IAEA launches global water resources initiative

24 March 2023

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched the Global Water Analysis Laboratory Network to help countries generate their own chemical, biological and isotopic water data and develop tailored water management strategies. 

The IAEA's Grossi, centre, and the FAO's Lifeng Li, right, discussed water action at the UN 2023 Water Conference (Image: UN Photo/Paulo Figueiras)

The Global Water Analysis Laboratory Network (GloWAL) is intended to enable independent data generation in developing countries and reduce technical gaps with developed countries, strengthen water management through training fellowships and exchanges of staff and make water resource management "more sustainable and consequential".

The network will encourage partnerships in regional sub-networks in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific and Central Asia. It was launched at the UN 2023 Water Conference, and is targeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), on Clean Water and Sanitation. The IAEA said that  "laboratories that can generate reliable data in a timely manner are the cornerstone of any country's capacity to better understand and manage their water resources".

The IAEA said isotope hydrology "works on the basis of the composite of water molecules and their isotopic properties, and the combination of these water molecules, which give a water sample a unique ‘fingerprint’ ... analysts can measure isotope ratios to track the flow of water and its travel time. Stable isotopic tracers can be used to determine water quality, while unstable (radioactive) tracers can be used to track water movement".

An example of where the network could help, given by IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi, was that of Tajikistan, which would host a GloWAL laboratory that would be able to monitor the state of glaciers which provide much of the region's freshwater: "Glacier degradation is a very serious problem and by doing this we are giving them the ability to see how fast the glaciers and snowcaps can be regenerated and how to perhaps better manage the run-off water, because, of course, if it is melting, there will be less of it."

Construction work is currently under way on the IAEA Isotope Hydrology Laboratory in Vienna, Austria, which will provide more capacity support for the network and help member states develop more efficient analytical methods.

The launch event also included officials and experts from El Salvador, Germany, Moldova, Namibia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Switzerland, Tajikistan and the USA, plus other UN bodies, the World Bank Group, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre.

The impact of climate change means some areas are becoming wetter - and some drier - and pollutants and contaminants can also add to the pressures on water supplies. The IAEA says: "With water data, policymakers can make informed decisions on siting agricultural activities and urban planning, based on sustainability and quality of bulk water supply."

Grossi said that in addition to "promises and descriptions of how dire and severe the situation is, it is important that we take concrete steps together, in order to start redressing the situation and put SDG 6 back on track".

Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General from the partnering World Meteorological Organization, said: ​"We have to improve our understanding of the hydrological cycle. Our recommendation is that countries establish weather stations at the shared locations in the GloWAL network, for a better picture of what is happening through hydrological measurements."

Lifeng Li, director, land and water division at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said it "believes that agriculture can contribute to a more water- and food-secure world in the future" citing the example of larger countries like China and the USA where more efficient and sustainable water and land management practices have led to increased yields from less water, as well as initiatives for reusing and recycling water.

The IAEA said "sustainable financing is a key accelerator" for GloWAL so "welcomes support and collaboration from international financial institutions, governments, the private sector as well as public-private partnerships".

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

 

DOE issues first Commercial Liftoff reports

23 March 2023

Waiting until the mid-2030s to deploy advanced nuclear at scale in the USA could lead to missing decarbonisation targets as well as having serious supply chain implications, according to a newly released report from the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Pathways to Commercial Liftoff programme.

Jennifer Granholm sees a demonstration of X-energy's 3-D virtual reality plant at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit recently (Image: X-energy's Twitter)

Pathways to Commercial Liftoff - announced by last month by US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm - aims to provide public and private sector capital allocators with a perspective as to how and when various technologies could reach full-scale commercial adoption. The first Liftoff Reports - designed as "living documents" to be updated as the commercialisation outlook on each technology evolves - on clean hydrogen, advanced nuclear, and long duration energy storage, were published on 21 March.

The reports found that cumulative investments must increase from around USD40 billion to USD300 billion by 2030 across the hydrogen, nuclear, and long duration energy storage sectors, with continued acceleration until 2050, to stay on track to realise long-term decarbonisation targets.

