In the Legislative Council on Wednesday morning, Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, said he believed the government’s subsidy on electricity is not a “sustainable” option in the long term as the international energy market has an uncertain perspective.

“The government is discussing reviewing the cost of electricity consumption with two major local suppliers,” he said, noting authorities will avoid “unnecessary expenses.”

“However, citizens should also conserve electricity to offset the impact of fuel costs,” said the Secretary.

His speech incurred criticisms from lawmakers.

Gary Chan Hak-kan, a lawmaker from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, slammed that the government should not blame fuel price fluctuations on the public.

Lawmaker Michael Luk Chung-hung from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions questioned the two local major suppliers - China Light and Power Group and the Hongkong Electric Company failed to bear the risk of themselves in a monopolized market.

In response, the environment secretary claimed the electricity suppliers have been under monitoring by the government.

“Besides,” he noted, “the cost of transferring to the external market will bring more burden to the electricity prices, and Hong Kong itself currently has the capability to maintain an electricity table supply.”