1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 605 Invitation!
"Father, Victor's secretary sent me an invitation and wants to meet me in the evening."

In the Deep Water Bay villa, Michael Kadoorie whispered to his father Lawrence Kadoorie.

"Victor asked you to meet?"

On the sofa, Roland Kadoorie heard his son's report, looked at him in surprise, and then began to think.

They actually didn't have much interaction with Bao Zeyang, the young man, so the Kadoorie family was still very curious about the other party's sudden invitation.

Is it buying a house again?

The last time they dealt with Bao Zeyang was when the other party wanted to buy a villa on Kadoorie Hill.

That should be the residence he prepared for that little canary star.

"Go and have a look. See what this little guy wants to talk to you about!"

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

"Our company has some overlap in business with his, but there is almost no competition. I think it is very likely that the other party wants to cooperate with us, but I don't know in which area."

After thinking for a moment, Lawrence said to his son.

The Kadoorie family has two main industries. One is China Light and Power, which, together with Hong Kong Electric under Hong Kong Land, are the only two private power companies in Hong Kong Island.

However, there is no competition between the two power companies because their territories are divided: Kowloon and the New Territories belong to CLP Power, while Hong Kong Island and outlying islands belong to HK Electric.

In addition to electricity, there is the hotel industry.

The Kadoorie family also controls the ownership of the Shanghai Hotel Group, and the most high-end brand under the Shanghai Hotel Group is the Peninsula Hotel!

Of course, the Kadoorie family also has some investments in real estate and other areas, but those are basically not the main business.

Therefore, Lawrence felt that there was no conflict between their land and Bao Zeyang's, but he did not know what the other party's intentions were.

"I understand, father!"

In the evening, The Peninsula Hotel!
Li Changhe and his men arrived as promised, and Michael Garda had already been waiting here.

"Hello, Victor"

"Hello, Michael"

The two men shook hands, and then, led by Michael, came to a restaurant that had already been prepared.

After the two sides exchanged greetings and sat down, Li Changhe directly stated the purpose of his visit.

"Mr. Michael, I came to you this time mainly for two things."

"First, I heard that China Power is now promoting the nuclear power plant plan, right?"

After hearing what Li Changhe said, Michael Kadoorie was shocked.

nuclear power plant?
The other party is also concerned about nuclear power plants?

Is it possible?
"Vic, the power group does have the intention to promote the nuclear power plant, but the plan has been stuck now."

"We can only say that this is an option we are preparing for, but at the moment, the possibility of success is not high."

Michael Kadoorie spoke softly at this time and gave a very conservative answer.

Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "It's like this, Michael, the power plant of HK Electric in Hong Kong Island is actually very old, and it is expected to be demolished and rebuilt next."

"I'm actually leaning towards building a nuclear power plant."

"But after investigating, I think it would be too difficult for HK Electric to build a nuclear power plant alone."

“Firstly, there are no suitable locations around Hong Kong Island and outlying islands.”

"Secondly, if HK Electric builds a nuclear power plant on its own, the power generation will actually be a bit excessive for Hong Kong Island and outlying islands." "Later I learned that China Light and Power also has a similar plan, so I asked you, Michael, to meet to see if there is any possibility for our cooperation."

"I heard that you proposed to build a nuclear power plant on the mainland to supply electricity to Hong Kong Island, is that right?"

Li Changhe said seriously at this time.

Michael Kadoorie heard this and nodded helplessly.

The other party seemed to have very clear information and should have done some investigation, so he had nothing to hide.

"Yes, it is too difficult to build a nuclear power plant here on Hong Kong Island. Many people are worried about nuclear leakage."

"So we proposed a plan where Hong Kong would pay for the construction and the mainland would build it. We also communicated with the mainland, but the opinions they gave were also inconsistent."

"Vick, to be honest, there has been no progress on this matter so far. The Governor's Office has different ideas from time to time. Sometimes they agree, and sometimes they raise objections."

"The mainland's attitude is also very vague. It feels like they are willing to talk, but they haven't given a clear answer."

"Personally, I think if you are willing to join us, Vic, I would welcome you very much."

"Nuclear power generation is very efficient and the electricity it supplies is sufficient to support the needs of both of our companies."

"By then, CLP Power's power grid can allocate a dedicated line to HK Electric."

Michael said seriously at this time.

If it were something else, he might still hesitate, but when it came to nuclear power, Michael was inclined to cooperate as soon as he heard about it.

The reason is simple: the gap in China Power is too big.

Because China Light and Power is mainly responsible for Kowloon and the New Territories. In recent years, with the expansion of Hong Kong Island's population, the new population has been mainly concentrated in Kowloon and the New Territories, especially the new towns that are constantly being built in the New Territories, which require a large amount of electricity supply.

On the other hand, on the main island of Hong Kong, there are more multinational corporations, but the population growth is not as much as that in Kowloon and the New Territories.

Firstly, it has always been the core business district of Hong Kong Island, mainly focusing on business, and there are many commercial buildings.

Secondly, housing prices there have always been relatively high, and those who can live there are mainly middle and upper class elites. Most of the new population is still in Kowloon and the New Territories.

Therefore, the nuclear power plant is more about solving the dilemma of China Light and Power rather than HK Electric.

But now, with the power of the Kadoorie family, it is actually somewhat difficult to maneuver between Hong Kong Island and the mainland.

Because the Kadoorie family's positioning is very awkward. They are Baghdad Jews and are neither core members of the British Hong Kong nor core members of the Chinese on the mainland.

But it would be different if Victor could be added in. China Light and Power plus HK Electric would actually be the feedback from the power companies of the entire Hong Kong Island.

Moreover, the power of the Bao family gives them enough weight and voice, both in the Governor's Office and on the mainland.

Michael believed that if the Kadoorie family and the Pao family worked together to promote this matter, the efficiency of progress would be greatly improved.

Seeing Michael's statement, Li Changhe smiled and nodded.

"Michael, I am personally very interested in this, but for now, I don't know much about the progress of this plan."

"So I need you to provide me with some information so I can familiarize myself with it."

"By the way, I'm going to France for an inspection, and I want to learn more about their nuclear power technology. Are you interested in going with me?"

When Li Changhe saw Michael's attitude, he knew their current predicament.

So he took the opportunity to invite Michael Kadoorie.

When Michael Kadoorie heard Li Changhe's invitation, he looked at him in surprise.

Are we going to France to study nuclear power technology?

(End of this chapter)