According to DOE, advanced nuclear is widely regarded as a clean, firm power source that can reliably complement widespread renewable energy buildout and is key to reaching US decarbonisation goals, as well as having the potential to create long-term, high-paying jobs and deliver new economic opportunities. However, obstacles identified by the report include increasing the deployment of mature technologies and building efficient and timely delivery models.

US domestic nuclear capacity has the potential to scale up from around 100 GWe today to around 300 GWe by 2050 - but there is currently a "commercial stalemate between potential customers and investments in the nuclear industrial base needed for deployment", the Advanced Nuclear Liftoff Report notes. "Utilities and other potential customers recognise the need for nuclear power, but perceived risks of uncontrolled cost overrun and project abandonment have limited committed orders for new reactors."

Rapidly scaling the nuclear industrial base would enable nearer-term decarbonisation and increase capital efficiency, it says: if deployment starts by 2030, ramping annual deployment to 13 GW by 2040 would provide 200 GW by 2050. A five-year delay in scaling the industrial base would require an annual deployment of over 20 GW per year to achieve the same 200 GW deployment and could result in as much as a 50% increase in the capital required.

Path to commercialisation

The report suggests a pathway to commercial scale for advanced nuclear in the USA with three overlapping stages of committed orderbook generation, project delivery, and industrialisation. A committed orderbook - for example signed contracts for 5-10 deployments of at least one reactor design by 2025 - will be needed to catalyse commercial liftoff. Once a "critical mass of demand" is established, delivering the first commercial projects reasonably on time and on budget will become the most important challenge As momentum builds, the industrial base, including workforce, supply chain, and licensing, will need to be scaled up.

The buildout would need around USD700 billion or more from private and public sources, but the report also notes that - as of January 2023 - although US customers have indicated their interest in building nuclear through memoranda of understanding or letters of intent, there were as yet no committed orders for new nuclear reactors in the USA.

Reaching 200 GW of new nuclear capacity in the USA by 2050 will require "deliberate action by both the public and private sectors", the report says. Potential solutions suggested in the report include the pooling of private sector demand to spread the risk - for example through the formation of a consortium of companies committing to 5-10 or more reactors, which could help de-risk the initial builds by sharing costs and potential overruns - or the bulk construction of reactors by a developer who then leases reactors or sells the sell the power through a power purchase agreement to end-users.

Insights

According to the DOE, the Liftoff Reports contain insights and takeaways developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, system-level modelling and project-level financial modelling and are intended are a resource intended to inform decision making across industry, investors, and the broader stakeholder community, but do not reflect DOE official policy or strategic plans.

"As we combat the climate crisis and race towards an equitable clean energy future, public and private partnerships will be more important and critical than ever before," Granholm said. "The Liftoff reports will help drive engagement between government and industry to unlock exciting new opportunities and ensure America is the global leader in the next generation of clean energy technologies."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Industrial users eye small reactors for power supplies

23 March 2023

US micro reactor developer Last Energy has announced power purchase agreements for 34 units of its plants with four industrial partners across Poland and the UK. Meanwhile, Finland's Fortum is collaborating with Outokumpu to explore the use of small modular reactors (SMRs) to power its steel manufacturing operations.

A power plant based on Last Energy's micro reactor technology (Image: Last Energy)

Last Energy said the agreements represent "the largest pipeline of new nuclear power plants under development in the world", with 10 plants planned for the Katowicka Special Economic Zone (KSSE) in Poland and a further 24 plants in the UK. In total, the deals represent power purchase agreements for more than USD18.9 billion in electricity sales, it said.

In Poland, Last Energy is targeting the commissioning of the first of 10 of its 20 MWe micro nuclear power plants at the KSSE in 2026. It said the agreement represents more than USD4.3 billion in electricity sales over the lifetime of the contract and USD1 billion in inward energy and infrastructure investment in the zone. The KSSE special economic zone - located in the southwest of Poland - is home to 540 companies and 90,000 industrial jobs.

