Hongkong Electric Company
Hong Kong’s first electricity supplier and one of the territory’s two principal electricity utilities.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Hongkong Electric Company, commonly known as HK Electric, is a Hong Kong electricity utility with roots reaching back to the late nineteenth century. It was established to provide electric lighting and power in the then-colony and switched on its first public street lights on 1 December 1890. The company has operated continuously since that period and is generally recognized as Hong Kong’s first electricity supplier. HK Electric supplies electricity on Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island. Hong Kong’s other principal electricity utility is China Light & Power, now associated with the CLP group. Unlike a conventional retail brand that sells discretionary consumer products, HK Electric operates essential infrastructure: generation facilities, transmission and distribution networks, customer billing services, tariff programs and related energy-support services. Its business is therefore closely connected with public regulation, reliability standards, fuel management, infrastructure investment and environmental policy. The company’s generation assets are concentrated at Lamma Power Station. Earlier generating stations were built in Wan Chai, North Point and Ap Lei Chau as demand expanded and the electricity network extended across the urban area. Most of those plants were eventually retired as technology changed and residential development surrounded former industrial sites. Since 1990, HK Electric’s electricity generators have been located at Lamma Power Station, which has used coal-fired and gas-related generating technology. The Lamma site also hosts Lamma Winds, a demonstration wind turbine, and a commercial-scale solar photovoltaic installation commissioned in 2010. The utility began with a modest power station and a network serving street lights, but electricity adoption expanded rapidly during the 1890s. Private homes connected to the system for lighting and fans, while businesses and institutions increasingly replaced their own generators with HK Electric supply. By the early twentieth century, the network served lifts, commercial premises, public lighting and major organizations. Connections progressively reached districts including West Point, Victoria Peak, Shau Kei Wan, Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau. HK Electric’s history also includes wartime disruption. During the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941, employees at the North Point power plant resisted the attacking forces; plant manager Vincent Sorby later died in a prison camp from wounds sustained during the fighting. After the war, the company expanded and modernized its generation system, ultimately consolidating production at Lamma. Ownership has changed over time. Hongkong Land once held a substantial stake, but sold its 34 percent interest in 1985 as part of a debt-reduction restructuring. The business subsequently became associated with the Li Ka-shing-controlled Cheung Kong group through Power Assets Holdings, formerly known as Hongkong Electric Holdings. The operating company is now held within a broader ownership structure that also includes other major institutional investors. Power Assets Holdings remains the principal corporate association for the HK Electric brand. Today, HK Electric’s public-facing role includes electricity supply, residential and non-residential tariffs, billing and payment services, network reliability and customer support. Its operating identity is strongly local: the brand is tied to the electricity infrastructure of Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island rather than to a broad international consumer market. Its long operating history, generation assets and distribution network make it one of Hong Kong’s most established utility institutions.
History
The origins of Hongkong Electric Company lie in late-nineteenth-century plans to introduce electric lighting to Hong Kong. During discussions of land reclamation and urban improvement, Bendyshe Layton encouraged Sir Catchick Paul Chater to support the construction of an electricity generator. Chater raised the project’s capital, which amounted to $300,000 divided into 30,000 shares, with half offered to the public. He became a director of the new company and remained involved for 37 years. Electrical engineer William Wickham designed the initial plant and later managed the company until 1910. The first power station was built at Star Street in Wan Chai on the site of a former graveyard. At 6 p.m. on 1 December 1890, 50 electric street lamps on Queen’s Road Central, Battery Path and Upper Albert Road were switched on. The system experienced failures on the second night and again a week later, but then operated without comparable faults for 26 years. Street lighting subsequently spread westward to Bonham Strand and Caine Road, and eastward through Queen’s Road East and Wan Chai Road. Electricity quickly moved beyond street lighting. During the 1890s, private residences connected to the supply for lamps and fans. A substation built in 1898 served lifts in the increasingly tall commercial buildings along the waterfront. By 1905, the company supplied 15 lifts, thousands of lamps and public lighting. Underground network extensions reached West Point, Victoria Peak and Shau Kei Wan, while Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau were connected by 1916. Organizations such as Dairy Farm, Taikoo Docks, the Peak Tram and the University of Hong Kong eventually replaced independent generation with electricity purchased from the company. Electric lighting steadily displaced gas lighting; although gas lamps still outnumbered electric lamps in 1924, only a small number remained by 1936. A second major generating site opened at North Point in 1919. The North Point complex expanded through later coal- and oil-fired units and became a central part of the company’s system. During the Japanese invasion in December 1941, employees at the North Point plant mounted a determined defense. The plant manager, Vincent Sorby, was wounded during the fighting and later died in a prison camp. The episode became one of the notable wartime events in the company’s institutional history. Postwar demand led to further generation investment. An oil-fired station opened at Ap Lei Chau in 1968, while the North Point facilities continued operating until 1989. The Ap Lei Chau plant was also retired, and its generating equipment was transferred to Lamma. Lamma Power Station had opened in 1982 with a 250-megawatt coal-fired capacity. Expansion increased capacity to 600 megawatts in 1987 and 1,350 megawatts by 1989. From 1990 onward, HK Electric’s generators were concentrated at Lamma Power Station. The company’s ownership structure changed significantly in the 1980s. Hongkong Land, which held 34 percent, sold that interest in January 1985 for HK$3 billion during a restructuring intended to reduce debt. HK Electric later became part of the Cheung Kong group’s utility interests through Power Assets Holdings. The holding company was previously called Hongkong Electric Holdings and adopted the Power Assets name in February 2011. The operating company is now associated with a wider shareholder group that includes Power Assets Holdings, State Grid Corporation of China, Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings and Qatar Investment Authority. Environmental and renewable initiatives have supplemented the conventional generation fleet. Lamma Winds, completed in 2006, uses a Nordex N50 wind turbine rated at 800 kilowatts. In July 2010, HK Electric commissioned a commercial-scale solar system at Lamma Power Station using amorphous-silicon thin-film photovoltaic panels. The installation was connected to the local 380-volt grid and was described as Hong Kong’s largest commercial-scale solar system at the time. HK Electric continues to provide regulated electricity services, tariffs and customer administration for its designated service area.
