kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
SEE inspects energy facilities in GBA (with photos)
7.3.2024

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, visited the energy facilities of the China Southern Power Grid in Zhuhai and Nansha, Guangzhou, in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area today (March 7). Mr Tse first visited the Guishan Offshore Wind Farm in Zhuhai and was briefed by a representative on the development background and operation of the facilities. He then proceeded to Nansha, Guangzhou, to visit the "Multi-in-One" micro energy grid project, which is the first demonstration project of China-Finland energy co-operation. The project, commissioned in 2022, is equipped with facilities such as solid oxide fuel cells, a solar thermal heating system and a bedrock energy storage system. The project contributes to the research and improvement of energy utilisation efficiency, aiming to achieve energy saving and carbon emission reduction. In the afternoon, Mr Tse visited the Xiaohu Island Electric Hydrogen Smart Energy Station in Nansha, Guangzhou. Having commenced operation in March last year, it is a demonstration project under the National Key Research and Development Programme as well as the first grid-side energy storage type hydrogen refueling station on the Mainland to utilise solid-state hydrogen storage technology. Mr Tse also exchanged experiences with the relevant staff on the applications of the energy facilities visited today. Mr Tse said, "To meet the overall target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is enhancing the fuel mix for electricity generation and progressively increasing the use of zero-carbon energy for electricity generation. The HKSAR Government will continue to explore ways to enhance regional co-operation and identify sources of zero-carbon energy and technology in neighbouring regions to enable Hong Kong to use more clean fuels and progressively rely less on fossil fuel in electricity generation. "In terms of hydrogen development in the future, the HKSAR Government set up the Interdepartmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel in 2022 to study the development and commercialisation of various hydrogen energy technologies and promote the application of hydrogen energy through different trial projects in the local community. The Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong will be announced in the second quarter of this year to provide details on the challenges and direction of hydrogen development in Hong Kong." After the visits, Mr Tse returned to Hong Kong in the evening.
Opening ceremony of Lai Wan Market held today (with photo)
1.3.2024

The opening ceremony of the overhauled Lai Wan Market under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) was held today (March 1), which marks the official reopening of the market. Officiating at the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that the Lai Wan Market is a project under the Market Modernisation Programme. The overhauled market is citizen- and district-centric, with a view to delivering quality services for the residents. The overhauled Lai Wan Market adopts simplicity and modernity as its core design basis, and uses a vibrant colour scheme. It has reconfigured the overall market layout, enhanced the design of stalls, widened the passageways, improved drainage and ventilation facilities, etc. Moreover, a number of new facilities are provided at the market, including public seating, a carcass storage room, recycling facilities and barrier-free facilities. The market provides 30 stalls which have progressively commenced business from February 2, and the market has been operating smoothly. The new environment and facilities of the market are also well received by the public. The FEHD introduces a new management model in the Lai Wan Market and has strengthened the role of the management service contractor in managing the market, including formulating market promotion and development strategies, with a view to increasing the attractiveness and patronage of the market. Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony included the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Food), Miss Vivian Lau; the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Ms Irene Young; the Director of Architectural Services, Mr Michael Li; the District Officer (Sham Shui Po), Mr Paul Wong; and Members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Mr Yang Wing-kit, Mr Leung Man-kwong and Mr Vincent Cheng. They were joined by other attending guests including Members of the LegCo, members of Sham Shui Po District Council and Area Committees, members of the local community, etc. The FEHD will continue to take forward other market development projects to keep public markets abreast with the times to meet public needs.
Government establishes Expert Group on Conservation for Sha Lo Tung 
1.3.2024