"The KSSE is at the forefront of Poland's energy transition, and this partnership is a key part of securing our regional and national competitiveness," said Janusz Michałek, President of the Management Board of KSSE. "Industrial investors are looking for a secure supply of carbon-free power to power their operations today, and seamlessly scale as their power requirements increase. This project would provide the type of security and certainty in energy supply and price that our industrial partners need to make long-term investments in our area."

In the UK, Last Energy announced three new partnerships, with power purchase agreements for 24 plants. It said the partners represent a "diversity of UK industries, including a life sciences campus, sustainable fuels manufacturer, and a developer of hyperscale data centers".

In total, the power purchase agreements represent over USD14 billion in electricity sales, with the first UK plant targeted for commissioning in 2026. Total inward investment is expected to be USD2.4 billion.

"The specific partnerships and details of each project will be announced over the coming months, as project teams on both sides finalise arrangements for site selection and engagement with appropriate stakeholders," Last Energy noted.

"The demand for zero-carbon, baseload energy solutions is huge, and micro nuclear is an ideal solution for distributed energy users," said Last Energy UK CEO Mike Reynolds. "Our private-sector led approach to delivering new nuclear power supports the wider government efforts to promote growth and investment in the green industries of the future."

Last Energy is a spin-off of the Energy Impact Center, a research institute devoted to accelerating the clean energy transition through innovation. Its SMR technology is based on a pressurised water reactor with a capacity of 20 MWe or 60 MWt. Power plant modules would be built off-site and assembled in modules. Thanks to the use of ready-made modular components, a reactor is expected to be assembled within 24 months of the final investment decision. The assumed lifetime of the power plant is 42 years.

In July last year, Last Energy signed a Letter of Intent with the Legnica Special Economic Zone (LSEZ) - also in south-western Poland - and DB Energy on the construction of a power plant consisting of ten SMRs with a combined capacity of 200 MWe. The agreement also included a power purchase agreement with a minimum length of 24 years by LSEZ and its tenants.

Finnish study

Finnish utility Fortum announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the decarbonisation of Outokumpu's steel manufacturing operations with emerging nuclear technologies, such as SMRs.

"The agreement initiates a long-term process with the aim to assess potential construction of SMRs in Finland," Fortum said. "One possible option for the location would be the Tornio region of Finland, where Outokumpu's largest mill is situated. In the first phase, the goal is to identify potential business models and technical solutions for further development".

Outokumpu's Tornio steel mill (Image: Outokumpu)

"Decarbonising heavy industries is a prerequisite for reaching carbon-neutrality in Europe and this requires significant amounts of clean energy," said Fortum President and CEO Markus Rauramo. "The Nordic market is extremely competitive when it comes to clean and affordable power, and Fortum is one of the very few European companies that can deliver it reliably, when needed and at scale to our customers already today.

"In the future, however, more will be needed. So, we are pleased to start collaboration with a steel industry forerunner like Outokumpu to explore the future potential of new nuclear power in the Nordics."

Outokumpu President and CEO Heikki Malinen added: "Looking into emerging technologies in our energy supply is a natural step in our ambition to reduce CO2 emissions. In addition to wind, solar, and hydropower, energy intensive industries and the whole society needs stable and CO2-free electricity generation. Today, nuclear power is the only alternative for this. Therefore, we are excited to explore the possibilities offered by small modular reactors together with Fortum, as part of our sustainability journey."

The MoU is part of Fortum's nuclear feasibility study launched in November 2022. During the two-year programme, Fortum will explore commercial, technological and societal, including political, legal, and regulatory conditions, both for SMRs and conventional large reactors in Finland and Sweden. The study also investigates new partnerships and business models. In addition to Outokumpu, Fortum has signed cooperation agreements with Rolls-Royce SMR of the UK, EDF of France, Kärnfull Next of Sweden and Helen of Finland.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Canadian, Polish, US companies in 'unprecedented' SMR collaboration

24 March 2023

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) have agreed to work together to advance the global deployment of the GEH BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) through collaboration on development of a standard design.