- 2011
Holding company adopts Power Assets name
[1]The former Hongkong Electric Holdings changed its name to Power Assets Holdings Limited.
- 2010
Commercial-scale solar system commissioned
[1]HK Electric commissioned a thin-film photovoltaic installation at Lamma Power Station.
- 2006
Lamma Winds completed
[1]The company completed Lamma Winds with an 800-kilowatt Nordex wind turbine.
- 1990
Generation consolidated at Lamma
[1]All of HK Electric’s operating electric generators were located at Lamma Power Station from this period onward.
- 1989
Older generating sites retired
[1]The North Point and Ap Lei Chau stations were decommissioned as generation was consolidated at Lamma.
- 1985
Hongkong Land sells its stake
[1]Hongkong Land sold its 34 percent holding during a restructuring designed to reduce debt.
- 1982
Lamma Power Station opens
[1]The company opened Lamma Power Station with an initial 250-megawatt coal-fired capacity.
- 1968
Ap Lei Chau station opens
[1]An oil-fired generating station was commissioned at Ap Lei Chau.
- 1941
North Point plant defended during invasion
[1]Staff at the North Point power plant resisted Japanese forces during the invasion of Hong Kong; manager Vincent Sorby was fatally wounded in the wider episode.
- 1919
North Point generation begins
[1]A second power station opened at North Point, replacing the original Wan Chai station as the system expanded.
Products and positioning
A long-established, infrastructure-led electricity utility serving Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island, with an emphasis on supply reliability, local network coverage and gradual integration of renewable generation.
Utility service · 1890
Electricity supply
HK Electric supplies electricity to customers on Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island. The service encompasses generation procurement and operation, transmission, distribution, metering, customer account administration and billing. It is an essential, regulated utility service rather than a packaged consumer product.
Power generation · 1982
Lamma Power Station
Lamma Power Station is HK Electric’s principal generation site. Opened in 1982, it was expanded from an initial 250-megawatt coal-fired capacity through successive additions. Since 1990, the company’s electric generators have been concentrated at Lamma.
Renewable energy · 2006
Lamma Winds
Lamma Winds is a renewable-energy demonstration facility completed in 2006. It uses a Nordex N50, 800-kilowatt, horizontal-axis wind turbine installed at Lamma Power Station.
Solar generation · 2010
Lamma Power Station solar system
This commercial-scale solar photovoltaic system uses amorphous-silicon thin-film panels installed on the rooftops of the Lamma Power Station main building. The system feeds generated electricity into HK Electric’s low-voltage grid through inverters and distribution equipment.
Customer service
Electricity tariff services
HK Electric publishes and administers tariff arrangements for residential and non-residential customers, together with billing and payment services through its customer-service channels.
Brand decisions
2010
Commissioning of commercial-scale solar generationProduct launchBackground
HK Electric expanded its renewable-energy activity beyond the Lamma Winds demonstration project.
Action taken
The company commissioned a thin-film photovoltaic system at Lamma Power Station and connected it to the local electricity grid.
Aftermath
The installation added solar generation to HK Electric’s portfolio and was described as Hong Kong’s largest commercial-scale solar system at the time.
1990
Generation consolidated at LammaStrategyBackground
Older generation sites at North Point and Ap Lei Chau were being retired as urban development surrounded former industrial locations.
Action taken
HK Electric concentrated its operating generators at Lamma Power Station and transferred Ap Lei Chau generating equipment there.
Aftermath
Lamma became the company’s central generation location while the former station sites were eventually redeveloped or repurposed.
1985
Ownership restructuring following Hongkong Land debt reductionStrategyBackground
Hongkong Land held a 34 percent interest in the company but undertook a restructuring to reduce debt.
Action taken
Hongkong Land sold its stake for HK$3 billion, changing the company’s ownership structure.
Aftermath
The company subsequently became associated with the Cheung Kong group through Power Assets Holdings.
Sale value of 34 percent stake. HK$3 billion (1985)
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