SEE attends activation ceremony for Hong Kong Disneyland's staff car park solar canopy project (with photos)

      The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (June 2) officiated at the activation ceremony for Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL)'s staff car park solar canopy project. This is the first project commenced since the introduction of the facilitation measures by the Government to support the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) system in open car parks by the private sector.

Under this project, the solar PV system at HKDL's staff car park will cover 80 parking spaces, generating over 200 000 kWh of electricity annually that satisfies the electricity consumption of around 60 three-person families. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Speaking at the activation ceremony, Mr Tse said that the Government has been committed to creating favourable conditions for the private sector to develop renewable energy. He was also pleased to learn that HKDL responded to the Government's plan of controlling single-use plastics by stopping the provision of expanded polystyrene tableware, disposable plastic take-away containers, disposable straws and inflatable cheering sticks for audiences. He hopes that more organisations and community members will participate in the promotion of environmental protection and pursue decarbonisation.

Mr Tse then visited various green facilities at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, including solar power generation systems, a lighting and air-conditioning monitoring system, a rainwater collection and computerised irrigation system, and a food waste collection system, etc, to understand the success of HKDL's green measures in promoting the development of renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency and waste reduction at source.

Other officiating guests at the activation ceremony were the Managing Director of HKDL, Mr Michael Moriarty; Chief Building Surveyor of Buildings Department Mr William Poon; and Chief Engineer of Electrical and Mechanical Services Department Mr George Liu. Over 50 representatives from the New Territories West Elder Academies Cluster and school also participated in the event.

The Government announced Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 in 2021, setting out four major decarbonisation strategies, namely net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction. The Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Development Bureau introduced a set of measures in April last year to facilitate the installation of solar PV systems in open car parks by the private sector, to assist applicants, including public organisations, to install solar PV systems not exceeding three metres in height in open car parks. In addition, the Buildings Department provides a fast-track mechanism to process and approve building plans and gross floor area concessions. Details of the facilitation measures have been uploaded to Hong Kong Renewable Energy Net of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (re.emsd.gov.hk/english/gen/facilitation_measures/open_car_park.html).