Amended regulation to cut sulphur dioxide emissions

Press Release 

Amended regulation to cut sulphur dioxide emissions

The Air Pollution Control (Fuel Restriction) (Amendment) Regulation 2008 would come into force from tomorrow (October 1), a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said today (September 30).

He said the amended regulation mandated the use of clean diesel with a sulphur content of no more than 0.005% by weight - that is ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) - in industrial and commercial processes to further control the emission of sulphur dioxide (SO2), a major pollutant responsible for respiratory illnesses.

Diesel users in the industrial and commercial sectors will have to switch to ULSD from tomorrow. Other liquid fuels can be used if the fuel-using equipment has been certified that its emission level of pollutants does not exceed the specified limits. While the limits are set at a level similar to that of burning ULSD, it provides the industrial and commercial sectors with the alternative of adopting emission control equipment in lieu of using the clean fuel.

"The amended regulation will not have any major impact on the operational environment of the industrial and commercial sectors. It will create a 'win-win' situation for both the environment and the business sector, showing that protecting the environment need not be at the expense of economic growth," the spokesman said.

For details of the regulation, please visit the EPD's website at www.epd.gov.hk.