TNAG-1507-FCO40-2065-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 117

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Job No. 144070 (A)

HANSARD//OCT15:13

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 15 October 1986

Before so doing I ask Members to cast their minds back to the period that followed my announcement in this Council, on 9 November 1983, that the Government had agreed to Hong Kong's participation in the Daya Bay project. The announcement attracted no fewer than 20 editorials in the local press. The Government's decision was generally well received. It was described as 'timely and wise' by some. Others believed the decision would boost public confidence and enhance the territory's stability and prosperity. There were of course some comments on questions of safety and tariff. I am pleased that Mrs. Selina CHOW in her speech also recalled that at the time the decision was made it was held as a major boost of confidence for Hong Kong and its future.

At the press conference following the announcement I indicated that the project offered Hong Kong an opportunity to demonstrate its desire to co-operate fully with China in its four modernisations programme and that it also provided another clear indication of our faith in the future. Overall the project was seen as a positive development which augured well for Hong Kong's future.

It was, of course, only after the accident at Chernobyl that the safety of the Daya Bay plant became a matter of great concern to the Hong Kong public generally. Nevertheless, even after Chernobyl it is still accepted by many Governments that nuclear energy must remain an option.

What Chernobyl did was to put into sharp focus internationally as never before the potential problems of nuclear energy. Hong Kong, as Miss DUNN and other Members have pointed out, was no exception and with a revived and intensified public debate on Daya Bay, the Secretary for Economic Services visited the United Kingdom and France for on the spot discussions in the wake of the disaster. One outcome of that visit was that the terms of reference of the Harwell study are to be extended to incorporate any lessons learnt from Chernobyl with particular reference to Hong Kong and its circumstances. Moreover, last month Hong Kong attended as an observer the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on safety in Vienna. Members will be aware that at that special ministerial meeting two important conventions on early notification and assistance in the event of a nuclear accident were adopted. Sir, as to the Daya Bay plant itself, we must never lose sight of the fact that this is a power station being built in China. It is, of course, true that a Hong Kong company has a minority position in the joint venture. And even though the Hong Kong dimension has been important and has allowed us an input in the deliberations concerning the power station, the fact that it is a Chinese project necessarily limits the scope and scale of our involvement. It must also be remembered that the Chinese have on many occasions made it clear that they intended to proceed with the power station with or without Hong Kong's participation. Surely it is better for Hong Kong to participate than be left out with no influence whatever over the construction of the station and its subsequent operation. Mr. S. L. CHEN has referred in favourable terms to the