mesbooks Chapter 1003 A Big Money-Making Project Delivered to Our Doorstep from the Mainland
Chapter 1003 A Big Money-Making Project Delivered to Our Doorstep from the Mainland
Nearly 20 minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Soon, led by Ma Shimin, Chief Liang entered Lin Haoran's private office.
He was in his early fifties, thin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a dark gray jacket, a white shirt, and no tie. His attire looked casual, but his eyes were calm and sharp, and his aura remained undiminished.
He was followed by a young entourage member carrying a briefcase.
"Mr. Lin, I'm sorry to bother you." Chief Liang walked into the office and extended his right hand.
"Commander Liang, you're too kind. It's my honor to have you come in person." Lin Haoran stood up, shook hands with him, and then gestured for him to sit down on the sofa.
Ma Shimin tactfully withdrew, leaving the office to the two of them.
Zhang Zhongmou also got up to say goodbye, saying he needed to attend to factory matters first, and Lin Haoran nodded.
After Chief Liang's assistant sat down, Lin Haoran didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Chief Liang, you don't come here unless you have something important to say. You must have some instructions from the capital, right?"
He leaned back on the sofa, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke in a relaxed and unhurried tone, as if he were chatting casually.
Chief Executive Leung has the authority to inquire about and handle all economic and trade matters related to the mainland on the Hong Kong side.
His personal visit signifies that the matter is of great importance.
Lin Haoran could guess without even thinking that this was not an ordinary courtesy visit, but a formal communication with a clear purpose and task.
So he got straight to the point and didn't beat around the bush.
Chief Liang gave a wry smile. He had been thinking about how to gradually bring up the topic, but Lin Haoran had directly revealed the truth.
He glanced at his assistant, who put his briefcase aside, stood up tactfully, said he would wait outside, and then left the office.
"Mr. Lin, you're a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush either." Chief Liang took a document out of his briefcase, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Lin Haoran. "This is something they asked me to bring to you from Beijing. Please take a look."
Lin Haoran picked up the document and opened it.
The cover features a large headline: "Development Plan for Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant (Approved)".
He flipped through the pages one by one, looking at them very carefully.
The most eye-catching thing is the total investment plan of a whopping $40 billion!
"On behalf of the Central Committee, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Lam for his support and contributions to the mainland over the past few years." Chief Leung said sincerely, with a serious respect in his eyes. "From your investment in factories and infrastructure in the mainland, which has boosted the mainland's economic development and your donations to education, to promoting economic and trade cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland, the Central Committee has seen it all."
Your achievements on Wall Street and in Hollywood have made the Chinese people proud. It was unthinkable in the past for a Chinese businessman to achieve breakthroughs simultaneously in the two core industries of finance and entertainment in the United States.”
In fact, in recent years, the development speed of the mainland, especially Guangdong Province, can be described as rapid, at least five to ten years faster than that of Guangdong Province in another world.
With the successive completion of industrial parks by Lin Haoran's companies in mainland China, the entire Pearl River Delta is now almost equivalent to the level of another world in the early 1990s.
All of this was not entirely due to Lin Haoran's investment, but rather because as Lin Haoran's investment in the mainland increased, many Hong Kong businessmen also discovered the advantages of investing in the mainland: cheaper land rent, cheaper labor, and with Lin Haoran paving the way, the risks were greatly reduced.
As a result, more and more Hong Kong businessmen began to follow in Lin Haoran's footsteps and flocked to the Pearl River Delta to invest and build factories.
Toys, clothing, electronics, plastics, hardware...
Factories sprang up like mushrooms after rain, and towns and villages in the Pearl River Delta were transformed into industrial centers overnight. Farmland was turned into factories, and farmers into workers.
Of course, the total investment from all Hong Kong businessmen combined doesn't actually equal the amount invested by Lin Haoran alone.
In recent years, he has not only invested in factories in the Pearl River Delta, but also in airports, ports, highway infrastructure, hotels, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, and almost every industry he could invest in.
