The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 19) announced its approval of the 26th batch of applications for the trials of green innovative transport technologies under the Pilot Green Transport Fund.
 
     The 20 newly approved applications are for the trials of 27 electric light goods vehicles and one hybrid light goods vehicle involving a total subsidy of about $5.5 million. The applications were from:
 

• Cheung Mao Kee Electrical Company Limited
• China Wealth Hong Kong Machine Limited
• Chun Tat Motor Limited
• Dream's Transportation Company
• Fish Marketing Organization
• Frans Trading Enterprises Company Limited
• Garment Express Limited
• Hong Kong Airlines Limited
• Kamwai Tyre Service Limited
• Kau Kee Hong Kong Limited
• Koon Hing Engineering Co
• New Method Cleaning Services Limited
• Nice Global Logistics Limited
• Real Best Limited
• SATS HK Limited
• Sendon Electrical Service
• Shun Hing Electric Service Centre Limited
• Sunshine Trading Company
• Teamway Decoration and Engineering Limited
• 668 Car

 
     The latest approval brings the total number of trials being pursued under the Fund to 168 for testing 114 electric light goods vehicles, 21 single-deck electric buses, three electric light buses, three electric taxis, one electric medium goods vehicle (tractor), 49 hybrid light goods vehicles, 28 hybrid medium goods vehicles, 11 hybrid public light buses, two single-deck hybrid buses, one solar air-conditioning system for a bus, four electric inverter air conditioning systems for buses, three diesel-electric propulsion systems for ferries and one seawater scrubber for a ferry, amounting to a total subsidy of about $147 million.
 
     At present, 114 approvals under the Fund are already on trial. Seventy-seven of them have completed the trials, involving 47 electric light goods vehicles, eight single-deck electric buses, three electric taxis, two electric light buses, 28 hybrid light goods vehicles, 18 hybrid medium goods vehicles, five hybrid public light buses, one solar air-conditioning system for a bus, four electric inverter air-conditioning systems for buses, one diesel-electric propulsion system for a ferry and one seawater scrubber for a ferry. The EPD will continue to upload the interim and final reports once completed to the Fund's website for public information.
 
     The Government put in place the $300 million Fund in March 2011 to subsidise the testing of green innovative transport technologies. The Fund is open for applications from public transport operators, charitable and non-profit-making organisations providing services to clients, and goods vehicle operators. The technologies for trial include alternative-fuelled vehicles, conversion of in-use conventional vehicles to alternative-fuelled vehicles, and after-treatment emission reduction devices or fuel-saving devices related to transport activities. Transport operators may apply for the Fund to try out different green innovative products subject to a maximum subsidy of $9 million for each application and $12 million in total.
 
     For more information on the Fund and the approved applications, please visit the EPD website (www.epd.gov.hk) or call the enquiry hotline on 2824 0022.

     The Town Planning Board announced today (July 19) that the Chief Executive in Council (CE in C) has referred four approved outline zoning plans (OZPs) to the Board for amendment to reflect the latest land use proposals in the Pok Fu Lam, Tai Tong, Tong Yan San Tsuen and Ping Shan areas.
 
     Each OZP incorporating the respective amendments will be exhibited for public inspection under the provisions of the Town Planning Ordinance.
 
     The Pok Fu Lam, Tai Tong, Tong Yan San Tsuen and Ping Shan OZPs were last approved by the CE in C in August 2018, March 2012, September 2018 and October 2018 respectively.

     The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today (July 19) published three information memoranda (IMs) to invite any interested parties to take part in the auctions of the 5G spectrum in the 3.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 4.9 GHz bands.

     The Communications Authority (CA) announced on December 13, 2018, its decisions to assign by way of auction a total of 380 MHz of 5G spectrum, namely 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.3 GHz band, 200 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band and 80 MHz of spectrum in the 4.9 GHz band for the provision of 5G services in Hong Kong.

     "The CA will hold auctions of the three frequency bands in succession, starting with the 3.5 GHz band auction to be held on October 14 this year, followed by the 4.9 GHz band auction and then the 3.3 GHz band auction. Parties interested in acquiring the 5G spectrum may have about two months to prepare their applications and submit them to OFCA on September 12 and 13," a spokesperson for OFCA said.

     "The Government has set the auction reserve prices for the use of spectrum in the 3.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 4.9 GHz bands at $2 million per MHz, $4 million per MHz and $3 million per MHz respectively. The actual amount of spectrum utilisation fees payable will be determined in the respective auctions," the spokesperson said.

     "To avoid an unduly high concentration of spectrum being held in the hands of a single spectrum assignee, a spectrum cap of 70 MHz will be imposed on any assignee in the 3.5 GHz band auction, and a spectrum cap of 40 MHz will be imposed on any assignee in each of the 3.3 GHz band and 4.9 GHz band auctions," the spokesperson added.

     Detailed arrangements of the three auctions are set out in the respective IMs, which can be downloaded from OFCA's website at:

For the 3.3 GHz band: www.ofca.gov.hk/filemanager/ofca/en/content_1170/3_3_ghz_Auction_IM.pdf  

For the 3.5 GHz band: www.ofca.gov.hk/filemanager/ofca/en/content_1168/3_5_ghz_Auction_IM.pdf

For the 4.9 GHz band: www.ofca.gov.hk/filemanager/ofca/en/content_1169/4_9_ghz_Auction_IM.pdf

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, July 19, 2019 is 105.1 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     In view of the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central Committee on Infectious Disease and Emergency Responses of the Hospital Authority (HA) today (July 19) convened an ad hoc meeting, which was joined by representatives from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), to discuss the risk assessment and preparedness of public hospitals. It was agreed that the following key measures will be implemented for early detection, isolation and diagnosis of possible cases to mitigate the risk of the virus being spread in Hong Kong.
 

• HA will enhance the monitoring and reporting of symptomatic patients, who have a travel history to the DRC in the past three weeks.
• The concerned patients will be transferred to the HA Infectious Disease Centre for isolation and arrangement of clinical tests at the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the CHP, from which the test result will be available in a few hours.
• Frontline staff will be reminded of the appropriate infection control measures and personal protection equipment on the designated intranet website and news bulletins.

     HA will continue to closely collaborate with the CHP to monitor developments and keep the general public and professionals posted on the most updated situation and relevant information. The enhanced measures will be reviewed at appropriate times.