FS visits Tai Po District (with photos)

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, this afternoon (October 22) visited Tai Po District, where he met with members of the Tai Po District Council (TPDC), called at a hospital and inspected land development in the district. 
       
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the TPDC, Mr Cheung Hok-ming; the Vice Chairman of the TPDC, Ms Wong Pik-kiu; and the Acting District Officer (Tai Po), Ms Iris Lee, Mr Chan first inspected the land development of Lai Chi Shan, Tai Po.
      
     He then visited Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and listened to an introduction by the Hospital Chief Executive, Dr Man Chi-yin. Mr Chan visited the joint replacement centre and a combined heat and power (CHP) plant of the hospital. Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital is the first public hospital in Hong Kong to feature a CHP plant. It utilises landfill gas to fuel its combined heat and power generating system, which then supplies electricity to run the hospital's central air-conditioning system. Simultaneously, the waste heat from the generator's cooling and exhaust is captured and converted via a heat exchanger and a waste heat boiler respectively into clean hot water and steam used for showering, sterilising medical equipment, cooking and laundry washing. The CHP plant can reduce the hospital's annual carbon emissions by as much as 2 000 tonnes, accounting for 12 per cent of the hospital's total carbon emissions, which helps to improve air quality and protect the environment.
       
     Mr Chan said that the Government will continue its endeavours to improve the environment and combat climate change. He has set aside $800 million in this year's Budget to further promote the installation of renewable energy facilities at government buildings, venues and community facilities. The Government will also enhance tax concessions for capital expenditure incurred by enterprises in procuring eligible energy efficient building installations and renewable energy devices.
      
     Before concluding the visit, Mr Chan met with members of the TPDC to exchange views on various livelihood and development issues of the district.