(L-R) Wileman, Lyash, Hartwick and Kasprów signed the agreement (Image: @TVANews)

The CEOs of the companies signed a technical collaboration agreement at an event in Washington DC, attended by representatives of the governments of all three countries. TVA, OPG and SGE will invest in the development of the BWRX-300 standard design and detailed design for key components, including reactor pressure vessel and internals. Each contributor has agreed to fund a portion of the overall cost of development of a standard design, which GEH anticipates will require a total investment of around USD400 million.

The collaborators will collectively form a Design Center Working Group with the purpose of ensuring the standard design is deployable in multiple jurisdictions, with a long-term goal for the BWRX-300 design to be licensed and deployed in Canada, the USA, Poland and beyond.

All three companies have already announced plans for GEH's SMR: OPG has begun site preparation at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Ontario for a BWRX-300 plant which will be the first grid-scale SMR in North America; TVA is preparing a construction permit application for a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River Site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE), a joint venture between SGE and PKN Orlen, has started the pre-licensing process in Poland for the reactor as well as beginning a site selection process for its first unit.

"Getting this right is critical," GEH President and CEO Jay Wileman said. "We all know nuclear has to be part of the equation, if you want to achieve net-zero by 2050," but to "earn" its seat at that table "we've got to be on schedule, on budget, and it's got to be at competitive cost. That is one of the foremost purposes of our design-to-cost [approach], in our common design, where you design it once, and you build it multiple times."

Each of the companies will benefit from the "unprecedented" collaboration, which will further strengthen the cost competitiveness of the BWRX-300, he added.

"Working together, we are taking intentional steps to advance new nuclear in the US and around the world," TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said.

"Nuclear power will play a key role in meeting increasing clean electricity needs in Ontario and beyond, which is why OPG is constructing North America's first grid-scale SMR at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site," said OPG President and CEO Ken Hartwick. The collaboration agreement "will help advance necessary work to develop this next generation of nuclear power efficiently, benefiting electricity-users in all our jurisdictions."

"For the first time ever, a private Polish company is investing in a design for nuclear power plants," Rafał Kasprów, CEO of SGE, said, adding that GEH's modular technology is "simply ideal" for decarbonising energy and heat production in Poland, and also for the company's other zero-emission projects in the UK and throughout Central Europe.

Deploy, deploy, deploy

Addressing the event in Washington, US Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said the partnership was a model for "precisely the kind of first-mover visionary private investment-driven effort" needed to drive deployment at scale. "It takes a lot of dollars to make real change happen, and the federal government can't provide all of those dollars. Our one dollar needs to turn into trillions of dollars on the private side, and this group of individuals is doing just that," she said.

Earlier this week the US Department of Energy (DOE) published the first of its Commercial Liftoff reports, to support dialogue with the private sector on the pathways to "commercial lift-off" for a range of technologies including advanced nuclear.

"This partnership is precisely what will result in commercial lift-off for small modular reactors which DOE is really excited about as a technology," Huff said. The department partnered with GE on boiling water reactor technology "for decades" and is currently partnering with GEH on advanced construction technologies aiming to make nuclear construction faster and cheaper, including a technology called steel bricks - modular steel-concrete composite structures, much like high-tech LEGO pieces - she added. These may go on to be demonstrated at Clinch River

"These companies know how to deploy real technology," she said.

"You are part of the model that DOE would love to see - we love a public-private partnership but a private-private-private-private partnership is even better - so I encourage you all to congratulate them on joining us in what DOE is calling implementation season because it's time to deploy, deploy, deploy."

Listen: GE Hitachi Nuclear's Jay Wileman on his hopes for greater regulatory harmonisation in February's World Nuclear News podcast. Click below to listen (from 25 minutes in) or via podcast platforms.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Alberta grows links with SMR sector

24 March 2023

ARC Clean Technology Canada, Inc has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Alberta's Invest Alberta Corporation to jointly pursue activities to support commercialisation of ARC's ARC-100 small modular reactor (SMR) technology in the province.

ARC announced the signature of the MoU on 23 March (Image: @arc_cleantech)

Alberta is one of four Canadian provinces - the others are New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan - that have agreed to a joint strategic plan outlining their strong support for the path forward on SMRs.

