The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, went to Tuen Mun District this afternoon (April 20) to visit Chu Hai College of Higher Education and Tuen Mun Water Treatment Works (WTW). He also exchanged views with members of the Tuen Mun District Council (TMDC) on environmental issues.

      Accompanied by District Officer (Tuen Mun), Ms Aubrey Fung, Mr Wong first visited Chu Hai College of Higher Education to understand the green design concept of its new campus. Located at Castle Peak Road at Castle Peak Bay, the new campus was completed and opened in September 2016, and has achieved the Bronze rating under the Hong Kong Green Building Council's BEAM Plus. The campus was built with a green coverage standard exceeding 50 per cent, coupled with the adoption of natural daylight and ventilation, which helps to mitigate the heat island effect and reduce the use of air-conditioning. Mr Wong also chatted with students from the Department of Architecture and the Department of Civil Engineering on their studies and future development.

     Afterwards, Mr Wong departed for Tuen Mun WTW to visit its hydropower plant. With a 500-kilowatt generating capacity, the hydropower plant is the first of its kind in Hong Kong and is a global pioneer in the provision of hydropower facilities at a WTW. Since commencing full operation in early 2017, the hydropower plant has been able to generate some 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, which is 25 times the energy generated by each of the pilot floating photovoltaic systems at Shek Pik Reservoir and Plover Cove Reservoir. Apart from providing electricity for the WTW, the hydropower plant can also reduce about 2 000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

     Mr Wong said that when announcing Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2030+ last year, the Government clearly stated that it would optimise the introduction of renewable energy (RE) in a more systematic manner, with the public sector taking the lead to apply RE on a wider and larger scale. Furthermore, to encourage the private sector and the community to invest in and adopt RE, Feed-in Tariffs and RE Certificates were introduced in the new Scheme of Control Agreements signed with the two power companies last year. To facilitate public participation in RE development, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department will provide relevant information at the "HK RE Net" website (re.emsd.gov.hk). Mr Wong called for collaborative efforts from various sectors in the community to mitigate climate change by practising carbon reduction and energy saving in daily lives.

     Before concluding his itinerary, Mr Wong paid a visit to the TMDC to meet with its Chairman, Mr Leung Kin-man, and members to listen to their views on the Government's environmental policies and learn more about their concerns about district environmental issues.

Ends/Friday, April 20, 2018
Issued at HKT 17:48

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