Basic HTML Version
34
Sustainability Report 2011
Clean Fuel Facilities
We began our activities in this direction in 2000 when ECO Environmental Investments
Limited (ECO), our eco-friendly energy arm, began the building and operation of
five dedicated liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) filling stations in Hong Kong to serve
Hong Kong’s fleet of 18,000 taxis and most of light buses. These activities have since
expanded onto the mainland and nine compressed natural gas and liquefied natural
gas filling stations have been established in Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning,
Henan and Anhui provinces. These filling stations not only serve the fuel needs of
heavy-duty trucks in the surrounding regions, they also provide an alternative source of
supply for our city-gas businesses in the vicinity. Providing a much cleaner alternative
to diesel fuel, the use of these fuels is expected to increase yet again as technology
increasingly makes it possible for natural gas to power other forms of transport as well.
Turning Waste into Energy
Landfill Gas
We are a pioneer in the use of landfill gas (LFG), becoming the first organisation in
Hong Kong to use this “waste material” on a commercial basis. Commencing in 1999,
LFG was harvested at the Shuen Wan landfill site and used as a heating fuel in our
operations. In 2007, these activities expanded to the much larger North East New
Territories (NENT) landfill site, resulting in one of the largest examples of this “green”
energy recovery and reuse in the world. Now accounting for about 2% of our total
energy input, this LFG use not only reduces the release of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere – it currently saves some 45,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, it also
conserves around 14,000 tonnes of naphtha annually. In view of these benefits, we are
negotiating with the government and landfill operators to see if these activities can be
extended to other landfill sites in Hong Kong.
Environmental Performance Clean Energy
“Towngas is a willing and active partner in promoting and
using green energy in Hong Kong. This vision to sustainability
has helped to write the very successful story of the commercial use of
“green energy” from Hong Kong’s waste. The success of this scheme
not only enhances investors’ confidence in similar renewable and green
energy projects, it also highlights the social and environmental benefits
of the more imaginative use of available resources.”
Benny Liu
Project Manager
North East New Territories (NENT) Landfill,
Far East Landfill Technologies Limited