In addition to projects like the Wangfujing renovation and the Pudong development, Lin Haoran's investments extend far beyond Guangdong Province.
In just a few years, the total investment of his companies in mainland China alone has exceeded HK$100 billion.
Although Lin Haoran profited from the investment, achieving a win-win situation, everyone knows that Lin Haoran extended a helping hand when the mainland needed funds the most, was the first to jump into the water while others were still watching, and directly poured countless funds into the mainland when others were still worried that investing in the mainland would be a loss. He cast a vote of confidence in the mainland's reform and opening up with real money.
This kind of trust is more powerful than any slogan.
Moreover, when the central government hoped that Lin Haoran would build more factories in the mainland, create more jobs, and revitalize the economy of the Pearl River Delta, Lin Haoran did not hesitate and directly acquired daily necessities brands all over the world and then had all these brands build factories in the Pearl River Delta.
Shampoo, skincare products, laundry detergent, toothpaste, soap, tissues, snacks, drinks...
He made almost every kind of daily necessity you can think of.
Once these brands' production lines are established, they bring not only hundreds of thousands of jobs, but also a complete industrial chain.
Raw material procurement, packaging and printing, logistics and transportation, warehousing and distribution, and upstream and downstream supporting enterprises followed suit, giving the entire Pearl River Delta economy a shot in the arm.
Such a great contributor will certainly not be forgotten by the mainland.
Therefore, their courteous treatment of Lin Haoran stemmed not only from respect for capital, but also from their cherishing of a bond of friendship.
Previously, at Lin Haoran's wedding, the mainland presented him with the inscription "A loyal son of Hong Kong, a peerless national hero," which is enough to show his importance in the eyes of the central government.
This is not just polite talk, but a high-level summary of his contributions over the years.
It is unprecedented in Hong Kong's history for a businessman to be evaluated in this way.
Lin Haoran put down the documents and waved his hand.
"Chief Liang, you flatter me. I just did what I thought was right. The mainland market has huge potential, and investing in the mainland is my business decision. It's a win-win situation for everyone!"
By the way, what's Beijing's opinion on this nuclear power plant investment?
"Mr. Lin, to be honest, we started planning the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant back in 1978."
You may find it hard to understand the power shortages in mainland China. Not to mention other places, in Guangdong Province alone, the entire province is experiencing power shortages of over 30%, and Guangzhou is experiencing power outages for 3 days a week.
The Shenzhen Special Economic Zone has only been established for three years. Power shortages have deterred many foreign investors from entering the area, and some factories have even experienced a three-day work week followed by a four-day shutdown.
Mr. Lin may not realize that your factories are given priority in power supply, so the construction of a nuclear power plant is an urgent matter. The central government has high hopes for this project and cannot afford to fail.
Currently, our country does not possess the technology to build nuclear power plants; we can only import it from Europe.
A nuclear power plant consists of two main parts: the nuclear island and the conventional island. The nuclear island is the core of the core and has extremely high technological barriers.
We negotiated with Framatome in France for two years. Their technology transfer fee was ridiculously high, and they also attached a bunch of political conditions.
We've also approached companies with technology from the UK, Germany, and the US, but they were either too expensive, refused to sell, or came with too many strings attached.
The $40 billion is beyond the current financial capacity of the mainland, so we plan to borrow most of it. However, without strong foreign companies to provide guarantees and sufficient foreign exchange reserves, the loans simply cannot be approved.
In addition, the lack of experience in operating large-scale commercial nuclear power plants in mainland China makes it impossible for us to build nuclear power plants on our own.
Therefore, it is imperative to find a large power company in Hong Kong to cooperate with.
In recent years, we originally planned to cooperate with CLP Power in Hong Kong, because the power supply area that CLP Power is responsible for is right next to Shenzhen. In addition, there is a power shortage in Hong Kong. Therefore, Mr. Kadoorie even came to Guangdong Province many times to discuss with us.
