CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power) and City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) co-organised an international conference titled “Powering a Carbon Neutral Future - The Role of Nuclear Energy” on 17 January, exploring the pivotal role of nuclear energy in the decarbonisation journeys of Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the world. The conference brought together international experts and academics to discuss issues on climate change and sustainability, highlighting Hong Kong's role as a “super-connector” and “super value-adder” between Mainland China and the rest of the world.

The conference was officiated by Miss Diane Wong, Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Hong Kong SAR Government; Mr Ye Shuiqiu, Deputy Director-General, Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR; Counsellor Bao Haibin, Director, Policy Research Department of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong SAR; Mr Joseph Law, CLP Power Managing Director; Professor Lee Chun-sing, Provost and Deputy President of CityUHK; Mr Roger Chen, CLP Holdings Managing Director – China; and Professor Lu Jian, Dean of the College of Engineering of CityUHK.

More than 20 renowned scholars and energy experts from Hong Kong, Mainland China, the United Kingdom, and France took part in the one-day conference, sharing the latest developments and trends in nuclear energy, the energy transition in Mainland China, the development of new energy, and the role of different clean energies in Hong Kong's path to carbon neutrality. They included Dr Sama Bilbao Y Leon, Director General of World Nuclear Association; Mr Francois Morin, Director China of World Nuclear Association; Professor Yves Bamberger, President of French National Academy of Technologies Honoris Causa; Professor Sir Ian Chapman, CEO of UK Atomic Energy Authority; Mr Li Junfeng, Executive Council Member of China Energy Research Society; Mr Zhang Tingke, Expert Committee Director of China Nuclear Energy Association; Mr Li Xiaowei, Deputy General Manager of Daya Bay Nuclear Power Operations and Management Co., Ltd.; Professor Wong Kam-sing, Distinguished Department of Architecture Fellow of the University of Hong Kong; and Professor Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Institute for the Environment .

The conference was conducted in hybrid mode and attracted around 600 participants from the energy industry, government departments, advisory bodies, green groups, and university students in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and overseas.

Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology Miss Diane Wong said, “To align with the national ‘dual carbon’ targets, the HKSAR will strive to reduce our carbon emissions by half before 2035 as compared with the 2005 level, and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. The Government has promulgated the Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 in 2021, setting out four major decarbonisation strategies of ‘net-zero electricity generation’, ‘energy saving and green buildings’, ‘green transport’ and ‘waste reduction’ to address carbon emissions at source; and the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong in 2024, with a view to creating a local environment conducive to the development of hydrogen energy in a prudent and orderly manner.”

CLP Power Managing Director Mr Joseph Law remarked, “CLP Power started our decarbonisation journey three decades ago when we first imported non-carbon, safe, and reliable nuclear energy from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station. Nuclear power has supported Hong Kong’s social and economic development since 1994 and currently meets about a quarter of the city’s electricity demand, making it an indispensable part of our energy mix. I have no doubt nuclear power will play an increasingly important role in the global decarbonisation journey. CLP Power will give full support to the Hong Kong SAR Government's Climate Action Plan 2050 by introducing more non-carbon energy, including nuclear power, through regional cooperation.”

In his closing remarks, CityUHK President Professor Freddy Boey said, “CLP has always been a close partner of CityUHK. We are honored to collaborate with CLP to co-host this conference. CityUHK is committed to integrating sustainable development into higher education, exploring the challenges of sustainable development through research, and reducing waste and promoting resource conservation in campus operations. Recently, we partnered with CLPe to install nearly 2,000 high-efficiency bifacial solar panels on campus to promote renewable energy and sustainable development. CityUHK will continue to advance innovative solutions to reduce our carbon footprint and promote long-term ecological transformation.”

For more information about the conference programme, please visit the conference website: http://www.pd4n48r.xyz/casm/clp-home.