CK Power implements “Hing Hoi” project to enhance sustainable social values

Many of you may wonder why the project is called “Hing Hoi”. It’s from an analogy that where there are fireflies, there is light. One firefly may only bring a small flicker, but hundreds, thousands of fireflies coming together could create great bright light.

Similarly, CK Power Plc, the producer of renewables-based electricity, uses its know-how to build on its social initiatives through the Hing Hoi Project. This is how CK Power brings light and good quality of life to local communities.

CK Power Managing Director Thanawat Trivisvavet said the Hing Hoi Project is the company's principal CSR initiative that has been running continuously since 2016.

He said this project aims to apply the know-how and knowledge that the people at CK Power have in renewable energy and engineering to reduce shortages while increasing the potential of the communities and societies around our power plants and the remote areas in Thailand and Laos.

The goal is to create awareness, engagement and social responsibility for all employees, he added.

The company hopes to build a giver DNA among CK Power’s people into social value through 3Cs – competency in clean energy engineering, co-creation to share with society clean energy, and Cooperation by getting together employees, communities and stakeholders for the cause.

"The 3 Cs are executed through the ‘Competency, Co-creation, Cooperation, Connection’ strategy," he explained.

"Competency means that CK Power uses its capabilities to empower communities, societies and stakeholders. Co-creation is the use of innovative ideas and processes for sustainable development. Cooperation is the engagement of employees with stakeholders. This leads to Connection, which is to work together with stakeholders for sustainable development."

Thanawat added that the Hing Hoi Project was the result of CK Power conducting a survey of the local communities to learn how they are and what they need in terms of basic public utilities such as water supply and electricity as well as education.

"We want children and youngsters to have equal access to basic education and to have an environment conducive to learning," he said.

"The activities are carried out by CK Power’s people at all levels, and evaluation is made at least once a year to see if we achieved the intended goals."

The young generation in our company and local communities are also motivated to play a part in the project as much as possible to ensure sustainability from generation to generation, he added.

The Hing Hoi Project of the past five years began in 2016 (Year 1). In the first year, CK Power built a solar-powered school building for Pu Kham Noi village and built a hydropower turbine generator for Mae Pa Klang village in Sop Moei district of Mae Hong Son province.

In 2017 (Year 2), the company continued its initiative at Ban Mae Ler Border Patrol Police Learning Centre in Mae Hong Son’s Mae Sariang district, where improvement was made to the learning building, a check dam was built along with a solar-powered pump reservoir with solar cells installed to power the water pump. Improvement was also made to the landscape surrounding the learning centre.

In 2018-2019 (Year 3), at the behest of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, CK Power built a royal project for the development of children and youth in Ban Mae Mu Nai in Chiang Mai’s Mae Chaem district.

With Her Royal Highness’ permission, the project was named “Ban Mae Mu Nai Border Patrol Police Learning Centre under the Patronage of CK Power”.

The centre consists of a learning building, a library and a road lighting system – all powered by solar energy. There is also a dormitory for the teaching staff, a dormitory with bathrooms for schoolchildren from remote areas, a canteen and a flag pole square. Improvement was also made to the surrounding landscape.

In 2019 (Year 4), an initiative was taken in line with the Sustainable Power for The Future Generation principle. It was called “Huen Khiang Hong (Faifah)” - a community or house near the power plant. The activity involved developing the area of Ban Kang School in Luang Prabang province, the Laos, which is located near the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant.

Knowledge was shared with the community on hydropower and natural resource conservation. Sports kits and equipment were handed over to schoolchildren.

The 4th year of the project also saw activity in Thailand at Bandu (Saharat Wittaya) School in Pak Thong Chai district,Nakhon Ratchasima province, near the Bangkhenchai Solar Power Plant.

Through its “Hero! Solar Zero Waste” initiative, the company provided training on environment preservation and plastic use reduction and donated computers to support youth education.

For the 2020 (Year 5) Hing Hoi Project, CK Power visited Wat Kudi Prasit School in Wang Noi district of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, near the Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant to repaint the school building and lay a new foundation for a small children’s playground using shock reducing materials to minimise fall injuries. Improvement was made to the landscape of the school’s small garden and science park.

To promote better educational opportunities for youngsters, the company also improved the reading pavilion for parents and children and encouraged its staff to make desks and chairs from papier mache for small children to create an environment suitable for learning for students.

“I had the opportunity to go on a field trip of our Hing Hoi project every year and carried out activities with the staff members representing our company and the people in each community," said Thanawat.

"We saw children’s smiles and happy eyes of people in the communities. It brought light to our hearts and made us at CK Power very happy."

He believes that CK Power can empower the communities with the Hing Hoi Project as the company brings capabilities in renewable energy engineering to good use in line with its main mission to be one of the region’s largest producers of renewables-based electricity with one of the lowest carbon footprints.

"We are ready to support the net-zero greenhouse gas emission policy at both national and global levels in concrete ways to help with global warming in the long term," he said.

To achieve sustainable development, he added that CK Power will continue to build on community development initiatives to provide better quality of life through the Hing Hoi Project, bringing light to needed communities, in parallel with focus on the renewable energy business.

"Despite it being just a small benefactor, it is able to work with other stakeholders to bring forth a great light – akin to a swarm of fireflies coming together,” he added.