Under the terms of the MoU, ARC will begin the process to expand its operations in Alberta with the objective of developing a fleet of ARC-100 reactors, with support from Invest Alberta for engagement and partnership activities with industry and stakeholders. ARC will also develop the associated supply chains and manufacturing, operating and support services necessary for the construction and operation of multiple ARC-100 units.

The ARC-100 is a 100 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor based on proven technology developed at the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II reactor, which operated successfully at the US government's Argonne National Laboratory for 30 years. It has also been selected for deployment in New Brunswick, with a fully operational unit at the Point Lepreau nuclear site by 2029.

Invest Alberta CEO Rick Christiaanse said meaningful partnerships with leading cleantech innovators like ARC bring "impactful net-zero solutions" to the province. "Momentum is building in Alberta around SMR technology, with Invest Alberta signing MOUs with several companies that are on the path to launching proven sustainable energy supplies in the province," he said.

William Labbe, president and CEO of ARC Clean Technology Canada, said early deployment of the company's SMR technology would bring high quality jobs, significant investment, and economic benefits. "With Alberta being Canada's energy and heavy industry leader, it is a natural market for ARC's industrial applications and will be a key stepping stone for the global deployment of Canadian SMR technology," he said.

Invest Alberta - a Crown corporation of the Government of Alberta - in January signed an MoU with  X-Energy Canada to develop economic opportunities supporting the potential deployment of the Xe-100 SMR. It has also supported SMR developer Terrestrial Energy in its efforts to expand its operations into Alberta: earlier this month the company opened an office in Calgary to support the commercial development of its Integral Molten Salt Reactor plant for industrial cogeneration in western Canada.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

AUKUS-focused university collaboration agreed

24 March 2023

South Australia's Flinders University has signed agreements with universities in the USA and UK that will enable the Australian university to begin developing the specialist skills needed to underpin the future construction of nuclear submarines under the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security partnership.

Premier Peter Malinauskas (standing) watches as Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling (left) and Clint Sharrad, interim director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester, sign the partnership agreement. (Image: Flinders University)

The separate agreements with the University of Manchester in the UK and the University of Rhode Island in the USA will enable Flinders University to offer undergraduate and postgraduate studies to South Australian students, the university said.

The University of Manchester is the lead university in the UK's Nuclear Technology Education Consortium and has partnered with Flinders University for the Australian delivery of its nuclear masters programmes and doctoral level research training. The partnership agreement with the University of Rhode Island, which has strong ties to the submarine manufacturing industry, will foster collaborative research, explore cooperative educational opportunities and internships, and promote jointly hosted seminars and events.

"These historic new partnerships will bring the world's best nuclear education and research programmes to Adelaide, equipping Flinders graduates with the high-tech skills required to build the SSN-AUKUS submarines," Flinders University President and Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the UK and President Joe Biden of the USA earlier this month announced the start of the next phase of the project that will ultimately see a new fleet of submarines - known as SSN-AUKUS - built by the UK and Australia. The Australian-built subs will be built in South Australia, with some components made in the UK, and Australia has said it will work over the next decade to build up its submarine industrial base. The first Australian-built submarines are expected to be delivered in the 2040s.

Some 5,500 direct jobs will be created to build the SSN-AUKUS submarines in South Australia when the programme reaches its peak in 20 to 30 years' time, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said.

"We've seen in the UK the massive depth and breadth of skills that are going to be required to build the most complex machines in history," he said. "There's no time to waste. We've already agreed to partner with the Commonwealth to deliver a Skills Academy, and an additional 800 university places over the next four years.

"The partnerships between Flinders, Manchester and Rhode Island universities will see hundreds of South Australians beginning to learn the skills required to operate nuclear-powered submarines."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

 'Loyal Opposition?': Video of U.S. President Joe Biden meeting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre goes viral

Biden's comment may have been a joke, but doesn't reflect positively on the U.S. president, some viewers say


U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the House of Commons on Friday. (Twitter/Greg Price)

Abhya Adlakha
·Editor, Yahoo News Canada
Fri, March 24, 2023 

A video of U.S. President sharing a pointed remark while meeting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the House of Commons has gone viral.

