HK Electric has been awarded the prestigious "Gold Award" in the manufacturing sector and also swept the "Sustainable Business Award" in the "BOCHK Corporate Environmental Leadership Awards 2021". These awards were presented in recognition of the company's performance in utilising green energy, promoting decarbonisation and assisting Hong Kong to achieve its carbon neutrality target.
HK Electric's Managing Director, Mr. Wan Chi-tin, speaking after the award presentation ceremony on 17 August 2022, said the awards acknowledged the company's efforts in implementing a series of green measures.
"We have been committed to reducing the impact of our business operations on the environment. And, we will continue to apply and explore more measures to help Hong Kong achieve the long-term decarbonisation goals," he said.
In support of Hong Kong's goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, HK Electric has been taking a three-pronged approach - increasing the use of natural gas, promoting renewable energy, and assisting the community to decarbonise through a series of schemes.
To increase the proportion of gas-fired generation, the company has been building new gas-fired units to replace coal-fired units, and also developing an offshore liquefied natural gas terminal to ensure a stable natural gas supply. Both projects are progressing according to schedule. At the same time. HK Electric has been planning for the development of an offshore wind farm southwest of Lamma Island. If approved by the Government, the offshore wind farm would be capable of generating around 4% of the company's total electricity output when it is commissioned, avoiding about 284,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission annually.
As for community education, the company has been promoting "green and low carbon" awareness to people of different age groups through a series of activities. Among them, the "Happy Green Campaign" helps promote a low carbon lifestyle for the young; the "Green Hong Kong Green" project arranges guided tours to enhance public awareness on eco-heritage; while the "Smart Power Ambassadors Training Programme" enables retirees to lead a greener life and to encourage others to do the same.
HK Electric has also put into practice various green management policies in its daily operation. These include rainwater and wastewater recycling at the workplace, solid waste and food waste reduction, and reusing ash produced during power generation for the production of cement, concrete and other building materials. Also, in collaboration with a consultancy, HK Electric has successfully developed a sea-mud recycling treatment solution for the materials produced in the dredging improvement project for the Lamma Power Station navigation channel. All this has won the adjudicators' recognition.
Mr. Wan stressed that HK Electric has been operating in a responsible and transparent manner while promoting sustainable development. The company's sustainability governance structure fully integrates into its corporate vision, missions and core values. Supporting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the company has developed a set of internal targets corresponding to three SDGs that are closely aligned with its corporate strategies and business priorities. The company has also participated in a number of local and international sustainability ratings to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability.
The "BOCHK Corporate Environmental Leadership Awards Programme", organised by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and sponsored by Bank of China (Hong Kong) since 2015, is aimed at promoting environmentally-conscious practices among manufacturing and services enterprises in Hong Kong and in the Pan-Pearl River Delta region to further reduce the environmental footprint in these communities.