Hong Kong should import more nuclear power from mainland China to hit its 2050 climate targets, top government adviser says
- More nuclear energy imports should be one of Hong Kong’s options to reduce electricity-generated carbon emissions, according to Dr Lam Ching-choi
- ‘We have been using nuclear energy for many years. If we are walking towards carbon neutrality, the proportion of nuclear energy is highly likely to increase,’ he says
Hong Kong should consider importing more nuclear energy from mainland China to achieve its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, a top government adviser has said, citing “favourable factors” in comparison with other power sources.
Dr Lam Ching-choi, head of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development, spoke to the Post on Thursday, when the city’s environment minister led a delegation to the United Nations’ 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (Cop28) climate change summit in Dubai.
On the same day, the provisional State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2023 was set to be the warmest year on record, at about 1.4 degrees Celsius (34.5 Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial 1850-1900 baseline.
Lam said that considering the accessibility, pricing and power distribution network, using more nuclear energy was one of the options for Hong Kong to reduce electricity-generated carbon emissions.
“We have been using nuclear energy for many years,” he said. “If we are walking towards carbon neutrality, the proportion of nuclear energy is highly likely to increase.