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Background
In 2002, the Chief Executive directed the Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation Department to prepare a draft map of the proposed
Soko Islands Marine Park because the waters of Soko are important
habitats of Chinese white dolphins and Finless porpoises, and important
fishery spawning and nursery grounds. However, the designation of the
Marine Park has never come to reality although the Country and Marine
Park Board endorsed the proposal. On 1st September 06, China Light Power
(CLP) announced that it proposed to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Receiving Terminal at South Soko Island….more
Latest update
Aug 2008
The Hong Kong Government secured the supply of natural gas for another 20 years for Hong Kong through a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the National Energy Administration as announced on August 28th. The new energy agreements greatly reduced the need for Hong Kong to build an LNG terminal within its territory, according to the Chief Executive's statement. The decision was hailed as "extremely good news for Hong Kong's energy supply and ecological environment." While the threats to dolphins from the proposed LNG terminal is now relieved, WWF is urging the Government to designate the Soko Islands Marine Park and the Southwest Lantau Marine Park immediately to ensure long-term protection for the marine mammals and fish in those waters.
Jul 2007
In July 2007, the Legco Panel on Environmental Affairs (EA Panel) held a special meeting in relation to the LNG Terminal. WWF and 15 other green groups, associations and CLP expressed their opinions. About 10 other organizations or political parties also presented written submissions to the Legco. A wide variety of views were heard, both for and against the Sokos location, some unrelated to environmental concerns, but the discussion had hardly started before it ran out of time and so was inconclusive. The EA Panel may consider another meeting to discuss the economic aspects in CLP's proposal in the last quarter of this year.
Apr 2007
Our government is fixated with development. It approved CLP's EIA report in April 2007, disregarding the 20,000-strong signatures supporting WWF's petition that were submitted during the EIA public consultation period. WWF is urging the Government to seek independent advice to determine the justification for an LNG Terminal for Hong Kong. There have been viable options, and some new ones are emerging, that CLP has chosen to ignore. Although WWF supports the increased use of natural gas to clean our polluted skies, we should not trash one environment to save another, while other alternatives have not been fully explored.
Jan 2007
WWF submitted detailed comments on the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Receiving Terminal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) on 25 January 2007 to urge for a rejection of the Soko as the preferred site for the LNG terminal. Although we support the use of cleaner fuels for power generation, we believe we should not solve one environmental problem by creating another environmental problem.
WWF's submission can be found here.
Details of WWF's concern on the LNG terminal can be found at our press releases:
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