Awarded entry of the HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award (Industrial Category):

“Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station: A Key Player in Hong Kong’s Zero-Carbon Power Generating Industry”

CLP has been pioneering the import of nuclear energy from Daya Bay to Hong Kong since 1994 through the dedicated plant and dedicated line model

Recipient of the HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award in the Industrial Category, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station stands as a shining example of visionary engineering, international collaboration, and pioneering non-carbon energy development in the region.

Since its commissioning in 1994, Daya Bay has not only supplied safe, reliable, non-carbon electricity to Hong Kong and the Mainland, but has also served as a cornerstone in the development of the nation’s nuclear industry. Today, 80% of the electricity generated by Daya Bay is supplied to Hong Kong, meeting a quarter of the city’s electricity demand. In environmental terms, the plant helps reduce carbon emissions by 7.5 million tonnes annually—equivalent to more than 20% of Hong Kong’s total emissions. As a vital player in Hong Kong’s continuous decarbonisation journey, and a beacon of engineering excellence, it is a worthy recipient of the Institution’s prestigious Legacy Award.

Challenges and groundbreaking innovation from the outset

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station was a bold and ambitious vision, one that depended for its success on the gathering of the best of international expertise. As the first large-scale commercial nuclear power station in the Mainland, Daya Bay faced monumental challenges — from financing and engineering to public acceptance.

In the early 1980s, with China’s economy still developing, financing the project was an immense challenge. The project entailed a staggering US$4 billion price tag, equivalent to one-third of China’s foreign exchange reserves at that time. CLP and its Mainland partner, Guangdong Nuclear Investment Co Ltd. (a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corporation), devised an innovative joint venture model of “construction through borrowing, repayment through power sales, and operation through joint ownership”, which was an innovative collaboration model conducing to mutual benefit.

On 18 January 1985, the signing ceremony of the Guangdong Nuclear Power Station Joint Venture Agreement was held at the Great Hall of the People

On the next day, then state leader Deng Xiaoping (front; left) met with then CLP Chairman Lord Lawrence Kadoorie

The project was further endorsed by then state leader Deng Xiaoping, who described it as “a truly remarkable project” to then CLP Chairman Lord Lawrence Kadoorie, when the two met the day after the signing ceremony for the Guangdong Nuclear Power Station Joint Venture Agreement in 1985.

Public sentiment, however, posed another notable challenge. Following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant incident in 1986, concerns about the safety of nuclear energy grew among Hong Kong residents. One million signatures against the construction of Daya Bay, a nuclear power plant considered to be close to the city, were collected. In recognition of the importance of public communication on nuclear energy, extensive public engagement campaigns, including seminars, exhibitions, and community education programmes, were launched to enhance public understanding of nuclear energy.

In 1988, the Guangdong Nuclear Power Stations Nuclear Safety Consultative Committee (NSCC) was established to bring together experts from different sectors to provide oversight and advice on nuclear safety, aiming to increase the transparency of the operations of nuclear power plants. Over the past 37 years, the Committee has been serving as an effective platform for two-way communication between nuclear power plants and the public.

Upon its unveiling in 1994, Daya Bay was a groundbreaking state-of-the-art power generation facility ahead of its time. The project’s “dedicated plant and dedicated line” model was a first-of-its-kind approach for importing nuclear energy directly into Hong Kong, ensuring stable supply and energy security. Representing the most advanced nuclear technology available at the time, the station adopted French pressurised water reactor technology alongside UK turbine-generator systems, with an installed capacity of 2 million kW. A pumped storage power station was also built in Conghua, Guangzhou to balance the daily electricity load between Daya Bay’s steady, continuous electrical output and fluctuations in regional electricity consumptions.

A track record of safety and performance

Over the past three decades, Daya Bay has cumulatively supplied more than 320 billion kWh of non-carbon electricity to Hong Kong, meeting approximately a quarter of the city’s electricity demand and accounting for one-third of CLP’s fuel mix.

Maintaining safety, reliability and innovation have been at the heart of Daya Bay’s operations. For example, Daya Bay adopts the defence-in-depth principle, which ensures the safety of people and the environment with multiple backup safety systems. On safety performance, it has been operating stably and maintaining a high ranking in the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)’s performance indices across major aspects of generation capability, plant safety and efficiency, industrial safety and radiation protection. It also received the first prize in “Capacity Factor” at the Électricité de France (EDF) Safety Challenge Competition for consecutive years.

