Macau, 31 October 2018

With the rapid development of smart living mode, an increasing number of citizens and merchants have installed a variety of automatic equipment, such as instant electric water heater and induction cooker, in their residential and commercial premises, resulting in power consumption hitting a new high each year. In the past five years, CEM received an average of up to 4,000 applications for increasing the subscribed demand every year. To cope with the ever-growing power demand, CEM revised the technical specifications for current electricity installations, in an effort to provide secure and more stable power supply to citizens.

In order to hammer out the best power design standards for different buildings, CEM especially commissioned an independent third-party consultant to conduct a survey, seeking to obtain the most accurate information via research methods, such as electricity consumption measurement, field investigation and questionnaire, and map out the basic settings and electricity installation technology of enhancing buildings’ subscribed demand. CEM thus revised the related technical specifications.

In addition to reducing the need of the modification for public electrical installations in buildings due to the stipulation of insufficient power, the newly-revised technical specification also give consideration to strengthening anti-disaster ability in customers’ facilities. New buildings in low-lying areas must meet the newly-revised design requirements, and their electrical installations such as transformer rooms, main switchboards, and meter boxes must be installed above the flood-protection height level set by the Government, so as to reduce the risks of power equipment damage caused by flooding.

Moreover, in order to tie in with Macau SAR Government’s green commute policy, parking spaces inside the new buildings must be equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities, including special distribution boxes, cable trays, cables and sockets, in a bid to meet the future demand of using EVs.

In order to allow the industry to understand the newly-revised technical specifications, CEM especially held seminars for The Macau Institution of Engineers, The Macao Institution of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (AEEMM), Macau Electrical & Mechanical Professionals Association, Macao Association of Building Contractors and Developers, and Macau Construction Association. During the Seminar, Billy Chan, CEM Transmission and Distribution Department Director, introduced the background of the amended technical specifications, while Engineers James Kuong and Richard Lei gave detailed explanations on the improvement of buildings’ electric power design standards, how to strengthen the anti-disaster capacity of power supply equipment for customers, EV charging facilities, and the implementation plan of the new specifications.

The five Seminars attracted the attendance of nearly 200 engineers and professionals, deepening the industry’s understanding on the newly-revised technical specifications and its requirements. Participants welcomed the relevant revisions and asked questions about technical aspects.