The Environment and Ecology Bureau today (March 1) announced the establishment of the Expert Group on Conservation for Sha Lo Tung. Members of the Expert Group are appointed by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, with Professor Lam Kin-che as the convener. The members include experts and scholars from fields of nature conservation or related sectors involved in promoting conservation work, as well as representatives of the relevant government bureau and department. The membership list of the Expert Group is set out in the Annex. The term of appointment is two years, from March 1, 2024, until February 28, 2026. The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that members of the Expert Group possess profound professional knowledge and extensive experience. With their support, the Government can conserve the beautiful ecological environment and biodiversity in Sha Lo Tung in a more comprehensive and sustainable manner, and provide a more fruitful countryside experience and opportunities for ecological research for visitors and scholars from Hong Kong and other regions. The work of the Expert Group includes assisting the Government in mapping out the long-term strategies for conservation of ecology and biodiversity in Sha Lo Tung, advising the Government on measures to promote scientific research and eco-recreation in Sha Lo Tung, and steering the implementation of conservation studies and projects carried out in Sha Lo Tung. Sha Lo Tung has very high ecological value, ranking second among the 12 Priority Sites for Enhanced Conservation under the New Nature Conservation Policy. Since 2018, the Government has been implementing ongoing conservation work in Sha Lo Tung through a Nature Conservation Management Agreement project funded under the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme. With the completion of non in-situ land exchange in Sha Lo Tung in July 2022, the Government will take forward further measures to enhance nature conservation in Sha Lo Tung, facilitate scientific research and enable public enjoyment of the precious ecological resources there.
Capacity Building Training on Retro-commissioning of Association of Southeast Asian Nations held in Hong Kong (with photos)
26.2.2024

The Capacity Building Training on Retro-commissioning (RCx) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is being held in Hong Kong today and tomorrow (February 26 and 27). More than 20 experts and delegates from eight ASEAN member states are gathering to exchange valuable experiences, technical knowledge and share insights on RCx. Delivering a welcoming speech by video, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that RCx plays a vital role in the periodic assessment of the energy performance of a building. It identifies areas for operational improvements, thereby achieving energy savings and a reduction of operating costs. By integrating RCx into energy efficiency strategies, significant progress can be made towards a more sustainable and energy-efficient ASEAN region. Mr Tse pointed out that Hong Kong is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and is pursuing the reduction of electricity consumption in commercial buildings by 30 per cent to 40 per cent, and that of residential buildings by 20 per cent to 30 per cent from the 2015 level by 2050, aiming to achieve these targets halfway by 2035. He added that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is implementing the energy saving and green buildings strategy in Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 with a multipronged approach, such as proposing amendments to the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance to extend the scope of regulation to more types of buildings, and strengthening regional co-operation on the promotion of retro-commissioning in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In the workshop, the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Eric Pang, shared the HKSAR Government's latest efforts in achieving carbon neutrality by enhancing energy efficiency and savings in buildings. He thanked ASEAN member states for joining the training and encouraged co-operation among ASEAN member states on retro-commissioning. The workshop, which is the first energy-related ASEAN project held in Hong Kong, is organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department with support from the Economic and Technical Co-operation (ECOTECH) Work Programme under the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement. The ECOTECH Work Programme has supported more than 10 projects in pursuit of mutual benefits between ASEAN and Hong Kong, benefitting around 4 000 participants from Hong Kong, ASEAN and other regions.
SEE officiates at opening ceremony of GREEN@TSING YI (with photos)
23.2.2024

