Tse confident of hitting all 'crucial' green targets

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday said he was confident he could meet all four binding targets set by Hong Kong’s first five-year plan for areas covered by his department. These include reducing carbon intensity, increasing the share of zero-carbon energy used to generate power, and improving air and surface water quality. Speaking on Commercial Radio, Tse said environmental targets made up most of the blueprint's binding goals because they are crucial to the SAR’s future development. He said concrete plans are already in place to promote the green transition. On meeting the target of increasing the share of zero-carbon energy in the fuel mix used to generate electricity from the current 25 percent to 30 percent by 2030, and further boosting that figure to 60 percent to 70 percent by 2035, Tse said opting for a greater share of energy from wind and solar sources would help protect the city from potential energy crises and ensure supply stability. One plan is to build a large-scale facility at Tseung Kwan O, where zero-carbon energy can be transmitted from the mainland on a large scale. “We have begun discussions with some enterprises to explore [the possibility of them supplying] cheap zero-carbon energy," Tse said. "A...