Companhia de Electricidade de Macau
| Company type | Private utility company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric power |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Macau , Macau |
Area served | Macau |
| Products | Electricity transmission, distribution, and retail |
Companhia de Electricidade de Macau – CEM, S.A. () operates as a private utility company granted the exclusive rights to transmit, distribute, and retail electricity across high, medium, and low voltage levels within Macau. The company possesses an installed generation capacity totaling 408 MW.
History
Between 1906 and 1972, electricity provision was overseen by "Macao Electric Lighting Company Ltd." (currently Melco International Development), which was based in British Hong Kong. Following contract breaches with the former Portuguese administration, CEM took over operations in 1972.
Supported by the Portuguese administration, CEM underwent reorganization in 1982 and entered into a 25-year concession agreement in 1985, leading to significant advancements in cost efficiency and technology.
In November 2010, the Government of Macau and CEM mutually agreed to renew the Power Supply Contract for an additional 15 years, commencing on 1 December 2010.
By 2014, Nam Kwong (Group) Company Limited acquired a majority 90% shareholding in Sino–French Energy Development Co., becoming the principal shareholder of CEM.
The historic Macau Power Station ceased operations officially in 2016.
Transmission and distribution
Macau’s electricity transmission infrastructure comprises 25 main substations, eight high-voltage switching stations serving customers, and a network of 953 kilometres of cables operating at 66 kV, 110 kV, and 220 kV. This system links to China Southern Power Grid through two 110 kV lines connected at Gongbei and Nanping Substations, as well as two 220 kV lines connected at Zhuhai and Qinyun Substations.
The medium-voltage grid features 41 customer switching stations alongside 1,502 substations stepping down from 11 kV to 400 V, interconnected by approximately 2,294 kilometres of cabling. The low-voltage network extends over 906 kilometres of cable, while the street lighting system incorporates 571 kilometres of wiring supporting around 11,105 streetlights. The majority of CEM’s electrical network is installed underground.
Performance
In the year 2018, CEM achieved an Average Service Availability Index (ASAI) of 99.9998%, with the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) recorded at just 6.56 minutes—significantly outperforming the target threshold of 20 minutes.
CEM upholds sustainable development standards through adherence to international management certifications such as:
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (certified since 2003)
- OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (certified since 2006)
- ISO 9001 Quality Management System (certified since 2007)
- ISO 14064 Greenhouse Gas Management System (certified since 2010)
- ISO 20000 IT Service Management System (certified since 2013)
Generation
The company’s power generation facilities are situated on Coloane Island and comprise two stations: Coloane Power Station A (CCA), which utilizes low-speed diesel generators, and Coloane Power Station B (CCB), equipped with combined cycle gas turbine technology.
Ownership of CEM is distributed among several entities: Nam Kwong Development (H.K.) Limited holds a 42% share; Energy Asia Consultancy owns 21%; Polytech Industrial has an 11% stake; Asiainvest - Investments controls 10%; the Government of Macau maintains an 8% interest; China Power International Holding possesses 6%; with other shareholders comprising the remaining 2%.
Once the largest shareholder prior to 1987, the Government of Macau has progressively decreased its ownership to its current level. Previously, Sino-French Energy Development was the dominant shareholder, controlled by listed companies NWS Holdings and Suez Environnement through Sino-French Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited.
In a transaction during 2014, Sino-French Holdings divested a majority (90%) stake in Sino-French Energy Development to the Chinese state-owned Nam Kwong Group via its Hong Kong subsidiary Nam Kwong Development (H.K.) Limited; the remaining shares were retained by Hong Kong-Macau tycoon Stanley Ho. In 2019, Sino-French Energy Development merged into Nam Kwong Development.
China Power International Holding represents another significant shareholder and is owned by the Chinese Central government through State Power Investment Corporation (formerly China Power Investment Corporation).
Organizational Structure
- Department of Customer Services
- Department of Transmission and Distribution
- Department of Generation
- Dispatch Department for Power and Networks
- Finance Department
- Procurement and Logistics Department
- Department of Human Resources and Sustainability
- Information Systems Department
- Office of Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Communications