The Kadoorie family, owners of CLP Power, is one of Hong Kong's two major power suppliers. With its strong financial backing, mature technology, and power supply area adjacent to Shenzhen, it was the ideal partner. However, due to their own considerations—concerns about the long investment return period and policy instability in mainland China—they hesitated and remained indecisive, resulting in the project making no substantial progress.
We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, the economic development of Guangdong Province will be held hostage by electricity. Therefore, after careful consideration, the mainland government hopes that Mr. Lin can get involved and take over from the Kadoorie family as the Hong Kong leader of this project.
As for CLP Power, they can participate if they want, but we won't force them if they don't. The project can't be delayed because of them. "Chief Liang said a lot in one breath, his tone tinged with helplessness.
In Guangdong Province today, foreign-invested factories are springing up everywhere, private enterprises are springing up like mushrooms after rain, and households are using more electrical appliances, resulting in an explosive growth in electricity consumption.
The existing power grid and power plants simply couldn't keep up with this pace, and electricity became the biggest bottleneck restricting economic development.
After listening to Chief Liang's account, Lin Haoran realized that the mainland was facing such a severe power crisis.
His factory in Guangdong Province was given priority power supply, so he did not experience the inconvenience of power outages.
Foreign investment is hesitant to enter the market, private enterprises are reluctant to expand production, residents' lives are affected, and the pace of economic development is hampered.
If the power problem is not resolved soon, Guangdong Province's rapid development in recent years may come to an abrupt halt.
Lin Haoran knew a bit about the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant from his previous life. He knew it was a super money-making machine, with annual profits exceeding 5 billion RMB for the first ten years or so, and nearly 10 billion RMB annually in the later years.
What is this concept?
Before Lin Haoran traveled through time, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant had been operating for 32 years, and its total profit had reached two to three hundred billion RMB!
And this is just profit, not revenue.
The initial registered investment capital was only US$4 million, with the remaining US$36 billion financed through export credit loans from countries such as France and the United Kingdom.
Of these, CLP Power only contributed US$1 million out of its own pocket, while the mainland government contributed US$3 million.
A total of $4 million was used to generate profits of hundreds of billions of RMB. This leverage ratio is extremely rare on a global scale.
Lin Haoran knew from his previous life that the success of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was not only due to its solution to the power problems in Guangdong and Hong Kong, but also because it pioneered a brand-new joint venture model. The Chinese side provided resources, markets, and policies, while the foreign side provided capital, technology, and management. Both sides shared risks and benefits.
This model was later widely replicated in other large-scale infrastructure projects, becoming a classic case of attracting foreign investment in mainland China.
However, when the No. 1 unit of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was started in 1986, the construction period was as long as 8 years, and it was not until 1994 that it was officially put into commercial operation.
That was back when the economic development of Guangdong Province was far slower than it is now.
The current power shortage in Guangdong Province is many times greater than in the previous life, and this project can no longer wait.
The central government's message is clear: the sooner the better.
Lin Haoran never expected that such a big opportunity would be delivered to his door, so naturally he couldn't miss it.
In the future, as Hong Kong's economy develops at an increasingly rapid pace, the demand for electricity will only continue to grow.
Therefore, the power shortage is not only a problem on the mainland, but also a problem in Hong Kong.
In the future, as the mainland's power industry develops better and better, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant's role in the mainland will decline, and more than 70% of its electricity will be transmitted to Kowloon and even Hong Kong Island, becoming an important pillar of Hong Kong's power supply.
Moreover, the existing power plants in Hong Kong have extremely high costs, while nuclear power has extremely low fuel costs. Once built and put into operation, the operating costs will mainly be depreciation and personnel wages, resulting in very considerable profits.
Lin Haoran knew from his previous life that the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was one of CLP Power's most profitable investments. In 2025 alone, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant was expected to generate 9 billion RMB in profit, and CLP Power, which held a 25% stake, would receive more than 2 billion RMB in dividends.
This is just one year's dividend, while the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant will have been operating stably for 31 years by 2025!
