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Press
Releases - 1997 (July - December)
Applications
for HCFCs Free Quota Invited
The Environmental
Protection Department (EPD) today (Friday) invites applications
for free quotas to import 34 types of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs) for local consumption in 1998.
Applications
for free quotas are open to all companies which have registered
under the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance. Allocations will
be made on a need basis.
Importers
with proven records of using normal and free quotas for retained
imports of HCFCs in 1997 will be automatically allocated with
normal quotas.
Principal
Environmental Protection Officer, Mr Raymond Leung, said :
"According to the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer,
the HCFCs quotas for Hong Kong in 1998 should be capped at
2526 tonnes, in terms of the most commonly used refrigerant
HCFC-22.
"Forty
per cent of the total available quotas for 1998 are allocated
as free quotas in two phases.
"Half
of these will be allocated in this exercise while the remaining
ones will be distributed in Phase 2 free quota allocation
exercise."
Mr Leung
said this quota system had been introduced to control the
local consumption of HCFCs so as to fulfil Hong Kong's international
obligations under the protocol.
"Hong
Kong's consumption of HCFCs would be reduced in phases to
zero by the year 2030 according to the schedule of the protocol,"
he added.
Applications
for the Phase 1 free quotas should be submitted in person
to EPD's Air Management Group, 33rd Floor, Revenue Tower,
5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong by 5 pm on December
30, 1997. Late applications will not be accepted.
Application
forms are available at the above address.
Further
details can be obtained from the Air Management Group on 2594
6242 or 2594 6243.
End/Friday,
November 21, 1997
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