CONTINUING OUR 20-YEAR LIAISON AND STRENGTHENING COOPERATION WITH THE MAINLAND
The Cooperation Arrangement on Electrical and Mechanical Products Safety and Energy Efficiency (Cooperation Agreement), signed by the EMSD and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), has come into force for 20 years, effectively promoting the development of electrical and mechanical (E&M) product safety and energy efficiency in both Hong Kong and the Mainland. In February 2023, the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services and the Director General of the Department of Commodity Inspection of the GACC signed for the renewal of the Cooperation Agreement to maintain liaison and cooperation in further enhancing the safety and energy efficiency of E&M products in both places, as well as continuing the reciprocal reporting of suspected non-compliant E&M products according to the established mechanism. The Cooperation Agreement could also facilitate the achievement of carbon neutrality in both places.
PREPARATION FOR AND PARTICIPATION IN THE DAYA BAY CONTINGENCY PLAN EXERCISE
A large-scale inter-departmental exercise based on the Daya Bay Contingency Plan (DBCP) was held on 12 January 2023. The EMSD undertook a number of important tasks, including activating the EMSD Co-ordination Office, as well as deploying staff to the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre to provide technical advice and support, handle simulated media and public enquiries, and attend meetings of the Chief Executive’s Steering Group and the DBCP Implementation Task Force and simulated press conferences, etc. The EMSD team spent about six months preparing for this major exercise and conducted a rehearsal exercise with relevant government departments in mid-December 2022 to ensure smooth running on the day of the exercise.
REGULATING GAS INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE OFFSHORE LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS TERMINAL
The construction works of the first offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Hong Kong have been largely completed in April 2023. During the construction of the project, the GasSO often dispatched officers to conduct on-site inspections to ensure the safety standards of the gas installations at the terminal. This have expedited the approval process when receiving applications for construction or use approval and facilitated early commissioning work for its full operation by third quarter of 2023.
PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
In terms of "green transport", to tie in with the Government’s plan of formulating the long-term strategies for using hydrogen energy in land transport, the EMSD engaged hydrogen fuel consultants to carry out various studies in November 2022. The consultants would tap into the views of different stakeholders to formulate technical guidelines on hydrogen fuel systems, hydrogen refilling stations and quantitative risk assessment; review the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle trials; and explore the regulatory framework for future hydrogen fuel application. We also organised inter-departmental overseas visits on hydrogen energy development, and actively liaised with local and Mainland stakeholders in the hydrogen energy industry to learn about their technical solutions and recommendations in preparation for local hydrogen trials. As at June 2023, the EMSD had conducted preliminary technical assessments and submitted recommendations for eight applications of trial projects on hydrogen fuel technology.
LAUNCH OF THE SIXTH-GENERATION PEAK TRAM
The Peak Tram is one of the oldest funicular railways in the world. The upgrading project for the Peak Tram offered an extremely rare opportunity for preserving the craftsmanship of the tramway. As the upgrading project entered the final stage in March 2022, the EMSD conducted statutory inspections with the appointed German ropeway specialist in six consecutive days and confirmed that the Peak Tram system was safe and sound. In June 2022, the EMSD conducted reliability tests of the tramway operation. Eventually, the new sixth-generation Peak Tram was officially launched on 27 August 2022.
SUCCESSIVE COMMENCEMENT OF INSTALLATION OF AUTOMATIC PLATFORM GATES UPON COMMISSIONING OF EAST RAIL LINE CROSS-HARBOUR EXTENSION
Upon completion of all statutory inspections and trial operation, the cross-harbour extension of the East Rail Line (EAL) was officially commissioned on 15 May 2022. The train fleet operating on the EAL had been fully converted from 12-car trains to 9-car trains. Upon commissioning of the cross-harbour extension of the EAL, the relevant installation works of automatic platform gates (APGs) commenced successively. In this regard, the EMSD continuously monitored the MTR Corporation Limited’s testing of APGs, reviewed safety reports on APG design, and carried out on-site tests of the safety interlocks of APGs for ensuring the operational safety of the APGs.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DIGITAL LOG-BOOKS FOR LIFTS AND ESCALATORS
In November 2022, the EMSD launched the Digital Log-books for Lifts and Escalators (Digital Log-books). Incorporated the functions of login with iAM Smart and biometric authentication, the Digital Log-books provides a cloud-based platform for the responsible persons for lifts and escalators, the trade and the EMSD to record, view and analyse the operation and maintenance information of lifts and escalators in real time through a mobile application and web portal anytime and anywhere, enabling the tripartite management of lifts and escalators.
ESTABLISHING AN ENHANCED CAREER LADDER FOR LIFT AND ESCALATOR TRADE PRACTITIONERS
Being the regulator, the EMSD endeavoured to establish a more well-defined progression pathway for lift and escalator trade practitioners, encourage registered contractors to apply for professional accreditation from the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) and organise their own internal training programmes pegged at Qualifications Framework (QF) Level 2 or Level 3, and assist the HKCAAVQ in the assessment and evaluation of the relevant test and programme content. Also, with the EMSD collaborating with the Vocational Training Council (VTC) to launch the Professional Diploma Meister in Lift and Escalator Engineering programme, the first QF Level 5 programme in the trade, in 2022 and the VTC offering an additional QF Level 4 lift and escalator programme in 2023/24, the lift and escalator trade will be the first in the E&M sector to provide programmes covering QF Level 2 to Level 5.
PREPARATION FOR THE FOURTH PHASE OF THE MANDATORY ENERGY EFFICIENCY LABELLING SCHEME
Riding on the full implementation of the first three phases of the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS), the fourth phase will cover three more types of products, including light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, gas cookers and gas instantaneous water heaters. The related legislative amendments and the simultaneous revision of the Code of Practice on Energy Labelling of Products had been completed. The fourth phase will come into effect on 1 September 2023 and be fully implemented after a 15-month transitional period. Upon the implementation of the fourth phase, the total residential energy consumption by products covered under the MEELS will significantly increase from about 50% to about 80%.
BUILDINGS ENERGY EFFICIENCY ORDINANCE IN PLACE FOR 10 YEARS
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Buildings
Energy Efficiency Ordinance (BEEO). The two codes relating to the BEEO, namely
the Building Energy Code and the Energy Audit Code, have thus far undergone
three major reviews to keep abreast of the times and in pace with the latest
developments of relevant technologies and common energy efficiency standards in
the international arena.
In order to raise the awareness of building energy efficiency among young people
and deepen their interest in and understanding of clean energy, we organised an
online quiz competition about the BEEO from mid-January to mid-March 2023, and
officially rolled out the Solar Harvest STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Arts and Mathematics) educational kit for primary schools, which we compiled in
collaboration with the then Environment Bureau and Education Bureau, in the same
academic year.
NEW DEVELOPMENT OF DISTRICT COOLING SYSTEMS
With the expansion of the Kai Tak Development Area and the increasing number of other non-residential projects such as the Kai Tak Sports Park in the area, the construction of the third plant of the Kai Tak District Cooling System commenced in 2020 and it is expected to be commissioned in phases from 2024.
