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Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and an oral reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, in the Legislative Council meeting today (November 17):
Question:
At present, 60 per cent of greenhouse gas ("GHG") emission in Hong Kong comes from power plants. The Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works informed this Council in October last year that her Bureau would conduct studies with other bureaux and departments on new measures to reduce GHG emission, which include "the role of renewable energy in the electricity market after 2008", "waste-to-energy technology" and "improving the burning efficiency of coal-fired units". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the latest progress of the studies on the above three measures; and
(b) whether it has other proposals to reduce GHG emission by power plants?
Reply:
Madam President,
I would like to answer the two parts of the questions at one time.
Although Hong Kong's greenhouse gas (GHG) emission level per capita is six tonnes, which is far lower than other developed economies like Singapore, Taiwan and Tokyo, Hong Kong still has the responsibility to do its best to control local GHG emissions and play a part in slowing down the global climate change.
GHG emissions from power generation account for nearly 60 per cent of the total emissions in Hong Kong. As our population and economic activities continue to increase, the quantities of GHG emitted from power plants and the percentage of these emissions in relation to the total emissions are both on a rising trend. As such, controlling GHG emissions from power generation is one of our major tasks. More need to be done. Some may yield immediate result, while others may take a longer time to plan and require careful consideration.
Among those measures that may yield immediate result is conservation of energy. Saving electricity can reduce GHG emissions from power generation. As I have pointed out in this Council and on many other public occasions, many air-conditioned offices and shopping arcades set the air-conditioning temperature too low, resulting in wastage. If a place is stuffy, what we need to do is to increase the fresh air intake, instead of lowering the temperature further. By turning up the thermostat of the air-conditioning system by 3 degree Celsius on average, more than a billion units of electricity can be saved every year. The Government has issued administrative guidelines requiring all Government offices to adjust the air-conditioning temperature to 25.5 degree Celsius or above. Technical assistance is also provided. Apart from adjusting upward the temperature of air-condition systems, if all households and offices can use electrical appliances with Energy Efficiency Labels Grade 1 or 2, another 400 million units of electricity can be saved every year. These measures can readily lead to about 5 per cent reduction in electricity consumption and, in turn, a 5 per cent reduction in emissions of GHG and other air pollutants from power generation without costing us anything extra, compromising the comforts of our lives or calling for huge investments.
Meanwhile, we are studying with the power companies, academics and professional engineers the development of safety specifications for connection to the electrical grids so that users who have installed small-scale renewable energy systems can have concurrent power supply from both their own renewable energy systems and the power companies. This will encourage more users to make use of renewable energy. We hope that we can make some progress in this area shortly.
Those GHG emission control measures that may take a longer time to plan include the followings:
Increasing natural gas supply - We have requested the two power companies to actively explore natural gas sources in order to avoid increases in generation from coal in case of a shortage of natural gas.
Adopting waste-to-energy technology - Waste-to-energy technology can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels in power generation. Out of numerous technical options, our consultant has identified eight that are more feasible for further study. We plan to consult the public on the technical options early next year.
Raising the burning efficiency of coal-fired units - The efficiency of the existing coal-fired units of the two power companies are on a par with those in other developed economies built during the same period. Thanks to technological advance, the new generation of coal-fired units are more efficient than the existing ones by about 20 per cent. We will advise the power companies to study the feasibility of replacing their existing coal-fired units at suitable moments.
Use of renewable energy - The Government is studying the development of the post-2008 electricity market. The Economic Development and Labour Bureau plans to carry out the first phase of public consultation early next year. At the same time, the Council for Sustainable Development is collecting views from the public on the development of renewable energy in Hong Kong, with a view to making recommendations to the Government. In the light of the recommendations, we will further consider the role of renewable energy in the post-2008 electricity market. We have secured the co-operation of the two power companies in exploring the possibility of setting up two production-scale wind turbines so that the public can gain a first-hand understanding of the benefits and limitations of wind power generation and decide for themselves whether it is feasible to develop a large-scale wind farm in Hong Kong and how large such a wind farm should be. Meanwhile, we are also actively collecting technical data and other information on solar energy and wind energy to facilitate the formulation of relevant policies.
These measures involve very complicated planning, environmental and regulatory issues and require substantial investments. The Government needs to carefully consider their pros and cons, their planning and technical feasibility and the overall affordability of the community. We will fully consult this Council and the public before making a final decision.
I would like to stress that addressing global climate change is a responsibility shared by Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Whether Hong Kong can play its part successfully depends on the joint efforts of the Government, the power companies and all members of the public.
Ends/Wednesday, November 17, 2004
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