The Government has fully implemented all the motor vehicle emission control measures announced in 1999. Air quality in districts with heavy traffic has already improved. Compared with 1999, the roadside concentrations of the major air pollutant emissions from vehicles, namely respirable suspended particulates (RSP) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), had been reduced by 15% and 24% respectively in 2007. The number of smoky vehicles has also been reduced by about 80%.
Notwithstanding the very substantial reduction in local emissions, the visibility has been deteriorating due to worsening of the regional background air quality, as shown in Figure 1 below. Smog has now become a common phenomenon for the entire PRD area.
Figure 1: Air Pollutants Emitted in Hong Kong and Reduced Visibility Trend
[Air Pollutants Emitted in Hong Kong]
# Percentage of Reduced Visibility refers to the percentage of time in a year with visibility less than 8 km and relative humidity not exceeding 80%, based on observations taken at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters.
To improve local and regional air quality, the Hong Kong SAR Government reached a consensus with Guangdong Provincial Government in April 2002 to reduce, on a best endeavour basis, the emission of four major air pollutants, sulphur dioxide (SO2), NOx, RSP and volatile organic compounds (VOC) by 40%, 20%, 55% and 55% respectively in the region by 2010, using 1997 as the base year. Achieving these targets will enable Hong Kong to meet our current AQOs, significantly improve the air quality of the PRD region and relieve the regional smog problem.
In December 2003, the two governments jointly drew up the PRD Regional Air Quality Management Plan (the "Management Plan") with a view to meeting the above emission reduction targets. The PRD Air Quality Management and Monitoring Special Panel was set up under the Hong Kong/Guangdong Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection (JWG) to follow up on the tasks under the Management Plan. The PRD Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network established under the Management Plan is now in full operation to provide comprehensive and accurate air quality data.
Progress of Reducing Emissions in Hong Kong
As a result of various emission reduction measures implemented in recent years, Hong Kong has achieved good progress in reducing the total emissions of NOx, RSP and VOC. For SO2, however, much of the effort has been vitiated by the increase in emissions from the power plants. Details are presented in the table below -
Table: Progress in Achieving the 2010 Emissions Reduction Targets
|
Pollutant
|
1997 Emission
(Tonnes)
|
2006 Emission
(Tonnes)
|
Change in Emission (%)
1997 - 2006
|
2010 Reduction
Target (%)
|
|
|
65,900
|
73,900
|
12%
|
-40%
|
|
NOx
|
123,000
|
94,800
|
-23%
|
-20%
|
|
RSP
|
11,400
|
5,860
|
-48%
|
-55%
|
|
VOC
|
68,900
|
41,200
|
-40%
|
-55%
|
We are making steady progress on the following additional local emission reduction measures -
- since April 2007, all pre-Euro diesel vehicles have to be installed with approved emission reduction devices. The Air Pollution Control (Emission Reduction Devices for Vehicles) Regulation requires that these devices must be kept in good working condition for reducing particulate emissions. Owners of vehicles failing to comply with the requirements will have their vehicle licences cancelled or refused for renewal upon expiry;
- we have enacted legislation requiring newly registered heavy vehicles to comply with Euro IV emission standards. The tightened emission requirement came into force on 1 October 2006;
- we are preparing for a proposal to strengthen the control of emissions from petrol and LPG vehicles including the use of roadside remote sensing equipment and the use of dynamometers for emission testings. The target is to consult the affected parties in 2008;
- we have enacted a regulation, effective on 1 April 2007, to impose maximum limits on the volatile organic compound content of paints, printing inks and selected consumers products, and mandate the installation of emission reduction device in certain printing machines;
-
we launched on 1 April 2007 a new programme to provide one-off grant totalling HK$3.2 billion to encourage owners of 74,000 old diesel commercial vehicles to replace their old vehicles. If all the owners take up the offer, the emissions of RSP and NOx in Hong Kong will be reduced by 18% and 10% respectively;
- staring from 1 April 2007, we offer a 30% reduction in first registration tax to encourage the use of environment-friendly petrol private cars, subject to a ceiling of HK$50,000 per car;
-
we are introducing amendments to the Air Pollution Control Ordinance to ensure a smooth, timely and transparent implementation of the emission caps for the power plants by stipulating the emission caps under the Ordinance and allowing power plants to use emissions trading as an alternative means for achieving the emission caps for 2010 and beyond;
-
we will mandate the use of liquid fuel with sulphur content of not more than 0.005% by weight in the commercial and industrial sectors;
-
we have completed a public consultation on whether to legislate against idling engines. We will take into consideration all the views collected and formulate a widely-supported regulatory framework; and
-
starting from 1 April 2008, we offer reduction in first registration tax to encourage the use of environment-friendly commercial vehicles.
