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The Environment Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has welcomed the Shenzhen Air Quality Enhancement Plan released on September 27. The Plan sets out clear air quality targets as well as air pollution prevention and control measures for Shenzhen, including, among others, implementing desulfurisation, denitrification and dust removal technologies for coal-fired power generating units; promoting cleaner power generation; improving motor fuel quality and tightening vehicle emission standards; phasing out high-emission vehicles and promoting the use of new-energy vehicles; controlling emissions from vessels and non-road mobile sources; promoting cleaner production to industries; and controlling emission of volatile organic compounds.
In March 2013, the HKSAR Government unveiled "A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong", which puts forward a series of air quality improvement measures covering land and sea transport, power plants and non-road mobile machinery in order to tackle air pollution.
The measures to be taken forward under Hong Kong and Shenzhen's plans should contribute to the improvement of regional air quality in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and help achieve the PRD emission reduction targets for 2015 and 2020, which were set by the governments of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province last year. Hong Kong will continue to collaborate with Guangdong and Shenzhen in the establishment of regional joint mechanisms to prevent and control air pollution, and enhance co-operation in those key areas with a view to further improving air quality in the PRD region.
Ends/Monday, September 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:00
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