Singapore legislation
Clause 31
Clause 31
Works by electricity licensee
(1)
Subject to the provisions of this Act, a generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee may, for any purpose connected with the carrying on of the activities authorised by its electricity licence —
install under, over, in, on, along or across any premises, street or bridge and from time to time inspect, maintain, adjust, repair, alter, replace or remove —
any electric line or electrical plant;
any structure for housing or covering any such line or plant; and
any meter, switch and any other suitable and proper apparatus, for the purpose of leading off service lines and other distributing conductors or of examining, testing, measuring, directing or controlling the supply of electricity or of testing the conditions of the mains and other portions of the works; and
execute any work requisite for or incidental to the purposes of any work falling within paragraph (a), including for those purposes —
excavating any land, street or drain;
tunnelling or boring under any land, street, sewer or drain;
removing or using all earth and materials in or under any land, street, sewer or drain;
erecting, placing or installing equipment, apparatus and other electrical plant in or under any land, building, street or bridge; and
erecting, placing or installing poles on any land or street.
(2)
All such works, including the upper surface or covering thereof, shall be constructed of such materials and maintained by the generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee in such manner as not to be a source of danger, whether by reason of inequality of surface or otherwise; and when such licensee lays any electric line that is liable to touch any main, pipe, line or other service, the conducting portion of the electric line shall be effectually insulated.
(3)
The generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee shall pay compensation to any person who suffers any damage or loss of value to his property as a result of any work performed by the licensee under subsection (1) of such amount as may be agreed between the licensee and the person, and such compensation may include an annual payment for the use of any land or immovable property for the licensee’s purpose.
(4)
The generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee shall not acquire any right other than that of user only in respect of any land or property under, over, in, on, along or across which the licensee installs any electric line or electrical plant or executes any work under this section.
(5)
Except in cases of emergency arising from any fault in any electric line or electrical plant, no work falling within subsection (1) shall be executed without the giving of 14 days’ notice stating as fully and accurately as possible the nature and extent of the acts intended to be done.
(6)
The owner or occupier of the land may, within 14 days of the receipt of the notice referred to in subsection (5), lodge a written objection with the Authority and the Authority shall specify the date by which an inquiry into such objection shall be made.
(7)
If no objection is lodged within the period specified in subsection (6), the licensee may on expiry of the period specified in the notice, enter on the land and do all or any of the acts specified in the notice.
(8)
Where an objection lodged under subsection (6) is not withdrawn before the date fixed for an inquiry into the matter under that subsection, the Authority shall hold an inquiry, giving each party an opportunity to be heard.
(9)
Subject to subsection (10), upon the conclusion of the inquiry, the Authority may authorise, either unconditionally or subject to such terms, conditions and stipulations as it thinks fit, the carrying out of any of the acts specified in the notice given under subsection (5).
(10)
Any person aggrieved by any decision of the Authority under subsection (9) may, within 14 days of the conclusion of the inquiry, appeal to the Minister whose decision shall be final.
(11)
The generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee shall do as little damage as possible in the exercise of the powers conferred by subsection (1) and shall, as soon as practicable, make good any damage done in the exercise of those powers.
(12)
Where any dispute arises as to whether a generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee has sufficiently made good any damage done in the exercise of the powers conferred by subsection (1), the dispute —
may be referred to the Authority by either party; and
on such a reference, shall be determined by the Authority whose decision shall be final and conclusive between the parties.
(13)
A generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee shall exercise the powers conferred by subsection (1) in such manner as will secure that nothing which it installs or keeps installed under, over, in, on, along or across any premises, street or bridge becomes a source of danger to the public.
(14)
A generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee shall not, when exercising the powers conferred by subsection (1), be liable for or required to pay any person any fee, charge or expense for the right to enter or use any land or premises.
(15)
A generation licensee, market support services licensee or transmission licensee shall not, without the approval in writing of a Government authority or a statutory authority, enter or use any land or premises belonging to the Government authority or statutory authority for the purpose of exercising the powers conferred by subsection (1).