Electricity generation remains the biggest source of air pollution in Hong Kong. It accounts for 89% of the SO2, 44% of the NOx and 32% of the RSP emissions in 2006. As indicated in Figure 2 below, the SO2 emission by local power plants is highly correlated to the SO2 concentration in urban areas. Therefore, to achieve the 2010 emissions reduction targets, the power companies must substantially reduce their emissions.
Figure 2: SO2 Emitted by Power Companies and SO2 Levels in Urban Areas
[SO2 Emitted by Power Companies and SO2 Levels in Urban Areas]
In his Policy Address on 11 October 2006, the Chief Executive has re-affirmed that emission caps have been imposed on power plants at Castle Peak, Black Point and Lamma Island and will be progressively tightened to meet the 2010 emission reduction targets. He stressed again that the Government would not allow these firm targets to be compromised in any way. We require power plants to regularly review and update their pollution control technology by the best practicable means. To provide power companies with incentive to reduce their emissions and to improve the air quality, we introduce a mechanism in the Scheme of Control Agreements signed with the 2 power companies on 7 January 2008 in that the permitted rate of return of the power companies is linked to their emission performances against the emission caps.
The progress of emission reduction from power sector is as follows -
- on projects retrofitting emissions reduction devices, we granted the Environmental Permits on 25 April 2006 & 2 October 2007 for Hong Kong Electric Company Limited (HEC) to retrofit flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) system to two 350 MW coal-fired units (units L4 and L5) and one 250 MW coal-fired unit (unit L2) in Lamma Power Station. For CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP), we granted the Environmental Permit on 10 November 2006 for its retrofit project of FGD and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to four 677 MW coal-fired units (units B1 to B4) in Castle Peak Power Station;
- on the wider use of natural gas, HEC commissioned its first gas-fired unit by end June 2006 and put it into commercial operation in October 2006. The overall emissions from HEC is reduced after the full operation of this gas-fired unit. For the CLP's proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal, we granted the Environmental Permit on 3 April 2007 with conditions including stringent environmental requirements and mitigating measures. The Government will also consider the feasibility of having gas supply from other natural gas/LNG projects in the region. We have not yet made any decision on CLP’s natural gas supply proposal. The Government will carefully examine the proposal and will agree to it only if CLP can prove that all of the relevant considerations are reasonable and acceptable;
- on promoting renewable energy, HEC commissioned the first local commercial scale wind power station on Lamma Island in February 2006. CLP was granted with Environmental Permit for their commercial scale wind power station at Hei Ling Chau on 15 March 2007. Besides, the new Scheme of Control Agreements have provided for a higher rate of return of 11% for their investment in renewable energy facilities; a bonus in the range of 0.01% to 0.05% in permitted return depending on the extent of renewable energy usage in their electricity generation; grid connection arrangement will be standardised for back up power supply for customers with embedded renewable generation; and
- on the overall retrofit programme, the construction works by both power companies are underway with completion of the projects in phases between 2009 and 2011.
Cooperation with the Mainland
Cross-boundary cooperation in environmental protection featured prominently in the Tenth Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference held in Hong Kong on 2 August 2007, both sides reaffirmed their determination to achieve the jointly agreed emission reduction targets by 2010.
The latest progress of the Hong Kong SAR Government (HKSARG) and the Guangdong Provincial Government in implementing enhanced control measures under the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Regional Air Quality Management Plan (Management Plan) is set out in Annex. Measures to be or being taken by the Guangdong Province include -
- Guangdong will not plan for construction of new coal-fired or oil-fired power plants in the PRD region;
- Guangdong will phase out small thermal power generating units as well as cement plants and steel and metal plants of low production efficiency in the region by 2010;
- Existing large power generating units are being retrofitted with FGD. It will strive to complete the relevant major works by 2008;
- All modified or expanded coal-fired and oil-fired power plants are required to adopt low-NOx combustion technologies;
- Guangdong will implement the National III motor vehicle emission standards (on a par with Euro III ones) for newly registered vehicles in July 2008;
- Motorcycles have been banned from travelling in the urban areas in Guangzhou and Dongguan since 2007;
- Leaded petrol will continue to be banned;
- It is planned to implement from January 2010 in the cities of the PRD region the vapour emission standards for all oil depots, tanker trucks and petrol filling stations.
