Xie Zhanhuan: In the past four years, the annual economic added value of the local environmental protection industry exceeded 10 billion, accounting for approximately 0.4% of GDP

The Director of the Environment and Ecology Bureau, Xie Zhanhuan, responded to questions from legislators regarding the green low-carbon industry, stating that the local environmental industry related to the green low-carbon sector is expected to generate an annual economic added value of over HKD 10 billion from 2021 to 2024, accounting for about 0.4% of the local GDP. He mentioned that the government continues to promote the development and enhancement of the green low-carbon industry, including the announcement of the "Hong Kong Hydrogen Development Strategy" in 2024 and injecting HKD 400 million into the Low-Carbon Green Research Fund to support local green technology development.

Regarding electric vehicles, the government has set a target to stop new registrations of fuel private cars by 2035 or earlier and is committed to achieving zero emissions from vehicles by 2050. Authorities estimate that by 2030, the number of electric private cars in Hong Kong is expected to exceed 290,000, with more than 45% of private cars being electric; by 2035, the number of electric private cars is expected to approach 500,000.

As for support for electric vehicles, the government announced the "Hong Kong Electric Vehicle Popularization Roadmap Update" in February this year, which will leverage market forces to build a public charging network centered around high-speed charging stations. By the end of 2035, 10,000 high-speed charging stations will be installed, resulting in approximately 270,000 to 300,000 charging parking spaces, which can support 800,000 electric vehicles. The first large-scale electric vehicle battery recycling facility in Hong Kong is currently under construction in the Environmental Park and is expected to be operational in the first half of 2026