Continuous upgrades were made at Daya Bay to meet evolving international safety and regulatory standards. In 2024, Daya Bay completed its first 30-year overhaul of both reactor units — a milestone for the nation’s nuclear industry. This extensive enhancement included nearly 200 technical upgrades and over 50 innovations. Most notably, Daya Bay became the first in the world to digitise the analogue control systems of operating M310 pressurised water reactors. The implementation of a new distributed control system (DCS) also significantly improved automation and safety.

The first 30-year overhaul of the two units in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station was successfully completed in 2024, enhancing operational safety, supply reliability and digitalisation capability

Importantly, in over 30 years of operation, Daya Bay has recorded no level 2 or above Licensing Operational Events (LOEs), and no level 1 LOEs in the past 14 years. Such an impeccable safety record not only demonstrates engineering excellence but also builds public confidence in nuclear energy’s role in a sustainable future.

Driving future energy goals and educating for a low-carbon future

As Hong Kong strives for carbon neutrality by 2050, nuclear energy continues to play a pivotal role. With limited space and renewable energy resources in Hong Kong, importing more non-carbon energy, including nuclear energy, is a key strategy to reduce emissions. The HKSAR Government has announced plans to construct new electricity facilities at Tseung Kwan O, enabling greater import of non-carbon electricity from the Mainland.

CLP is currently in discussion with the HKSAR Government and industry players to explore the possibility of importing more non-carbon energy through regional cooperation to meet Hong Kong’s decarbonisation targets.

Public acceptance remains essential to the increased use of nuclear energy. CLP has made substantial efforts at public education on nuclear energy. In 2017, CLP sponsored the establishment of CLP Power Low Carbon Energy Education Centre (LCEEC) at City University of Hong Kong, offering interactive exhibits, guided tours, and themed workshops to promote awareness of nuclear and other low-carbon energies.

The CLP Power LCEEC promotes low carbon energies, including nuclear energy, to the public through interactive exhibits and diversified activities

CLP collaborated with the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Operations and Management Co Ltd. to arrange for Hong Kong’s senior secondary students to visit Daya Bay as part of the Mainland study tours under the subject of Citizenship and Social Development

In another forward-looking initiative, CLP partnered with the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Operations and Management Co Ltd. to include visits to Daya Bay in the itinerary of the Mainland study tours under the subject “Citizenship and Social Development” starting from the 2024/2025 school year. Supported by Mainland and Hong Kong authorities, this initiative offers young people first-hand experience to enhance their understanding of nuclear energy and sustainable development.

CLP also collaborated with the Nuclear Division of the HKIE, and The Hong Kong Nuclear Society, to launch an educational animation series, “Understanding Nuclear Energy”, tailored to introduce nuclear energy to be public in an engaging way.

A Legacy that inspires the future

Having been selected as the Legacy Award winner of the HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award in the Industrial Category, Daya Bay represents far more than just an engineering triumph. It is a symbol of cross-boundary collaboration, visionary planning, and environmental stewardship.

CLP remarked that they are honoured that the Daya Bay project had been chosen as the recipient of the Legacy Award in the Industrial Cateogry. “Daya Bay is an achievement,” added CLP, “that has contributed greatly to Hong Kong’s development over the past 30 years, trained many nuclear engineers, and set enviable standards of safety and operational excellence at an international level. We would like to thank the colleagues involved at CLP and our strategic partner, China General Nuclear Power Corporation. Together, we have not only contributed to achieving the decarbonisation goals in Hong Kong and the Mainland but also set new standards in engineering and sustainability.”

As Hong Kong looks ahead to a low-carbon future, the legacy of Daya Bay offers valuable lessons. The project demonstrates the power of partnership, the importance of transparency, and the potential of technology in delivering sustainable green innovations. Above all, it proves that with foresight and determination, daring ideas can become lasting legacies.

CLP Power Managing Director Mr Joseph Law (middle) receiving of the HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award (Industrial Category) from the President Ir Eric Ma (2nd left), Secretary for Development Ms Bernadette Linn (1st left), Secretary for Housing Ir Winnie Ho (2nd right), and Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Ir Prof Sun Dong (1st right)