Daya Bay Nuclear Power and Hong Kong's Energy Needs

Introduction

Fig. 1: Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

In an effort to aid global sustainability, Hong Kong has pledged to get 65-70% of its energy from carbon-friendly sources by 2030. [1] Presently, Hong Kong relies predominantly on three sources of energy with approximate distributions as follows: coal (50%), natural gas (25%), and nuclear (25%). [2] Of these three sources, nuclear energy is the only source that produces no carbon.

Daya Bay Nuclear Energy

Currently, all of Hong Kong's nuclear power is imported from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in Guangdong (Fig. 1), the adjacent province. Built in 1995 and located around 50 kilometers away from Hong Kong, this nuclear station consists of two pressurized water reactors (PWRs). PWRs work by using nuclear fission to heat water. The heated water then generates steam, which spins turbines to generate electricity. Each PWR at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station produces 984 megawatts (MW). Of the total 1,968 MW produced, 70% (1,378 MW) is sent to Hong Kong. [3] Since it is known that this power accounts for 25% of energy needs in Hong Kong, it can be inferred that the total power Hong Kong needs to sustain its energy consumption is 5,512 MW (4 x 1,378).

Just 1.2 kilometers away, also located within Daya Bay, there is another energy generator called the Ling'Ao Nuclear Power Plant. With construction being completed in 2011, this power station includes 4 PWRs. Of these, two PWRs produce 990 MW each, while the other two produce 1,086 MW each. Aggregating these numbers, Ling'Ao produces 4,152 MW. Thus, around 6,120 MW of total power is produced in Daya Bay. [3] That is 9% more than Hong Kong's total power demand. In other words, the nuclear power plants in Daya Bay could supply enough power to meet all of Hong Kong's energy needs.

Opportunities

Daya Bay's strong nuclear power production is an opportunity for Hong Kong to reach its climate goals. Specifically, nuclear is a strong candidate to substitute coal, as both sources similarly produce a reliable electricity source. Thus, in the scenario that nuclear power is used to replace coal, an estimate of the environmental impact can be calculated as follows:

Therefore, there would be a 62% reduction in Hong Kong's total CO₂ generated if coal electricity production was switched to nuclear. This seems reasonable because as established in the introduction, coal accounts for two-thirds of carbon-emitting energy generation in the region.

Additionally, another argument for an increased use of nuclear energy is that it is more economically viable, as it has less volatile prices than natural gas and coal. [5]

Counterarguments

However, despite these benefits, some in Hong Kong oppose adopting nuclear power as a larger share of its energy intake. This is because nuclear energy remains controversial due to perceived risk, amplified by events such as the 2011 disaster in Fukushima stemming partially from inadequate storage of nuclear waste. [3] The used fuel rods were stored traditionally in a pool of cooling water that absorbs heat and radiation coming off the waste. However, a power outage stopped the cooling, leading to an explosion. As a result, the nebulosity surrounding nuclear waste disposal in Daya Bay concerns Hong Kong residents. Presently, the used fuel rods are being placed in a temporary facility adjacent to the Daya Bay Area, with no permanent solution or clarity into the safety mechanisms used. [6]

Additionally, reverting to a unit economics perspective, one could argue that renewables (like wind and solar) are the cheapest form of energy. However, in Hong Kong, these are in a more nascent stage, mainly due to the inconsistent nature of their energy output. As a result, the target set by Hong Kong is to have 10% of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2035. [7] Even if achieved, this would place Hong Kong's zero-carbon sourcing at a total of 35%, considering no change in nuclear energy importation. Hence, if Hong Kong wants to meet its carbon reduction goals while maintaining its energy consumption, an increase in nuclear power intake seems imminent.

Conclusion

Hong Kong has set an ambitious goal to generate 65-70% of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2030. Currently, its cleanest source of energy generation is from nuclear power, imported from Daya Bay in Guangdong. Due to nuclear power's zero-carbon nature and economic viability, it is feasible that Hong Kong increase its reliance on this energy source to achieve its sustainability goals. Nonetheless, there are challenges blocking decisive policy, namely the court of public opinion.

© Nathan Chan. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.

References

[1] M. Keegan, "The City of Sustainable Skyscrapers," BBC, 9 Feb 21.

[2] X. Jiang, et al., "Hong Kong Energy Policy Simulator: Methods, Data, and Scenario Results for 2050," World Resources Institute, December 2010.

[3] W. Chung and I. M. H. Yeung, "Attitudes of Hong Kong Residents Toward the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant," Energy Policy 62, 1172 (2020).

[4] J. Li et al., "High-Resolution Analysis of Life-Cycle Carbon Emissions from China's Coal-Fired Power Industry: A Provincial Perspective," Int. J. Greenh. Gas Control 100, 1 (2020).

[5] C. Mari, "Hedging Electricity Price Volatility Using Nuclear Power," Appl. Energy 113, 615 (2014).

[6] A. C. Kadak, "Nuclear Power: Made in China," Brown J. World Aff. 13, No. 1, 77 (Fall/Winter 2006).

[7] "Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050," Environment Bureau, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, January 2017.