To assess the effectiveness of the various measures in the Management Plan, both sides jointly completed a Mid-term Review of the Management Plan (Review) in December 2007. The findings concluded that the preventive and control measures being implemented by both sides under the Management Plan helped reduce substantially air pollutant emissions in the region. The Review Report recommended a number of additional mitigation measures for implementation in the PRD Economic Zone, and the Guangdong Provincial Government has already agreed to carry them out. These additional measures include requiring new coal-fired power plants to install NOx removal equipment, tightening emission standards for boilers for industrial and commercial uses, strengthening cleaner production requirements for industrial sectors that produce VOC-containing products, setting limits on the VOC contents of consumer products, and taking steps to enhance emission control of local vessels, etc. With such steps taken, it is projected that the emission reduction targets could be achieved by 2010.
Besides, both sides launched the implementation framework of the Emissions Trading Pilot Scheme for Thermal Power Plants in the PRD Region (Pilot Scheme) in January 2007. A joint panel has also been set up in the same year to oversee the operation of the Pilot Scheme. On 18 May 2007, both sides jointly held a meeting with power companies in PRD Region in Guangzhou to introduce the implementation framework and to promote exchange of views among power companies and government departments on both sides.
On 30 April 2008, the PRD Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network jointly set up by the two governments published the monitoring results for 2007. The report is available at the websites of the environmental protection departments of the two sides.
In addition, the HKSAR Government has been collaborating with the Economic and Trade Commission of Guangdong Province on promoting energy efficiency and cleaner production to the industrial enterprises in both places. In August 2007, the two governments signed the “Cooperation Agreement to Promote Energy Efficiency, Cleaner Production and Comprehensive Utilisation of Resources to Enterprises in Hong Kong and Guangdong”. Both sides also jointly conducted a series of promotion activities, technical exchanges and demonstration projects on cleaner production by industrial enterprises, and launched the “Cleaner Production Partnership Programme” in April 2008 to encourage Hong Kong-owned factories operating in the PRD region to adopt cleaner production technologies and practices.
Review of Air Quality Objectives
The WHO announced in October 2006 an updated set of Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs). The new AQGs provide a scientific basis for supporting the development of air quality policies and management strategies in various parts of the world to protect human health. Owing to the stringency of the new AQGs, the WHO has recommended interim targets in the new guidelines for countries to improve their air quality progressively.
The WHO clearly points out that the actual air quality standards set in each country will vary according to the approach adopted for balancing health risks, technological feasibility, economic considerations and various other political and social factors. It also advises that governments should consider their own local circumstances carefully before adopting the new AQGs as statutory standards.
Since the new WHO AQGs are much more stringent than our current AQOs, achieving the new WHO AQGs in Hong Kong is a challenging task demanding very drastic measures to be taken not only in Hong Kong but also the PRD region over the long term.
The emission reduction measures required will include the extensive use of cleaner power generation technologies and fuels, cleaner mass-transit and transportation systems, cleaner production technologies, and highly efficient energy saving technologies. Some of the cleaner production and energy saving technologies required may be very costly or are still being developed overseas. Adopting these measures will have far reaching impact on a wide range of policy areas including energy, transportation, industrial production, urban planning, conservation and people's way of life.
To draw up a new set of AQOs for Hong Kong and devise a long-term plan for meeting such new AQOs, we need not only detailed information on required specific measures, their implications and available options, but also full public participation. It is therefore necessary to conduct an in-depth and detailed study to provide the required information and analysis. As such, the Government commissioned a comprehensive study in 2007 to review Hong Kong's AQOs and develop a long-term air quality management strategy, followed by thorough public consultation. The study will examine in details the newly revised air quality standards in the US, the findings of the latest reviews in the EU, and the new WHO AQGs.
For details, please see Review of Air Quality Objectives