Community

Across the Group, measures have been put in place to ensure that social and physical challenges do 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.

Hong Kong

CLP Power is committed to maintaining electricity tariffs at reasonable levels while ensuring power supply reliability. CLP Power’s tariff adjustments have been relatively stable over the years, an outcome achieved by adopting prudent cost management measures, embracing a diversified fuel mix, and utilising innovative technologies. Having a stable fuel supply and utilising nuclear power have been important factors in mitigating the impact of market volatility. CLP Power will continue to apply prudent cost controls, maintain a diversified fuel mix strategy, and enhance its operational efficiency in order to manage electricity tariffs effectively while meeting the Government’s environmental policy objectives.

CLP Power allocated over HK$200 million from the CLP Community Energy Saving Fund in 2024 for a series of programmes to support the underprivileged households and promote energy conservation. HK$50 million was allocated to the CLP Electricity Subsidies for the Underprivileged Families Programme, to provide electricity subsidies of HK$600 to 50,000 single elderly people and elderly couples aged 65 or above, low-income families and people with disabilities, as well as electricity subsidies of HK$1,000 to 20,000 tenants of subdivided units.

In addition, CLP Power allocated HK$3 million to support the Hong Kong SAR Government’s pilot programme to equip Community Living Rooms with energy-efficient electrical appliances and educational resources relating to energy saving and conservation to help tenants of subdivided units. CLP Power continued to carry out rewiring works for the installation of individual electricity meters for tenants of subdivided units. Also, families living in transitional housing received subsidies of HK$2,000 each for purchasing energy-efficient electrical appliances to improve their home energy efficiency.

CLP Power has also introduced the Home Electrical Safety Enhancement for the Underprivileged Programme. This programme is enhancing home safety for underprivileged families including low-income households, people with disabilities, elderly households and ethnic minorities by providing them with free electrical inspections and repairs by qualified electricians.

CLP Power announced contributions of over HK$200 million in community support for 2024 programmes.

Australia

Believing that all customers should have fair and equal access to its products and services, EnergyAustralia has published an Energy Charter outlining its commitment to working with customers to improve their energy affordability, energy efficiency and providing support to those in vulnerable circumstances.

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

EnergyAustralia also partners with various organisations to directly assist customers facing financial hardship and help them 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.

EnergyAustralia's business customers can also 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 develops customised payment schedules, provides advice on reducing energy consumption and offers guidance on accessing government energy-relief subsidies.

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 lays out 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.

CLP's 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 remains 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 by project teams.

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.

In 2024, we met the target of 16,000 hours for the Group's volunteering services, with a slight decrease of service hour when compared with 2023. A remarkable increase of service hours in Hong Kong was contributed by the initiatives launched to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of CLP Volunteer Team and the 10^th anniversary of Sharing the Festive Joy Programme. The increase was offset by a decrease in Mainland China, where the Rural Vitalisation Programme focused on facility improvement works in the local communities.

EnergyAustralia’s refreshed approach to volunteering saw an increased take up of volunteer leave, with teams and individuals supporting organisations to deliver food relief, support women and children escaping family violence, plant trees and donate life-saving blood and plasma. Close to 500 additional hours were volunteered in our local communities in 2024 versus 2023.

Workplace Giving donations were slightly down, however there is a planned refresh of the programme in 2025 aimed to increase participation and total donations and better align partnerships with our purpose.

The amount donated by CLP for charitable and other community purposes decreased to HK$6.91 million. Community spending by theme and geography is summarised in the charts on the next page.

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 Nuclear Power Station is continuing to provide an additional 10% of electricity output to Hong Kong from 2024 to 2028, in addition to the 70% of its electricity already committed to Hong Kong. This arrangement is helping to minimise carbon dioxide emissions in the city and keep the tariff stable.

CLP is committed to promoting education about nuclear and low-carbon energy. In 2017, it sponsored City University of Hong Kong in setting up the CLP Power Low Carbon Energy Education Centre. Since then, the centre has served 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. The centre includes five themed zones that introduce various types of low-carbon energy, namely 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 2024, more than 9,500 visitors visited the centre, including students, teachers, professional groups and the general public.

The average radiation dose rate for workers in 2024 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 2024, Daya Bay carried out a 30-year planned outage and the total quantity of spent nuclear fuel generated reflected this event.

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 maintain 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 SAR 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. In 2024, there were no reportable cases of CLP products affecting customer health and safety in Hong Kong.