This June 16, 2014 photo shows a CLP electricity transmission tower in Fanling, Hong Kong. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government will provide relief of HK$50 per month on electricity charges to each eligible residential household for 24 consecutive months from January 2024 to alleviate the impact of tariff increases on households during the transition to a low-carbon future.

The respite will come under a new round of the Electricity Charges Relief Scheme (ECRS) that the special administrative region government announced on Friday.

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This relief measure is expected to involve government expenditure of about HK$3.5 billion and benefit around 2.9 million eligible households, the government said in a statement.

The current round of the relief scheme will end on Dec 31 this year. No unused credit will be carried forward to the new round of the scheme

Under the scheme, the government will credit HK$50 to each residential electricity account with either CLP Power Hong Kongor the Hongkong Electric Company on the first day of each month.

“The credits can only be used for the purpose of offsetting billed charges for electricity consumed under the same account and will reduce the amount demanded in the electricity bills issued by the power companies to their residential customers,” reads the government a statement.

The credits under the relief scheme will be reflected in the electricity bills for residential accounts with the two electricity companies.

Any unused credit can be carried forward to cover billed electricity charges under the same account until Dec 31, 2025, or the closing of the account, whichever is earlier, according to the statement.

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The current round of the relief scheme will end on Dec 31 this year. No unused credit will be carried forward to the new round of the scheme, it added.