ENG-1981 — Page 223

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PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

The two major electricity companies are the primary users of fuel oil, accounting for over 50 per cent of Hong Kong's total import of petroleum products in 1981. To reduce the repercussion of supply restrictions, the government took measures at the end of 1980 to store a temporary reserve of fuel oil, for electricity generation, in two large tankers moored in local waters. The first tanker, Straits Dahlia arrived in Hong Kong on December 31, 1980, with a cargo of 74 000 tonnes of fuel oil. The second tanker, Seabreeze was brought in on March 13, 1981, with a cargo of 123 000 tonnes of fuel oil. These two tankers, with a total reserve of about 200 000 tonnes of fuel oil were moored west of the Ninepin Group of islands and strict precautions against pollution were taken. This form of storage was used until the end of 1981, when land tanks at the new power stations on Lamma Island and at Castle Peak became available for long-term storage.

The installed capacity of the Cheung Chau Electric Company is 8 MW.

Gas

The Hong Kong and China Gas Company supplies Towngas to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.

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Supply is available throughout the urban areas including Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau, Repulse Bay and Stanley (on Hong Kong Island) and also in the industrial towns of Kwun Tong, Yau Tong, Sha Tin, Kwai Chung, Tsuen Wan and neighbouring Tsing Yi Island in the New Territories.

Towngas production is centred at Ma Tau Kok in Kowloon while Hong Kong Island is supplied by four submarine gasmains across the harbour.

The gas is produced in eight cyclic naphtha reforming plants, with a total installed capacity of 1 614 119 cubic metres per day. Two units of naphtha plant are currently under construction and, when commissioned early in 1982, will add a total of 679 629 cubic metres per day to the installed capacity of the station.

Towngas is distributed at a heat value of 17.27 MJ/m3 and a specific gravity of approximately 0.56. Gas is sold on a thermal basis (one therm = 105.5 megajoules). Towngas sales in 1981 amounted to 38.2 million therms (four million gigajoules) compared with 33.4 million therms (3.5 million gigajoules) in 1980.