Earlier today, Biden was escorted by Trudeau into the House of Commons where he briefly greeted dignitaries, senators, other party leaders, and Poilievre.

The clip, uploaded by SFC Network Communications Director Greg Price, shows Biden shaking hands with Poilievre while the two introduce themselves to each other formally.

Poilievre introduces himself to Biden as the "leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition". Biden, after momentary confusion asks, "Loyal Opposition?" to which Poilievre responds, "We believe that opposition is an act of loyalty in our system."

Biden laughs while grabbing Poilievre's arm and remarks, "We do too, unfortunately" before moving on to meet the next person.

The video, uploaded only three hours ago, has already garnered more than 70,000 views.

This is the first non-summit overnight visit by a U.S. president in almost two decades. The trip is a chance for Biden and Trudeau to continue their efforts to renew the bilateral relationship, which was marked by some tension in recent years.

As part of the trip, Biden visited Parliament Hill today for an official address followed by a gala dinner at the city's Aviation Museum.
'Not a good response by our president': Twitter reacts to Biden's remarks, compliments Poilievre

Hong Kongers hold first protest in years under strict rules




Protesters, left, stage a rally as member of the press, right, stand in a cordoned area in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 26, 2023. Dozens of people on Sunday joined Hong Kong's first authorized demonstration against the government since the lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, including wearing a numbered badge around their necks.

 (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

KANIS LEUNG
Sun, March 26, 2023

HONG KONG (AP) — Dozens of people on Sunday joined Hong Kong's first authorized protest since the lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, including wearing a numbered badge around their necks.

The rules set out by the police, who cited security reasons, came as the financial hub was promoting its return to normalcy after years of anti-virus controls and political turmoil.

During the pandemic, protests were rare due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, many activists have been silenced or jailed after Beijing imposed a national security law following massive protests in 2019. Critics say the city's freedom of assembly that was promised Hong Kong when it returned to China from Britain in 1997 has been eroded.

Sunday’s demonstration against the proposed reclamation and construction of rubbish-processing facilities was the first police-approved march of its kind after the city scrapped its mask mandate and social distancing limits.

But organizers had to comply with police requirements such as taking measures to ensure the number of participants would not exceed the expected turnout of 100 people and asking for proof of a “reasonable excuse” from protesters who wore masks during the event. At the height of the 2019 anti-government movement, Hong Kong’s government invoked emergency powers to ban masks from public gatherings so it can identify protesters who officials accused of illegal acts.

On Sunday, about 80 people expressed their opposition to the plans in Tseung Kwan O, a residential and industrial area, the organizer said. They had to walk in a cordoned-off moving line in the rain amid heavy police presence.

Theresa Wang described the new restrictions as “a bit weird” but said they were still acceptable because the city was adjusting to “the new Hong Kong.”

“I’m not happy but we have to accept it. We have to accept what is deemed legal now,” the 70-year-old retiree said, adding that she hoped the protest would be a sign the government is more open to discussion.

Protester Jack Wong said he would prefer not to wear the badge printed with a number. Police said earlier the requirement aims to prevent lawbreakers from joining the march.

“But if it is a requirement, what can I say? I prefer not to comment further. You know what I mean,” he said.

In granting its approval, police also requested that organizers ensure there would not be any acts that might endanger national security, including displaying anything seditious.

Cyrus Chan, one of the march organizers, said demonstrators had communicated with police on their promotional materials and slogans. Officers earlier had told him that participants should not wear all-black outfits, he said. Protesters commonly wore black during the 2019 protests.

“It's definitely strict,” Chan said. “We hope this is just an individual case. We hope to show them that Hong Kong society has the ability to have peaceful marches and they do not need to set that many conditions to restrict us."

Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Women Workers’ Association planned a march to call for labor and women’s rights but canceled it at the last moment without specifying why.

Days later, the association said on its Facebook page that police had invited it for further meetings after granting it the approval and that it had tried its best to amend the agreement. But it still could not launch the protest as it had wished, it wrote at that time.

