齊齊聽

英語 (足本收聽)

普通話 (足本收聽)

【明報專訊】THE GOVERNMENT has started its scheme of control agreement negotiations with the two power companies. Environment Bureau officials responsible for them have said the government aims at bringing down their rates of return and seemed fully confident of the weight what they say may carry in dealing with the two power companies, which used to get whatever they would have in their negotiations with the government (which take place every decade). There is no finding out whether officials who take part in the talks have such greater prowess that they professionally rival experts on either of the power companies' teams.

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政府已經與兩家電力公司就2018年之後的《管制計劃協議》開始接觸談判，負責談判的環保局官員拋出尋求降低兩電回報率的目標，並對他們與兩電周旋的「牙力」，顯得信心滿滿。過去政府與兩電十年一次的談判，結果都是兩電予取予攜而歸，今次參與談判官員是否功力大進，足以在專業要求上抗衡兩電的專家團隊，無從得知。

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The Secretary for the Environment and his subordinates have recently said openly the government hopes the two power companies' permitted rates of return (now 9.99%) will come between 6% and 8% and it expects citizens will declare where they stand on the matter so that it can rely on public pressure to bring the two power companies to heel. In theory, the lower their rates of return are, the smaller profits they will make, and the lighter the tariff burden will be on the citizenry. However, it has been confirmed that, under a scheme of control agreement like those that have been in force, a power company's profits are not necessarily related to its rate of return.

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環保局官員由局長以降，近期都公開表示政府希望兩電准許回報率由現時的9.99%下調到6%至8%，更期望市民表態，憑藉公衆壓力迫使兩電就範。回報率愈低，理論上兩電利潤可能愈少，市民的電費負擔得以減輕。不過，按一貫管制計劃，對兩電而言，回報率與利潤多寡並無必然關係，這在過去已經得到驗證。

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Therefore, government officials will be out of focus if they train their eyes only on the power companies' rates of return when they have talks with the power companies, for what matters is not their rates of return but their fixed asset investments (under a host of names) and the way they recklessly impose fuel cost adjustments. They invariably have their customers "put up" the money they need to make investments and have them pay more so that their profits will be commensurate with their increased investments.

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因此，政府官員與兩電談判，若只盯着回報率則會失焦，因為問題不在回報率，而是兩電名目多多的固定資產投資和濫收燃料費，使用戶要「夾錢」給兩電投資的同時，又要滿足已經增加投資的回報。

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The other day, the Hongkong Electric Company announced it had signed a contract with a Japanese company for the construction of a gas-fired combined cycle turbine unit, which will be commissioned in 2020. It costs over HK$3 billion. The investment will be mirrored in the company's rate of return. That shows it has already begun to make plans in relation to its post-2018 scheme of control agreement. Furthermore, we gather that the CLP Power Hong Kong Ltd has new ideas about natural gas sources that have to do with its fixed asset investments. Those moves the two power companies have made have to do directly with their rates of return. Clearly, if they fix their investment plans and avoid being entangled with the government about their rates of return, they will eventually take whatever they want!

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日前，港燈宣布與日資公司簽訂合約，承造一台燃氣聯合循環發電機組，將於2020年投產，造價30多億港元。這筆投資將會在港燈的回報率反映出來，顯示港燈就2018年之後的管制計劃，已經開始部署。另外，據知中電在天然氣來源方面也有新構思，涉及固定資產投資。兩電這些建設舉措，都是與回報率直接有關，可見，目前兩電不在回報率與政府糾纏，搞好固定投資佈局之後，屆時予取予攜的還不是兩電！

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Officials who negotiated with the two power companies were led by the nose because they were subpar professionally and knew little about the structure of the electric power industry or the trends relevant to it. It is opined that the government should put together a team of negotiators whose members include outside experts. A new round of negotiations has begun. In replying to inquiries, officials have seemed averse to the idea of getting outside help. If Environment Bureau officials have learnt lessons, built up their prowess and acquired great capabilities, so much so that they are professionally as good as the two power companies' experts, citizens will be fortunate. But so far people have only heard the Secretary for the Environment and his subordinates say they will strive to get the power companies' rates of return adjusted downwards. We don't know whether they have other cards up their sleeves. Unless they have, it will come as no surprise when the new scheme of control agreements are announced that citizens' interests related to electricity consumption will remain inadequately protected.

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以往政府與兩電談判，鑑於官員沒有足夠專業水準和對電業結構趨勢缺乏認識，因而在談判中被牽着鼻子走，有意見建議政府應組成有外界專家加入的談判隊伍。新一輪談判已開始，官員在答覆查問時，就引入外援顯得抗拒。環保局官員歷經生聚教訓，若果已經練就一身好工夫，在專業要求上可以與兩電專家比肩，當然是市民之幸。不過，由局長以至相關官員，迄今只見提出爭取下調回報率，不知道官員們會否有其他神機妙算，否則新管制計劃協議公布之時，市民用電利益繼續未獲足夠保障的結果，則不令人太意外。

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明報社評2016.01.27

Presented by lecturers of Hong Kong Community College, PolyU and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Mr NG, Raymond Wai-man
Lecturer, HKCC
www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/staff_directory/social_communication/details.php?id=140&lang=eng

周文駿
講師
www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/staff_directory/social_communication/details.php?id=92&lang=chi

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