â The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (February 23) officiated at the opening ceremony of GREEN@TSING YI, witnessing the first GREEN@COMMUNITY Recycling Store set up in an MTR station. Mr Tse, addressing the opening ceremony, said that the Kwai Tsing District is the smallest district, yet has the highest population density in the New Territories. In order to enable MTR passengers and those nearby residents to participate in clean recycling to prepare for the implementation of municipal solid waste charging, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has further extended the GREEN@COMMUNITY community recycling network to the MTR Station. With the commencement of the operation of GREEN@TSING YI, the number of Recycling Stores under the GREEN@COMMUNITY has increased to 40, together with 11 Recycling Stations, and more than 130 Recycling Spots operating weekly at fixed times and locations in the form of kerb-side collection booths. There are also more than 180 public recyclable collection points across the territory in total. In addition, under the pilot programme for a smart recycling system, there are also more than 70 smart recycling bins installed in different application points including large housing estates, public rental housing estates, villages, shopping malls, universities and government venues by the EPD for the public's trial use. The EPD has also provided three-colour waste separation bins for about 2,700 building premises under the Source Separation of Domestic Waste programme. The department encourages members of the public to make good use of the recycling facilities and cultivate green living habits. Mr Tse also announced at the opening ceremony that the launch of a pilot collaboration program with the EPD's GREEN$ Electronic Participation Incentive Scheme (ePIS) and the MTR's carbon emission reduction reward platform "Carbon Wallet". Members of the GREEN$ Mobile App can convert Green$ points to "Carbon Wallet" points to redeem rewards including free single journey MTR tickets. Mr Tse hopes that the collaboration can introduce a synergistic effect to encourage more people to cultivate good carbon emission reduction, waste reduction as well as clean recycling habits in daily life. For details of the GREEN$ ePIS, please visit the EPD's Hong Kong Waste Reduction Website www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en-hk/waste-reduction-programme/green-electronic-participation-incentive-scheme . The public can also visit the GREEN@TSING YI social media page www.facebook.com/6green.tsingyi/ to get the latest information about the recycling store.
SEE briefs District Council members on MSW charging (with photos)
26.1.2024

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (January 26) hosted a briefing on municipal solid waste (MSW) charging for members of the District Councils (DC) at the Central Government Offices. At the briefing, Mr Tse briefed the DC members on the latest implementation arrangements of MSW charging, helping them understand the progress of the implementation of MSW charging and answering their questions on the implementation details, in order to enable them to explain and promote it to the public. Mr Tse also listened to DC members' valuable opinions on the preparatory work on MSW charging and the relevant waste reduction and recycling initiatives. He said that, prior to the implementation of MSW charging on August 1, the Government will strive to take forward the preparatory and promotional work in a more targeted, deeper and broader way. "To successfully implement this policy involving all sectors of Hong Kong, the support of the local community is essential. I appeal to all DC members to work with the Care Teams to fully support and assist the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in promoting and explaining the policy of MSW charging in their community work, so as to help the general public to get prepared for the implementation of MSW charging," Mr Tse said. The EPD has arranged to brief the 18 DCs or their relevant committees in these two months to explain the implementation details of MSW charging and answer questions raised by the DC members. EPD officers will also attend various briefing sessions organised by local personalities for the residents. Briefing sessions will also be held for the Care Teams to facilitate their promotion of MSW charging during their district work. The EPD will distribute the promotional materials of MSW charging to DC members and Care Teams through the Home Affairs Department and District Offices in due course. Moreover, the EPD also introduced to DC members the implementation details of the first phase of regulating disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products.
Transcript of remarks by SEE at media session
26.1.2024

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, at a media session after a briefing session for District Council members on municipal solid waste charging today (January 26): Reporter: Mr Tse, how will you tackle the sale of fake plastic bags online or prevent residents from buying these fake plastic bags? I understand that some district councillors have expressed concerns in the meeting just now with you about the waste charging scheme, so how will you address their concerns? Thank you. Secretary for Environment and Ecology: As I have just mentioned, for our citizens, they should look for authorised retailers to buy those designated bags. I think that is the best way to make sure that the bags they are going to buy are genuine. As to the Government, the government departments are very concerned about anybody selling unauthorised bags or even fake bags. Therefore, they will work together to conduct surveillance in the market as well as over the web. Whenever they find such cases, they will certainly take actions under the law. As to the briefing just now for the district councillors, they have provided me with a lot of good questions and good ideas. Many wanted to clarify on how the scheme would be implemented, and some suggested us to enhance our education and publicity. And some suggested to enhance the collection of recyclables in order to support the community. I think those are very good ideas. I will work with my team, taking their views into consideration and improve our work further. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Transcript of remarks by SEE at media session
19.1.2024

