TNAG-1466-FCO40-1993-Visits-by-Sir-Edward-Youde--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-the-UK-1986 — Page 68

JHIAGG

CONFIDENTIAL

CALL ON PUS BY SIR EDWARD YOUDE, NOON ON 10 FEBRUARY 1986

HONG KONG: VISIT OF HM THE QUEEN: CASTLE PEAK B POWER

STATION

BACKGROUND

1. Planning for the visit by The Queen and the Duke of

Edinburgh to Hong Kong between 21 and 23 October is still at

an early stage. However,

for s ome time, both DTI and GEC

have lobbied for the official opening of the Castle Peak B

power station to be

included in HM's programme.

The

station, built in record time by China Light and Power, is a

showpiece of British engineering experience with all the

equipment being supplied by UK firms.

2. Lord Weinstock, Chairman of GEC, telephoned the PUS on 6 January to lobby once more for The Queen to open Castle Peak

B. The Governor was consulted: he replied that while HKG

were S ill considering which items should be included in the

Queen's programme, he was unlikely to recommend that i t

include the opening of Castle Peak B. He explained that he

thought the opening of the

was bound to be an

anti-climax after the opening of its sister station, Castle

Peak A, in September 1982 by the Prime Minister. Also, as

station

it i s situated in a remo te corner of

Queen does not

travel by helicopter,

the territory and The The Queen's journey by

road to and from the station would absorb too much of her

limited time in Hong Kong. The Governor did not

however discount the possibility of the Duke of Edinburgh opening

the power station on a solo engagement during the visit.

3.

The Department's preliminary view was that the strictly British arguments (publicity for GEC and other contractors)

for recommending that the Queen should open the power

station did not appear to be SO strong as to justify our

seeking to over- rule the discounted Lord Weinstock's

Governor

other

on this.

argument

that

We and FED

i t would