A pro-democracy group separately said national security police had warned four of its members not to participate in the association’s march.

_____

Associated Press photographer Louise Delmotte contributed to this report.

Hong Kong police keep tight tabs on first authorised protest in years

Protest against a land reclamation and waste transfer station project, in Hong Kong

Sat, March 25, 2023
By Jessie Pang

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong police on Sunday permitted a small protest march under tight restrictions in one of the first demonstrations to be approved since the enactment of a sweeping national security law in 2020.

Several dozen demonstrators were required to wear numbered lanyards and were barred from wearing masks, as police monitored their march against a proposed land reclamation and rubbish processing project.

Participants chanted slogans against the reclamation project as they marched in the rain with banners in the eastern district of Tseung Kwan O, where the project is slated to be built.

Some also criticised the restrictions on their protest, which included a maximum of 100 participants, according to a seven-page letter from police to organisers, seen by Reuters.

"We need to have a more free-spirited protest culture," said James Ockenden, 49, who was marching with his three children.

"But this is all pre-arranged and numbered and it just destroys the culture and will put people off from coming for sure."

Responding to the protest, the city's Development Bureau said the project was intended to "support the daily needs of the community".

It said it would "respect the right to freedom of expression" and would study the possibility reducing the scale of the land reclamation.

Police granted the organisers a "no objection" letter on condition they ensured the protest would not violate national security laws, including seditious displays or speech.

"Some lawbreakers may mix into the public meeting and procession to disrupt public order or even engage in illegal violence," the police warned in their letter.

Organisers said up to 50 people took part in the first protest to be authorised by the city's police for several years. They later told media that around 80 people joined Sunday's protest.

Applications for other protests, including a candlelight vigil on June 4 to commemorate the victims of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, have been denied on grounds related to COVID social-distancing.

The last of Hong Kong's COVID restrictions was scrapped this year, following China's decision to end its "zero-COVID" policies.

Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, guarantees the right to public assembly.

Since the China-imposed national security law, enacted in June 2020 in response to protracted pro-democracy protests in 2019, authorities have clamped down on freedoms and arrested scores of opposition politicians and activists.

Some Western governments have criticised the law as a tool of repression but Chinese authorities say it has restored stability to the financial hub.

One protester surnamed Chiu, 50, said she appreciated the chance to protest "in difficult times", and said she saw the lanyards more as a means to facilitate crowd management.

"It doesn't mean putting a leash on us to restrict our expression. I think it's acceptable," she told Reuters.

Political observers and some Western diplomats are watching to see if authorities will allow a resumption of major demonstrations in Hong Kong, namely on June 4 and July 1, that had been a mainstay of the city's once vibrant civil society scene and attracted thousands of people.

(Additional reporting by Xie Yu, Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Robert Birsel and Louise Heavens)

Police monitor first Hong Kong protest since 2020

BBC
Sun, March 26, 2023

Police gave permission for 100 people to attend the rally.

The first protest in two years has taken place in Hong Kong under close monitoring by police.

The small rally was the first since China imposed sweeping restrictions on the rights and freedoms of people living in the territory.

Only 100 people were allowed to attend. They were also required to wear number tags and their banners were examined in advance.

Sunday's march was against a land reclamation plan in the city's east.

Police required organisers to follow stringent conditions and surrounded the marchers with a cordon that kept media and protesters separated.

The participants were allowed to chant slogans against the project.

An anonymous attendee told AFP that the arrangements were "ridiculous": "I am here to join a march, not a shame parade," he said.

Another commented that the measures under which they were allowed to hold the march amounted to "intimidation".

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China. Under its "one country, two systems" principle, residents are supposed to enjoy certain freedoms unavailable on the mainland - and Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, guarantees the right to public assembly.

But these rights have been eroded since 2020, when Beijing imposed a national security law in response to the months-long Hong Kong protests against Beijing's control in 2019.

Beijing said the law was needed to bring stability to the city - but critics said it was designed to squash dissent, and weaken Hong Kong's autonomy.

Protesters had to wear numbered lanyards to the march.