PolyU, XJTU, State Grid and HK Electric continue collaboration on the “Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy” to nurture senior talent for the energy industry

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU); Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU); State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and The Hongkong Electric Company, Limited (HK Electric) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to extend their joint collaboration in running the “Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy” (The Programme) for another three years.

The Programme aims to nurture senior management talent in power and energy-related fields through diversified, cross-regional, systematic and innovative training schemes to meet the rising demand for talent in the Belt and Road countries and regions, thereby promoting the sustainable development of infrastructure and facilitating economic growth in these countries and regions in line with the Belt and Road strategies of the Nation. This cross-regional and multi-cultural university-industry collaboration programme is the first-of-its-kind in both Mainland China and Hong Kong.

The Silk Road International School of Engineering (SRISE) was set up jointly by PolyU and XJTU in 2017, and later partnered with State Grid and HK Electric to organise the first university-industry collaboration programme of this type, with a view to nurturing senior talent for the power and energy industry. The Programme has attracted more than 200 industry professionals from Belt and Road countries/regions, and has generated nearly 5,300 contact hours through talks, seminars and field trips, achieving remarkable results in promoting knowledge exchange among the participants.

PolyU, XJTU, State Grid and HK Electric are joining forces again this year by contributing their knowledge, research findings and practical experience in the field of energy, with a view to enhancing technical cooperation and exchange across Belt and Road countries/regions. The renewed collaboration which is set for three more years will focus on short-term training and exchange initiatives. Training programmes will be run by SRISE focusing on two major themes, namely the “Key Technologies of Energy Interconnection” and “Electricity Supply in International Cities”. Various seminars, field trips to energy facilities in the Mainland and Hong Kong as well as sharing sessions will be organised to facilitate learning on cutting-edge energy knowledge and understanding of the latest research findings in the field, as well as promoting sharing and exchange of practical experiences among industry players.

The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding was held online in Hong Kong and Mainland China simultaneously. Professor Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU’s President, attended and witnessed the ceremony. He said, “PolyU’s motto is ‘To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’. It is our mission to support the advancement of society and the economy through teaching and scientific research. PolyU will hence continue to collaborate with other parties in education, research and knowledge transfer to contribute to the development of countries and regions along the Belt and Road.”

Professor Xiaohong GUANG, member of Chinese Academy of Science, Dean of the School of Electronic and Information Engineering of XJTU, said, “Over the past three years, we have successfully held three editions of the ‘Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy’ with the joint efforts of four parties. The tremendous social impact of the programme has not only enhanced mutual understanding and technology sharing, but also deepened the cooperation between industry players, academics and researchers. A training team has also been groomed through this programme. We hope that the renewal of the cooperation agreement will enrich our collaboration further, helping us to make this training programme well-recognised in the industry.”

Mr LIU Yunhou, President of the State Grid of China Technology College, also remarked, “With the earnest collaboration between four parties, the ‘Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy’ has become a university-industry alliance, and a role model for Mainland- Hong Kong collaboration in serving Belt and Road initiatives. I sincerely hope that the four parties will focus on the ‘dual carbon’ goals (note: China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, as pledged by President Xi at the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020), and keep up with the latest developments of power and energy, to launch more well-recognised seminars in a systematic manner. I look forward to the flourishing of our collaboration that brings about greater vitality for the energy sector.”

Managing Director of HK Electric, Mr WAN Chi-tin, welcomed the extension of collaboration. He said, “Despite the impact of the pandemic, HK Electric has set a new supply reliability record last year, achieving an impeccable rating of over 99.9999% and unplanned power interruption of less than 0.5 minute on average per customer. To combat climate change, three new gas-fired generating units are expected to come on stream by 2023, while an offshore liquefied natural gas terminal will also be in operation by 2022. By increasing the use of natural gas for power generation, from currently around 50% of total output to around 70% by 2023, we hope to reduce carbon emissions by 40% as compared to the 2005 level. We are happy to share our strategies and carbon reduction experience with our peers from the Belt and Road countries/regions.”

The first training programme of 2021 is planned to be conducted online in the fourth quarter of this year. More seminars for senior executives in the power and energy sector as well as exchange sessions for researchers and academics will also be held in the future.

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