CLP engineers to restore power for E-Base on the Antarctica
(8th March Hong Kong) Five CLP engineers from Hong Kong, India and Australia have started their three-week journey to the Antarctica to install renewable energy (RE) devices for an education and research centre (E-Base) which was set up by polar explorer Sir Robert Swan and founder of organisation “2041”.
Departing from Hong Kong on 4 March 2010 for their “Project COOL” experience, the engineers, all in their twenties, will also gain first-hand experience about the impact of climate change during the expedition.
‘Project COOL’ (Climate ActiOn JuniOr League) is CLP’s new initiative to provide an innovative learning opportunity for outstanding engineers to apply their professional skills to a meaningful cause in an extremely challenging environment. It is also a platform to enable these young engineers to engage the community in a better understanding of the issues of climate change. The programme is amongst a full array of initiatives that the company takes to underpin its commitment to the CLP Group’s Climate Vision 2050.
The five engineers, dubbed as “COOL Captains”, are selected from nearly 40 top CLP engineers in operations in Hong Kong, Australia and India. Upon their return, they will join the Group’s effort to inspire people to take personal actions against the damage of climate change and become the ambassadors for the CLP Young Power Programme (YPP), a regional youth leadership initiative that aims to promote the knowledge of the power industry and environmental and social responsibility at pre-university level.
“The Antarctic Expedition was met with encouraging response within our workforce across the CLP Group and from the community. This is an exceptional opportunity for our COOL Captains to put their knowledge and skills to a meaningful task to bring E-Base back to normal operation. I have every confidence that they will achieve the mission to CLP’s standard of excellence. I, and everyone in CLP, look forward to hearing their successful stories on their return,” said Andrew Brandler, CEO of CLP Group.
The COOL Captains will help ‘2041’, the expedition organiser, to restore energy supply for its E-Base where a small research team works to demonstrate clean technology and energy saving techniques.
“The RE device which is the only power source for E-base was hit and smashed by a serious storm last year,” said Sir Robert. “The COOL Captains are on a rescue mission to fix it up using their engineering skills and knowledge and get E-base up and running again.”
For more about the COOL captains and their Antarctic experience, please read their blogs at www.clpyoungpower.com/en/blog.
‘Project COOL’ is a carbon-zero expedition. All CO2 emissions produced during the 3-week expedition will be offset by the accredited energy efficiency projects offered by TRUenergy- a wholly owned subsidiary of the CLP Group.
COOL Captains Profile
| Name | Profession |
| Priscilla Chang (Hong Kong) |
Business Engineer II (Castle Peak Power Station Business Office) |
| Sandeep Sharma (Hong Kong) |
Public Affairs Specialist (Previously worked in CLP Renewables) |
| Nagesh Sayam (India) | Assistant Manager – Renewables |
| Stephen Boscoscuro (Australia) |
Electrical Engineer (Operations & Construction, Tallawarra Power Station, TRUenergy) |
| Giselle Coromandel (Australia) |
TRUenergy – Business Development Analyst |
About CLP Young Power Programme (YPP)
CLP has organised the YPP every summer since 1999. In 2009, the programme was extended from its Hong Kong base to India and Chinese Mainland to nurture local young leaders. The leadership development programme provides a unique exposure for high school students to gain hands-on experience in the power industry and to understand the importance of sustainable development.
About CLP
CLP Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is the holding company for the CLP Group, which is one of the largest investor-owned power businesses in Asia. Through CLP Power Hong Kong, it operates a vertically integrated electricity supply business in Hong Kong, and provides a highly reliable supply of electricity and excellent customer services to over 5.5 million people in its supply area.
Outside Hong Kong, CLP also invests in energy businesses in the Mainland China, Australia, India and Southeast Asia. It is the largest external investor in the Chinese mainland electricity industry, and a leading international private sector power company in the Asia-Pacific region with a diversified portfolio of power generation from gas, coal, renewables and nuclear.
CLP is listed in the Global Dow – a 150-stock index of the world’s leading blue-chips, the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific), and the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific 40 Index (DJSI Asia Pacific 40).
COOL Captains: (From left to right) Sandeep Sharma (Hong Kong), Giselle Coromandel (Australia), Stephen Boscoscuro (Australia), Nagesh Sayam (India), Priscilla Chang (Hong Kong)
The COOL captains do final preparation before setting off for the Antarctica. From left: Stephen Boscoscuro (Australia) ; Giselle Coromandel (Australia) ; Priscilla Chang (Hong Kong) ; Nagesh Sayam (India) ; Sandeep Sharma (Hong Kong).
CLP senior executives and guests cheer up the COOL captains at the send-off reception on 3rd March. From left (back): Mr Richard Lancaster, Managing Director, CLP Power Hong Kong; Mr L D Ralte, Consul-General of the Indian Consulate; Mr David Livingstone, Deputy Consul-General of the Australian Consulate; Ms Rebecca Lee, renowned polar explorer; Mr Peter Greenwood, Group Executive Director, Strategy, CLP Holdings ; Ms Jane Lau, Director – Group Public Affairs, CLP Holdings; Mr Peter Littlewood, Group Director – Operations; Mr Paul Poon, Chief Operating Officer, CLP Power Hong Kong; and Ms Ciara Shannon, an alumna of the 2041 Antarctic Expedition.
Dr. Rebecca Lee, Polar Researcher and Founder of Polar Museum Foundation share her Antarctic experience with the COOL Captains – (from left): Priscilla Chang (Hong Kong) ; Nagesh Sayam (India) ; Giselle Coromandel (Australia) ; Sandeep Sharma (Hong Kong) ; and Stephen Boscoscuro (Australia).
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Media Enquiries:
Angela To
Public Affairs Manager
CLP Holdings Limited
Tel: 2678 8516
Email: angela.to@clp.com.hk