ENG-1991 — Page 269

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

SNG is distributed by HKCG under the Towngas trademark from temporary plants located in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun specifically designed and operated to provide the gas requirements of these two new town areas in the New Territories. It is expected that the Yuen Long plant will be decommissioned early in 1992 when the gas supplies from Tai Po will be available in the area. The Tuen Mun plant will need to remain in situ until the new transmission pipeline connecting Tai Po to Tuen Mun has been completed.

LPG is imported into Hong Kong by sea. About 64 per cent of total sales is distributed to customers, via dealer networks, in portable cylinders. The remaining 36 per cent is distributed through piped gas systems from bulk LPG storage and vaporiser installations which are located in or adjacent to the developments being supplied.

Currently there are about 388 LPG dealers operating within the territory. Additionally, 23 LPG site operators manage 448 bulk storage installations under government-monitored arrangements. Altogether there are about 950 000 LPG customers.

In 1982, the government introduced a piped gas policy to discourage further growth in the use of gas cylinders in domestic dwellings; and at the same time began a programme of encouraging the upgrading of sub-standard gas water heaters. The percentage of domestic dwellings using cylinders has fallen to less than 38 per cent in 1991; and the number of upgraded gas water heaters amounts to 53 000. Apart from suicide cases there were five fatalities arising from fuel gas incidents during 1991.

As a further means of safeguarding the general public and gas consumers, the Gas Safety Ordinance was introduced on April 1, 1991. This ordinance and its associated regulations constitute a comprehensive package of safety legislation covering all aspects of fuel gas importation, manufacture, storage, transport, supply and use of gas. The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services was appointed as the Gas Authority and a Gas Safety Advisory Committee was established for the purpose of advising the authority upon all relevant matters. By April 1, 1992, it will be necessary for all gas supply companies, gas installers and contractors to be registered with the Gas Authority. In addition, the administrative arrangements for controlling safety in the transportation of LPG in tankers and cylinder wagons will be completely transferred from the Dangerous Goods Ordinance to the Gas Authority by April 1992.

The government and the fuel gas supply industry have adopted risk assessment techniques for the detailed examination of all appropriate potentially-hazardous gas installations. The risk assessments facilitate the taking of remedial measures where necessary, with the aim of ensuring that residents in the vicinity of these installations are not exposed to unacceptable risk levels.

223