The events at Fukushima took place at a time of global revival in nuclear power development, with an estimated 360 gigawatts of additional generating capacity projected to be developed by 2035, on top of the 390 GW already in use.
Technological advances in nuclear power played a part in the renewed interest, and so did nuclear's potential as a low-carbon energy source, providing security as the global competition for fossil fuels intensified.
Most relevant to Hong Kong were developments in China. By March 11, 2011, the day of the Fukushima accident, China had a substantial nuclear expansion programme already in place, with half the committed reactors located in Guangdong.
Hong Kong has been buying electricity from the Daya Bay nuclear plant across the border since 1994, which now meets 23per cent of the city's need. The government has proposed to increase the nuclear share to 50per cent by 2020. By also increasing the use of natural gas, Hong Kong could reduce coal use to below 10per cent of its energy mix, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
In the aftermath of the Japanese accident, the Chinese government put on hold the approval of new nuclear plants and announced a full safety review of existing plants, although its continuing commitment to nuclear energy was not in doubt. The review was completed in October last year. Beijing will soon publish the reports on nuclear energy safety, governance and expansion.
The Hong Kong government will obviously not push ahead with any plan of its own until Beijing's policies are clarified. The question is, should we view ourselves as a passive importer of nuclear electricity from Guangdong, or do we have a role to play in nuclear safety and governance as an importer, investor and, most importantly, as Guangdong's neighbour, since any major accident there could affect a large number of people in the whole region?