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, at a media session on enhanced arrangements on promoting municipal solid waste charging at the lobby of West Wing, Central Government Offices, today (January 19): Reporter: Would you or anyone from the relevant Government departments need to be held responsible for the postponement of this municipal (solid) waste charging scheme? Would this affect the Government's credibility and the waste charging scheme's future rollout? The second question, by postponing the plan until August, what does the Government hope to address specifically, such as the implementation of the scheme with the support of some communities affected by the scheme? Are you confident that you can solve these issues before August? The last question, what is the logic and rationale of allowing the Government to implement the waste charging scheme first? Wouldn't the same problem exist in the scheme when you launch it later? Would pushing the implementation period and the six-month transition period into the holidays and beyond affect the trash collection efficiency? Secretary for Environment and Ecology: As I have explained, in this week, I noted many discussions and questions raised by various sectors and the community about waste charging. Many people expressed their concern to me that the general public do not understand how waste charging will be implemented and the related details. I think as a responsible Government, we would like to implement waste charging successfully and smoothly and therefore I believe it is just a responsible act for us to put more time into education so that when we implement waste charging it will be implemented successfully and smoothly. I must also emphasise that we will not only just put more time into publicity and education, but also put forward a new approach, that is, we will put forward demonstrations so that different people, different sectors and the public can actually see how waste charging will be in operation, how it is operated and if you have some minor problems, how they will be resolved, etc. I think it is the best way. You have asked about (the rationale of) the Government doing it first, will it actually help? I think the answer is certainly. When the Government is going to do it, then we will have real operation cases for people to observe. It is not only for people to observe, we will make use of those demonstrations to take movie (video) and bring the media and the public to look at it so that people can see the real thing and how it operates. People will ease their mind and know the details. I think that will help the implementation of the scheme in the future. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
35th Meeting of APEC Expert Group on Energy Data and Analysis held in Hong Kong (with photos)
17.1.2024

The 35th Meeting of the Expert Group on Energy Data and Analysis (EGEDA35) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is being held in Hong Kong today and tomorrow (January 17 and 18). Delivering a welcoming speech at the meeting today, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that Hong Kong is honoured to host the EGEDA35 to provide a platform for direct dialogue among APEC partners. Over 40 experts and delegates from nine APEC member economies as well as two international organisations are gathered to share insights and exchange experiences on energy data and analysis with their counterparts. Discussion topics of EGEDA35 include updates of the work of the EGEDA on annual data collection, an overview of energy supply and demand in APEC, the progress of APEC goals, and data collection of new energy technologies, etc. Mr Tse said that APEC economies consume approximately 60 per cent of the world's energy. As the members continue their speedy recovery from the epidemic and their focus on economic development, energy consumption will continue to increase, leading to an exponential increase in carbon emissions. Thus, there is an imminent need to expedite the energy transition to an environmental-friendly framework to achieve a climate-safe future. He further said that Hong Kong is striving to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 and pursue the reduction of Hong Kong's carbon emissions by 50 per cent before 2035 from the 2005 level. In this connection, Hong Kong is actively engaging new energy technologies in accordance with the major decarbonisation strategies outlining in the Climate Action Plan, such as the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit at the Hong Kong Offshore Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal, district cooling systems, and new energy vehicles, etc to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. Mr Tse also encouraged the use of energy data analyses and modelling tools to provide insightful information on energy trends in driving transition towards a sustainable future. The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Eric Pang, shared the latest energy developments in Hong Kong at the meeting today. He thanked APEC member economies for their continued efforts to combat climate change, and stressed that close co-operation must be maintained in order to meet the climate change challenges. The EGEDA is an expert group under the APEC Energy Working Group, which is responsible for providing policy-relevant energy information to APEC bodies and the wider community through collecting energy data of the APEC region and managing the operation of the APEC energy database. The EGEDA comprises members from the 21 APEC economies and meets once a year. In November 2020, Hong Kong, China hosted the Joint Meeting of EGEDA and APEC Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation.