Community

Across the Group, measures have been put in place to ensure that social and physical challenges will not prevent people from accessing and using the Company’s products and services. These include challenges relating to language, culture, literacy, financial situation and disability.

In Hong Kong, CLP Power offers a braille bill for those who are visually impaired. In Australia, EnergyAustralia provides interpreter services for those with a first language other than English, and also offers hearing-impaired and vision-impaired billing services.

SASB reference: IF-EU-240a.3

Hong Kong

CLP is committed to maintaining electricity tariffs at reasonable levels while ensuring power supply reliability. CLP’s tariff adjustments have been relatively stable over the years, due to prudent cost management and controls combined with a strategy of using a diversified fuel mix, utilising more natural gas, less coal, and importing zero-emission and relatively stably-priced nuclear power. While international fuel prices have fallen from their peak and appear to have stabilised, CLP Power will continue to adopt a prudent cost control approach in its management of electricity tariffs.

Soaring international fuel prices and a surge in the fuel cost for electricity generation since January 2021 have led to an increase in the Fuel Cost Adjustment. To ease the burden on families in need, CLP Power allocated HK$110 million in 2023 to the CLP Fuel Cost Subsidy Programme, which provided one-off fuel cost subsidies to 150,000 underprivileged households and tenants of subdivided units in its supply area. The Company also allocated HK$20 million to subsidise families in transitional housing in their purchase of energy-efficient electrical appliances.

CLP Power also provided subsidies and one-stop support to enable landlords of subdivided units to carry out rewiring works and install individual electricity meters for tenants of subdivided units, a move that has improved the safety of the units and enhanced tracking of electricity usage. The programme was launched in January 2019, and by the end of 2023 the programme had supported the rewiring of 79 subdivided units and the installation of 274 individual electricity meters.

In 2023, CLP Power announced over HK$200 million in community support, with HK$110 million allocated for subsidising the fuel expenses of 150,000 grassroots families and tenants of subdivided units.

Australia

EnergyAustralia recognises that all customers should have fair and equal access to its products and services. Through its Energy Charter, EnergyAustralia is committed to collaborating with customers to improve energy affordability, energy efficiency and provide support to customers in vulnerable circumstances.

The rising cost of living continues to present challenges for many Australians. To support households facing short-term financial difficulties, EnergyAustralia continued to offer payment plans and payment extensions, as well as providing information on available government assistance. The EnergyAssist hardship programme offers support to customers experiencing financial hardship by providing additional tailored solutions that include customised payment plans, payment matching, debt waivers, and energy-efficiency education. These measures are ensuring that customers are well-informed when making decisions about their energy consumption.

EnergyAustralia also partnered with various organisations to directly assist customers facing financial hardship and improve their energy efficiency:

• Member of the One Stop One Story Hub Partnership, which supports people facing family and domestic violence or financial hardship by helping them navigate support programmes and reduce the need for multiple interactions.
• Partnered with Uniting Energy Audits to provide customers with energy-efficiency information via a home or phone audit, thus helping them to reduce their energy consumption and bills.
• Partnered with The Good Guys to assist with the delivery of new appliances and the removal of old ones as part of our appliance swap programme.

Furthermore, EnergyAustralia's business customers can access support through the Rapid Business Assist programme, launched in 2020 to support small to medium enterprises facing financial uncertainty. In consultation with these customers, the Company customised payment schedules were developed, advice on reducing energy consumption were provided, and guidance on accessing government energy-relief subsidies was offered.

The Group is committed to contributing to programmes which support healthy, resilient and sustainable community development over the short and long term. In line with the CLP Group Community Initiatives, Sponsorship and Donation Policy on community engagement, the Company aims to:

• Support projects or programmes that align with the needs and expectations of local communities and respect their cultures, traditions and values;
• Support projects or programmes that are systematically managed with clearly defined objectives and expected outcomes;
• Foster enduring partnerships with credible international, national, regional and local community organisations, non-governmental organisations and charities;
• Support projects or programmes that offer an opportunity for CLP’s employees to participate; and
• Regularly evaluate the outcomes and impacts of its contributions.

Strategies and procedures

CLP’s community investment strategy is guided by the CLP Group’s Community Initiatives, Sponsorship and Donation Policy. This sets out principles and directions for implementing community initiatives across all CLP’s business units and group functions. Sitting alongside the Company’s corporate governance and internal control measures and its standardised online reporting platform, the policy aims to facilitate a coherent and transparent approach to the assessment, design, review and reporting of CLP’s community activities. It ensures that resources are deployed to meet the community’s needs effectively and in a timely manner.

The community investment strategy focuses on four key areas: Community Wellbeing, Environment, Education and Development, and Arts and Culture. Each business unit implements the strategy according to local conditions and community needs.

CLP’s Community Initiative Approach

Monitoring and follow-up

The CLP Group’s Community Initiatives, Sponsorship and Donation Policy is reviewed every three years to ensure it remains aligned with the Group’s development and changes in the external environment. A review was conducted in 2023 which reaffirmed that the policy in use has proved to be comprehensive and aligns with megatrends and the local needs of different regions.

Different tools for evaluating the socio-economic impact of community initiatives have been benchmarked, and the most suitable of these are used to review the effectiveness of CLP's community initiatives.