This is one of the key reasons why the Kadoorie family has been able to maintain its position as a top-tier wealthy family in Hong Kong.
The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant is their cash cow, providing billions of Hong Kong dollars in stable profits every year, making it more reliable than any other business.
How could Lin Haoran possibly let go of such a sure-fire way to make money?
Moreover, both the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong have a large number of industries that require massive amounts of electricity to operate. Factories need to run and shopping malls need to operate. If the power supply is insufficient, they will be greatly affected.
If he could acquire a stake in the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, he would not only gain a stable return on investment but also be able to supply electricity to his own businesses at a lower cost.
This is a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it.
"Chief Liang, what do you need me to do for this project? Also, how should we handle things with the Kadoorie family?" Lin Haoran asked.
"If Mr. Lin is willing to participate in this project, he needs to go to Guangdong Province for consultation. Now, if this project wants to speed up, it first needs a large foreign company to provide credit support in order to negotiate export credit from the French and British governments."
Their government loan interest rates are only 7% to 8%, far lower than the 11% to 12% for commercial loans. The mainland lacks foreign exchange reserves and simply does not have the capacity to mobilize so many US dollars. Therefore, Beijing hopes that you can use the international credit of its subsidiary, Hong Kong Electric Group, to endorse this project.
With guarantees from Hong Kong blue-chip companies like Hong Kong Electric Group, export credit agencies in France and the UK are more likely to approve loans with confidence.
Only when the funds come in can we proceed to the next step; otherwise, it's all just empty talk.
As for CLP Power, once the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant is completed, it will be a good thing for them, and they are certainly willing to facilitate it. However, they are currently unwilling to use CLP Power's credit as collateral, fearing it will affect their own financial rating.
The Kadoorie family has always been known for its prudent, even conservative, approach to business; they are unwilling to endorse any projects with uncertainties.
Lin Haoran nodded. No wonder the project, which was initiated in 1978, was delayed until 1986 in his previous life. The long tug-of-war in between and the Kadoorie family's indecisiveness also played a part.
It's not that they don't want to make money, but that they're too afraid of the risks.
At the time, nuclear power projects were unprecedented in Hong Kong, and there were uncertainties in every aspect, including technology, safety, returns, and policies.
"In that case, I agree to participate in this project!" Lin Haoran said with a smile.
How could he miss such a great opportunity?
Since CLP Power is still hesitating, he'll take the plunge himself.
Hong Kong Electric Holdings Limited is his; he can use it however he wants without having to consider anyone else's opinion.
The Kadoorie family fears risk, but Lin Haoran does not.
After all, as a time traveler, he knew that investing in the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant would only become a highly profitable project.
“That would be excellent. I wonder if Mr. Lin is free recently? If he is, I will contact the Guangdong Provincial authorities and arrange for Mr. Lin and Mr. Kadoorie to travel to Guangdong for an in-depth consultation to expedite the implementation of this project.”
It means, the sooner the better, we can't delay any longer.
Chief Liang's tone carried a hint of urgency, but also a hint of relief.
Lin Haoran agreed, and the project now had a central figure.
As for the Kadoorie family, they can come if they want, or they can not come if they don't want to, which will not affect the overall situation, even though the Kadoorie family assisted Guangdong Province with a lot of research and preparation in the early stage.
“Chief Liang, the New Year is over now, so you should set a time. The sooner you decide, the better. As you know, I have a lot of work to do, and I may not be able to stay in Hong Kong for an extended period,” Lin Haoran said.
“Okay, then I’ll go back and coordinate with Guangdong Province to try and finalize the timeline in the next couple of days, and try to schedule the consultations within this week,” Chief Liang said directly.
Today is February 28th, the last day of February, which is also a Monday.
Therefore, a week isn't actually a very rushed time.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Chief Liang got up to take his leave.
Lin Haoran escorted him to the office door, watching him and his assistant disappear at the end of the corridor. (End of Chapter)