ENG-2012 — Page 309

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The Environment

in Kowloon and northern Hong Kong Island. Layered rocks seen on the island of Ping Chau are younger sediments, laid down in a lake on the edge of a desert, about 55 million years ago.

A series of fifteen 1:20,000-scale geological maps and six accompanying geological memoirs have been produced by the Hong Kong Geological Survey. Two summary memoirs and a set of 1:100,000-scale geological and thematic maps that synthesise the geology of Hong Kong as well as a popular account of the geology of Hong Kong, in Chinese and English, have also been published. Geological information can be accessed from the website of the Civil Engineering and Development Department.

Energy

Gas

Town gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are the main types of fuel gas used in Hong Kong for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes. LPG is also used as a fuel by nearly all taxis. and over 65 per cent of public light buses while natural gas is used for electricity generation. and production of town gas. Hong Kong has about 1.78 million town gas and 0.49 million LPG customers respectively in the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors, of which town gas and LPG respectively accounted for 86.3 and 13.7 per cent of the total fuel gas sold in these sectors in terms of heating values.

Town gas is manufactured at plants in Tai Po and Ma Tau Kok which have daily throughput capacities of 9.6 and 2.4 million cubic metres respectively. A pipe network of some 3,500 kilometres supplies town gas to customers.

LPG is imported into Hong Kong by sea and stored at five terminals on Tsing Yi Island before being distributed to customers including 61 LPG filling stations for LPG vehicles.

Natural gas is imported from the Mainland via submarine pipelines to the Black Point, Castle Peak and Lamma Power Stations for electricity generation and to the Tai Po Plant for production of town gas. The Hong Kong Branch Line of the Second West-East Natural Gas Pipeline, constructed jointly by energy enterprises of the Mainland and Hong Kong, was completed in 2012. Hong Kong can benefit from improved air quality by increasing the use of clean energy and reducing the emission of power plants.

The Gas Safety Ordinance regulates the importation, manufacture, storage, transport, supply and use of fuel gas. All gas supply companies, gas installers and contractors must be registered with the Gas Authority (the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services).

Electricity

The Hong Kong Electric Company (HEC) supplies electricity to Hong Kong Island and the neighbouring islands of Ap Lei Chau and Lamma, while CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power) supplies Kowloon and the New Territories, including Lantau and several other outlying islands. The electricity supply to consumers is 50 hertz alternating current while the voltage is 220 volts single-phase and 380 volts three-phase.

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