[Press release] New report - "A Decision to Make - Hong Kong’s Fukushima Lesson: Increase Nuclear Literacy"

Subject: [Press release] New report - "A Decision to Make - Hong Kong’s Fukushima Lesson: Increase Nuclear Literacy" | 《香港的抉擇-解讀福島核事故:提高對核能的認知能力》

Challenge for New Chief Executive
Lesson from Fukushima
Civic Exchange releases a new report today noting Hong Kong is coming to an important energy crossroad and the new chief executive elected on 25 March will have to deal with it.
Hong Kong is a nuclear city because it already uses nuclear electricity. There are two major nuclear plants – Daya Bay and Ling Ao – within 30 km of the eastern part of Hong Kong and within 50 km of the city centre. These plants are not far from densely populated areas in Guangdong where Hong Kong people have large investments.
The report notes that at a minimum, Hong Kong should increase its understanding of the basic features of nuclear power operation, its many mandatory safety systems, and the significant safety issues of accidents prevention, mitigation, and evacuation procedures.
Report author, Christine Loh, says: “We want to be able to collaborate with the central and Guangdong authorities to ensure risks are properly assessed for all nuclear plants in the region and strong safety systems are in place to deal with accidents. Knowledge, participation and collaboration are in our long-term interest”.
Hong Kong has been buying nuclear electricity from the Daya Bay nuclear plant located in Guangdong since 1994. In 2010, the Hong Kong government proposed to change Hong Kong’s fuel mix by increasing nuclear electricity import from 23% to 50% by 2020 to reduce carbon emissions.
A year after Fukushima, few of the 40-plus nuclear jurisdictions are withdrawing from nuclear power. With the Chinese government soon to announce its future plans for the expansion of nuclear energy, and with a new local administration to take power in Hong Kong on 1 July 2012, Hong Kong has to make a decision on its future fuel mix.
Post-Fukushima, green groups have argued that Hong Kong should not import any more nuclear electricity than it already does. Loh says: “The problem with this solution is Hong Kong will miss the major issue of nuclear risks management”. Instead, she suggests Hong Kong to actively increase its understanding of energy and basic literacy in nuclear issues so that it can actively participate in how to improve nuclear governance going forward.
Download English report: www.civic-exchange.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/120308NuclearReport_en.pdf
Download Chinese report: www.civic-exchange.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/120308NuclearReport_cn.pdf
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