Lawmaker urges review of Coloane village homes’ aging power infrastructure

Lawmaker Leong Pou U has urged the government to assess and upgrade aging electricity infrastructure in Coloane’s old village areas, saying existing power capacity may no longer meet residents’ modern household needs.

In a written inquiry submitted to the government, Leong said many electricity meters in village houses were installed decades ago and were designed with relatively low power capacity. The situation has reportedly resulted in frequent circuit breaker trips as households use more electrical appliances.

Leong cited an incident earlier this month in which a power outage caused by an overloaded circuit interrupted a community celebration in Coloane Village, affecting the event’s normal operation.

He said the issue had troubled residents for years without a clear solution. At the same time, fluctuations in traditional energy prices have increased residents’ willingness to switch to electricity for household use, but difficulties in increasing electricity capacity have limited their ability to do so.

Leong noted that the government had previously said it had a responsibility to examine historical issues and explore solutions within legal limits.

The lawmaker pointed to the government’s higher electricity capacity standards for public housing in New Urban Zone A and senior citizen apartments, saying some village houses in Coloane still have a designated power supply capacity of only 3.4 kVA.

Leong questioned whether the existing standard is sufficient for modern household consumption and called on the government to conduct an objective assessment.

He asked whether the government would evaluate the minimum designated power supply capacity needed to meet current household demand and study whether raising the electricity capacity standard could improve residents’ quality of life.

Meanwhile, the lawmaker also asked for an update on a government proposal to establish an interdepartmental team to study electricity supply issues affecting village houses in Coloane.

Leong said addressing the infrastructure issue would help resolve a long-standing problem for residents while allowing the government to better assess the technical and practical requirements of upgrading electricity supply in older residential areas.