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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 30) reminded non-road mobile machinery-related trades that starting from September 1, regulated machines under the Air Pollution Control (Non-road Mobile Machinery) (Emission) Regulation that are offered for sale or lease for use in Hong Kong must be approved or exempted by the EPD and bear an approval label or exemption label issued by the EPD. The initiative will help reduce emissions from regulated machines and hence improve air quality.
An EPD spokesman said, "Under the Regulation, regulated machines are mobile machines or transportable industrial equipment that are powered by an internal combustion engine with a rated engine power output greater than 19 kilowatts (kW) but not greater than 560kW. These machines include crawler cranes, excavators, air compressors and mobile generators."
Any person who sells or leases a regulated machine for local use without an approval label or exemption label issued by EPD is liable to a fine of up to $200,000 and imprisonment for up to six months.
"The EPD launched a dedicated online application system on June 1 for handling applications for approval or exemption of non-road mobile machinery (NRMMs). When an application is accepted, the EPD will issue the approval label or exemption label through the system. The public can also check whether an NRMM has been approved or exempted by the EPD and verify the essential information through the online system," he added.
The Regulation, which commenced on June 1,
(a) requires new regulated machines to comply with the Stage IIIA emission standards of the European Union (EU); and new non-road vehicles to comply with the prevailing Euro V emission standards for newly registered road vehicles;
(b) empowers the EPD to issue approval labels to new NRMMs complying with the above emission standards and exemption labels to existing NRMMs. Applications for exemption labels for existing NRMMs should be made between June 1 and November 30 this year. Late applications for exemption labels will not be considered;
(c) requires all regulated machines offered for sale or lease in Hong Kong to bear an approval label or exemption label issued by the EPD, starting from September 1; and
(d) restricts specified activities and locations including construction sites, container terminals and back-up facilities, restricted areas of the airport, designated waste disposal facilities and specified processes to use NRMMs that bear an approval label or exemption label issued by EPD, starting from December 1.
Emissions from NRMMs account for about 6 per cent and 8 per cent of local emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and respirable suspended particulates (RSP) respectively. NRMMs complying with the EU Stage IIIA standard will emit about 60 per cent less NOx and RSP compared with those at EU Stage I level, which account for most of the existing NRMMs. Controlling emissions from NRMMs helps improve air quality and reduce environmental nuisance caused by them, especially in areas close to container terminals and construction sites.
For enquiries, please contact EPD on 2594 6590 or at nonroadenq@epd.gov.hk.
Ends/Sunday, August 30, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:00
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