Macau, 8 April 2015

CEM invited the media for a meeting at CEM Building on 8 April to introduce the planning and maintenance works of transmission and distribution power network for annual peak demand. CEM representatives included Iun Iok Meng, Advisor to Executive Committee, Billy Chan, Network Operations & Maintenance Department Senior Manager, Simon Young, Cable & Distribution Equipment Maintenance Manager and Cecilia Nip, Communications and Public Affairs Office Senior Manager.

The planning and development of power supply must be taken before the development of urban infrastructures. When facing Macau’s rapid economic growth and social development, whether in planning the construction of substations or laying power network, the works must be completed before the implementation of each project. According to Macau’s future development direction and urban planning, the electricity demand in the next decade will have a growth rate of nearly 90%. CEM has never ceased to increase investment in grid expansion and optimization to address the increasing demand for power. Major projects will be completed in the coming three years include three primary substations in Ilha Verde, Cotai and Taipa’s LRT sites, as well as two substations for Hospital Conde S. Januário and the hospital in Cotai. The future development and application of smart grid, electric vehicle and renewable energy will also have to be taken into account.

In 2014, CEM’s Average System Availability Index (ASAI) based on CEM’s responsibility was 99.9997%, which put CEM among one of the best performers in the world. Moreover, CEM maintained an excellent service standard and surpassed the contractual goals in terms of all key performance indicators.

In order to sustain excellent supply reliability performance, perfect network and preventive maintenance plans are necessary. CEM invested a total of about MOP100 million in 2014 in this aspect so as to lengthen the asset life of the overall transmission and distribution network.

Maintenance measures include a special online monitoring equipment for medium-voltage cable circuit, which can provide health condition trend analysis for equipment, plus the asset installation information on parameters and maintenance records, will effectively enhance the prioritization of maintenance works and replace equipment before the end of asset life, such measures resulted in the continued fall of average failure rate over the past few years.

A series of testing will be done before the annual peak demand period, include: to perform the diagnosis on cable asset, to monitor the cable operating condition with online monitoring system, to supervise the third party excavation work, to arrange planned outage maintenance in customer substations and on low-voltage equipment, to detect defect with thermal monitoring equipment, to perform load measurement and equipment checking at the high energy consumption district, and to check the equipment in customer substations.

Nevertheless, power supply facilities will still be affected and damaged by external factors; of which about 40% cable faults were caused by third party excavation works that mistakenly destroyed the cables and resulted in power outage. During outage period, CEM has a variety of emergency backup facilities including mobile generator, transformer, ring main unit, outdoor MV by-pass cable, special lighting tools and implement restoration program to restore power in the shortest possible time. CEM runs various joint drills annually together with Macau SAR Government departments and customers, such as fire, typhoon, interconnection and important events. In addition, CEM simulates drills for its power network equipment seasonally targeting to specific faults in order to test and evaluate the effectiveness of contingency plans and to further enhance all participants’ capability of responding to urgent incidents.

CEM always attaches great importance to the quality of power supply and promises to strive for improving power supply infrastructures in order to deliver stable and secure power service to local citizens.