CLP has a standardised online reporting system for reviewing and reporting on its community initiatives. The system is designed to enhance the overall effectiveness and efficiency of these initiatives by aggregating data on themes, partners, spending, beneficiaries, volunteer hours and impacts.

GRI reference: 201-1, 203-1, 203-2, 413-1

Volunteering services in Hong Kong bounced back as pandemic restrictions were lifted locally. However, the increase was offset by a decrease in China and Australia due to the launch of new programmes with different focuses and a review of volunteer policy respectively. More community programmes were implemented across Hong Kong, China, and Australia in 2023. The amount donated by CLP for charitable and other community purposes decreased to HKD$9.18 million. Community spending by theme and geography is summarised in the charts below.

GRI reference: 416-1, 416-2

While the Group’s HSE Management System Standard sets out an overarching approach to managing the safety risks in operations, CLP also takes responsibility for preserving public health and safety, including the health and safety of those who work or live in close proximity to power supply lines.

CLP operates a transmission and distribution network in Hong Kong, as well as transmission networks in Shenzhen, China and in the northeastern part of India. Working near power supply lines may pose safety hazards. Both CLP’s Hong Kong and Mainland China operations conduct regular construction site inspections and provide cable plans and safety talks to road work contractors and site management personnel, to keep a high level of safety awareness at all locations.

EMFs arising from power systems are a matter of public health concern. CLP’s power supply equipment fully complies with the guidelines issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Regular EMF measurements of CLP's power supply equipment are carried out jointly with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department of the Hong Kong Government. The measured EMF levels continue to be well below the guideline limits.

Regarding customer health and safety, CLP Power has Customer Service Centres conveniently located in its supply areas in Hong Kong that provide assistance on product safety, as well as advising on energy-efficient products, energy-saving tips and account management issues. 

Maintaining proper Health, Safety and Environment management practices for transmission towers is important to keep the general public safe.

SASB reference: IF-EU-540a.2

Nuclear risk management

The safe and steady operation of the two nuclear power stations is a top priority. The defence-in-depth principle of safety is applied in every area, including design, site selection, operation, radiation protection, environmental monitoring, and emergency preparedness. The safety principle of "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" is also applied.

The two nuclear power stations have each delivered good safety performances over the years due to:

• The adoption of best international practices, including the International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Safety Standards, in their operations;
• A well-trained and well-qualified workforce;
• Well-established safety practices and procedures; and
• Comprehensive risk analysis and mitigation.

Nuclear waste management

Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (Daya Bay) adheres to national policy and international practices for nuclear waste management. The station stores its spent nuclear fuel onsite in dedicated storage facilities.

The back-end management of the fuel cycle is performed onsite for a number of years before the spent fuel is passed on for reprocessing to a service provider licensed by the Chinese Government. The service provider is supervised by the National Nuclear Safety Administration, and its environmental impact is monitored by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The policy in Mainland China on reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is similar to that of a number of European countries.

Low- to intermediate-level solid radioactive waste is appropriately sealed and stored onsite in a dedicated facility on an interim basis, to ensure protection against unauthorised access. The waste is transferred to a final repository operated by a service provider, using the shallow burial method commonly adopted in the United States, France and the United Kingdom. The operation of the offsite repository is under the supervision of the national nuclear regulator and is subject to relevant nuclear safety regulations.

Monitoring and follow-up

Workers’ exposure to radiation is closely monitored and managed by plant operators both collectively and at an individual level as part of operating protocols. Workers are exposed to most radiation during planned refuelling outages, when they need to work at the nuclear generating units, including carrying out inspection and maintenance activities in radiation-controlled areas. Radiation dosage levels typically reflect the number of planned outages carried out at the units.

Training and awareness

An onsite training school provides professional training on operational procedures for nuclear sites. The training aims to enhance nuclear safety by systematically minimising the chance of human error. There is a once-every-five-years requalification mechanism to ensure operator professionalism and competency in plant operation.

To ensure the provision of low-carbon and cost-competitive energy to Hong Kong, Daya Bay will continue to provide an additional 10% electricity output to Hong Kong from 2024 to 2028, in addition to the 70% of its electricity already committed to Hong Kong. This arrangement helps avoid substantial carbon dioxide emissions in the city while keeping the tariff stable.

CLP is committed to promoting education about nuclear and low-carbon energy. It sponsored The City University of Hong Kong to set up the CLP Power Low Carbon Energy Education Centre in 2017. Since then, the centre has been serving as an important platform for engaging with and educating the public about the benefits of low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear energy, and how they help address the challenge of climate change. There are five themed zones to introduce various types of low-carbon energy including wind, solar, hydro, gas and nuclear through interactive exhibits and tools. Guided tours and various low-carbon themed workshops are offered to visitors free of charge. In 2023, more than 9,000 visitors visited the centre, nearly double the number in 2022. Visitors included students, teachers, professional groups and the general public.

GRI reference: 306-3 (2016), 306-1, 306-2, 306-3

The average radiation dose rate for workers in 2023 was less than 0.4 mSv per person per year. By comparison, the background radiation dose rate from the natural environment in Hong Kong is 2.4 mSv per person per year.

The charts on the right and below show the amounts of spent nuclear fuel and low- to intermediate-level radioactive nuclear waste from Daya Bay in recent years. The amounts of both types of waste are related to the number of planned refuelling outages in each year.

In 2023, Daya Bay carried out a 30-year planned outage, and the total quantity of spent nuclear fuel generated reflected this event.