The electricity sector in Macau ranges from

generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

, transmission, distribution and

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in ...

of electricity in

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

, China.

Regulator

Electricity sector in Macau is regulated by its electric power utility company

Companhia de Electricidade de Macau Companhia de Electricidade de Macau – CEM, S.A. known simply as CEM or is a private public utility company with a sole concession to transmit, distribute, sell high, medium and low voltage of electricity in Macau. Besides, CEM owns an inst ...

(CEM), established in 1972 during the

Portuguese rule The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas Colonialism, colonies, Factory ...

Generation

Electricity generation in Macau

CEM's

facility consists of two

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...

s, which are located on Coloane Island: Coloane A Power Station (CCA) and Coloane B Power Station (CCB). Together, CEM has a total installed capacity of 407.8 MW. The predominant types of generation technology deployed are the low speed

diesel generator A diesel generator (DG) (also known as a diesel Genset) is the combination of a diesel engine with an electric generator (often an alternator) to generate electrical energy. This is a specific case of engine generator. A diesel compression-ig ...

using

heavy fuel oil Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) is a category of fuel oils of a tar-like consistency. Also known as bunker fuel, or residual fuel oil, HFO is the result or remnant from the distillation and cracking process of petroleum. For this reason, HFO is contaminate ...

for CCA and the combined cycle gas turbine using natural gas for CCB.

Electricity import from Mainland China

In 2012, CEM produced 376 GWh to supply 8% of Macau's 4,344 GWh gross energy demand, while the remaining 3,968 MW (92%) was imported from

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

through Guangdong Power Grid under

China Southern Power Grid Company China Southern Power Grid Company Limited (CSG; ) is one of the two Chinese state-owned enterprises established in 2002 according to the precept to reform the power system promulgated by the State Council, the other being State Grid Corporati ...

. In 2013, CEM generated 7.2% electricity for Macau, while the electricity import from Mainland China rose to 92.8%.

Transmission and distribution

The Macau electrical transmission network comprises 20 primary substations with a total installed capacity of 1,260 MVA in 220/110 kV, 1,500 MVA in 110/66 kV and 1,752 MVA in 66/11 kV. As of December 2012, the

high voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...

transmission network consists of 281 km line made up of 220 kV, 110 kV and 66 kV cables. The 11 kV medium voltage distribution network is composed of 35 switching stations and 1,245 customer substations (11/0.4 kV) connected by cables with a total length of 617 km. The

low voltage In electrical engineering, low voltage is a relative term, the definition varying by context. Different definitions are used in electric power transmission and distribution, compared with electronics design. electrical safety codes define "low vol ...

distribution network is made up of 780 km of cables. Almost all CEM's power network is constituted by underground cables which mainly come from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. Electrical grid in Macau has been linked to electrical grid of

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

since 1984. In 2015, CEM announced that over the next three years, CEM will build another five new substations to power up the upcoming Macau Light Rail Transit, hospitals and

Ilha Verde Ilha Verde, also known by its Cantonese name Cing-zau and Mandarin name Qingzhou, is an area in the northwest of Macau Peninsula, Macau that forms part of the Our Lady Fatima Parish. It is a former island—known in English as Verde or Green ...

. Image:NAPE Substation.jpg, NAPE Substation Image:Ocean Garden Substation.jpg, Ocean Garden Substation Image:NorthMac Substation.jpg, North of Macau Substation Image:Macau Lotus Substation.JPG, Lotus Substation

Interconnection grid with Mainland China

Macau has also interconnection grids with Mainland China in

with Guangdong Power Grid of the

. The first interconnection commissioned in June 2008 are the three 220 kV circuits connected at the 220/110 kV Canal dos Patos substation, with the importation capacity of 1,050 MVA. The second interconnection commissioned in June 2012 are the two 220 kV circuits connected at the 220/110 kV Lotus substation, with the importation capacity of 700 MVA. These five interconnection circuits give a total of 1,750 MVA importation electric capacity for Macau from Guangdong in Mainland China.

Load, demand and customers

As of 2017, Macau has been experiencing an average 2.3% annual growth rate for their electricity demand. Their maximum daily electricity demand is 756.7 MW. As of 2016, total Macau power consumption reached 5,255 GWh. Macau's

utility frequency The utility frequency, (power) line frequency (American English) or mains frequency (British English) is the nominal frequency of the oscillations of alternating current (AC) in a wide area synchronous grid transmitted from a power station to t ...

is 50 Hz and at 400 V ( three-phase) and 230 V ( single-phase). By the end of 2007, CEM was providing electricity to 211,238 customers, in which 75% of them are in the

Macau Peninsula The Macau Peninsula is the most populous and historical part of Macau. It has an area of () and is geographically connected to Guangdong Province at the northeast through an isthmus wide. The peninsula, together with downtown Zhuhai, sits ...

, while the remaining 21.9% are in

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; pt, Taipa, ) was a former island in Macau, presently united with the island of Coloane by reclaimed land known as Cotai. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil parish Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do ...

and 3.1% in

Coloane Coloane (Cantonese: Lou Wan) is a former island in Macau that is united with the island of Taipa by an area of reclaimed land known as Cotai. It is located at the southern part of Macau. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil pa ...

. Electricity reaches every individual in Macau. In 2016, there are 71 charging stations for electric vehicles across 18 public car parks in Macau.

Performances

CEM's power supply reliability maintains at world leading performance. The Average System Availability Index (ASAI) reached 99.9998% in 2010. In 2014, the System Average Interruption Duration Index was as low as 1.34 minutes. CEM has five mobile equipment units as contingency measures to deal with electricity blackouts. All of the underground installed cables undergo regular routine inspection and diagnosis every five years. CEM has established and implemented an Integrated Management System with all three Management System Certification
ISO 9001ISO 14001
an

OHSAS 18001]. CEM was the first public utility company in Macau and the first power company in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and Macau to obtain the certification ISO 14064-1 Greenhouse Gases Management System by taking systematic and genuine actions against greenhouse gases emissions.

Environmental protection

In order to cope with the growing concern on environmental issues, CEM has invested more than MOP 450 million to improve CEM environmental performance, including investment in Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems, Natural Gas Conversion, Air Quality Monitoring Systems, Scrap Yard, Noise Control Facilities etc.

Power sector safety

Every year, CEM holds fire alarm and evacuation drills at different locations of its premises to test and evaluate the effectiveness of their contingency plans, further enhance the emergency response abilities of all the participating staffs and ensure the safety of the employees and facilities.

References

{{Asia topic, Electricity sector in Energy in Macau