“Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy 2023” successfully completed • Over 800 professionals trained in six years to drive development of the Belt and Road Initiative

The “Belt and Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Power and Energy” (the Programme), co-organised for the sixth consecutive year by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) and The Hongkong Electric Company, Limited (HK Electric) was successfully completed yesterday (22 August).

In order to meet the growing demand for talents among the Belt and Road countries and regions, the Programme aims to nurture senior executives and researchers from enterprises, government units and higher academic institutions in power and energy-related fields through diversified, cross-regional, systematic and innovative training schemes. This year, physical activities including lectures, seminars, exchange activities and field trips in Mainland China and Hong Kong were resumed for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, the theme for this year’s Programme was “Building an Innovative and Digital Power Grid for Shared Future of Mankind”. The goal was to nurture a broader vision in participants and to meet the challenges of global energy demand in the future.

32 participants from 10 Belt and Road countries and regions joined the Programme, including from Brazil, Chile, Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. In the past 12 days, 11 seminars and talks were organised. Participants also visited various high-end power facilities, including SGCC’s training facilities in Jinan, the State Key Lab of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment in Xi'an, and HK Electric’s Lamma Power Station and cable tunnels in Hong Kong, to learn about cutting-edge technologies and modern management theories. The participants also gained practical knowledge and experience from PolyU, XJTU, SGCC and HK Electric experts.

The Graduation Ceremony was officiated by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU; Prof. H.C. MAN, Dean of the PolyU Faculty of Engineering; Prof. SHAN Zhiwei, Assistant President of XJTU; Mr LYU Shirong, Co-chair of the Department of International Cooperation, SGCC; Mr ZHAO Donglai, Co-chair of SGTC; Mr Francis CHENG Cho-ying, Managing Director of HK Electric, and witnessed by Mr LYU Feng, Deputy Director-General Development of Economic Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Mr D.C. CHEUNG, Principal Assistant Secretary for Environment & Ecology (Sustainable Dev), HKSAR Government; and other senior executives of the co-organisers.

Addressing the Graduation Ceremony, Prof. Jin-Guang Teng remarked, “PolyU’s motto is ‘To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’. I hope our programme graduates can adhere to the same principle by applying the insights they have acquired to drive the development of their respective countries and regions, and to promote collaboration within their organisations and communities. I am pleased to note that this year’s Programme has attracted participants from around the world. Looking ahead, we will aim to attract participants from an even greater number of countries and regions.”

Mr Francis Cheng noted, “For HK Electric, our mission is to provide safe and reliable electricity to the many homes and businesses in Hong Kong, at an affordable price. We believe that innovation through technology is essential for continuous development and encourage these advances through a range of corporate incentives, funding and sharing opportunities. This programme proves to provide an important platform to share and exchange experiences and I trust it would contribute greatly in building an innovative and digital power infrastructure for Belt & Road countries and regions.”

Prof. SHAN Zhiwei stated, “With the efforts of the four co-organisers, the Programme has been held for six consecutive years, attracting over 800 senior management executives from the power and energy industry in 43 countries and regions to participate. It has not only promoted technological exchanges within the industry, but also generated huge societal impacts. I hope that the participants can learn from each other for a win-win situation, jointly build an innovative digital power grid and share a better future for all mankind.”

Mr Lyu Shirong said, “China is playing its part in building a community with a shared future for mankind. This means that no country can develop and prosper in isolation, and it is crucial for all nations to come together and share the benefits of development, especially in these times that are challenging yet filled with hope. The State Grid Corporation of China is the world's largest power utility, focusing on power grid investment, development, and operation. We are dedicated to adhering to market-oriented and localised operations, as well as promoting mutual and reciprocal benefits. Through our involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative, we aim to write a new chapter in this new era.”

Mr Zhao Donglai said, “This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative. Over the past decade, joint efforts in building the Belt and Road have developed a crucial practical platform for promoting the creation of a shared community for mankind’s future. The Initiative has grown from concept to action, and from vision to reality. In the process of jointly building the Belt and Road, great significance has been attached to the energy security, economic and social development of all countries involved, while also pointing towards addressing energy transition challenges.”

This cross-regional and multi-cultural university-industry collaboration programme is the first-of-its-kind in both Mainland China and Hong Kong. Since its inception in 2018, the Programme has attracted 811 industry professionals from 43 countries and regions, providing more than 10,000 hours of exchanges, both online and offline training, and field trips. The four parties will continue to organise activities with diverse themes in the near-future to contribute to the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as to promote experience and knowledge exchanges among senior management executives in power and energy-related fields.

***END***