工部局主導下近代上海電力照明產業的發展，1882-1893

The Development of the Electric Lighting Industry in Shanghai, 1882-1893

1880年代初，工部局授權英商在滬成立上海電氣公司，創辦公共租界電力照明系統，催生了近代上海新興電力工業的誕生。工部局在產業發展中扮演了「裁判員」、「執法員」、從市政管理者到經營者的角色，主導公共電力照明產業的規模、品質及其進程。當局鑒於公共租界道路建設的現實需要、政商人脈關係、租界西人社會的意願、母國電力照明業的成功經驗、電力照明技術的優越性等原因，授予「上電」公共租界電力照明產業經營特許權；工部局激勵煤電市場競爭，本著「性價比」標準，按年與兩家公司簽訂公共照明合同，決定道路照明歸屬方式，在公共租界實行了煤電雙軌並存機制的照明格局。當局面對「上電」實際運營中的技術缺憾，放緩電力照明建設的步伐，對電力照明品質進行嚴格的監督和把關，產業因此份額停滯不前，企業被迫改組；改組後的新申公司受競爭對手政商權力的挾制，要求公司儘快將輸電線改成地纜，以挾制公司業務的發展，產業發展再次陷入困局。在「上電」無力承擔電力事業發展初期「投資大，回報小」的壓力時，工部局接管，推動電氣事業走上公營道路。

At the beginning of the 1880s, the Shanghai Municipal Council authorized the Shanghai Electric Company to create an electric lighting system that became the catalyst for the development of the electric industry era in modem Shanghai. The Council played the leading role as the ”judge,” ”legal administrator,” ”operator,” and ”manager” of the industry's development. The Council sought to develop street lighting in the International Settlement and supported the electric company in order to introduce Western technology and compete with the gas lighting system. However, the electric company faced technical difficulties as well as obstacles imposed by the Council's supervision. As development stagnated, the company was forced into reorganization, but, faced with the Council's demands to lay underground cables, the new company also failed, and eventually the Council purchased the company and operated the electric lighting system by itself.