ENG-2018 — Page 294

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The Environment

Town gas is manufactured at plants in Tai Po and Ma Tau Kok, which have daily throughput capacities of about 10 million and 2.6 million cubic metres respectively. It is channelled to customers via a pipe network of some 3,600km.

LPG is imported into Hong Kong mainly by sea and stored at five terminals in Tsing Yi before being distributed to customers, including 67 LPG filling stations.

Natural gas is imported from the Mainland via submarine pipelines to Black Point Power Station and Lamma Power Station for electricity generation, and to the Tai Po plant, and onward from Tai Po to the Ma Tau Kok plant via underground pipelines, for the production of town gas. Separately, CLP Power draws natural gas from the Mainland's Second West-East Natural Gas Pipeline through the submarine Hong Kong Branch Line facilities.

Energy Saving

Energy consumption is related closely to greenhouse gas emissions. Improving energy efficiency helps combat global climate change. End users consumed 289,219 terajoules in 2016, with the commercial, transport, residential and industrial sectors taking up 43, 31, 21 and 5 per cent respectively.

The bureau's Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong's Built Environment 2015~2025+ is the city's first energy-saving blueprint. It sets a target of reducing energy intensity by 40 per cent by 2025, and outlines the policy, strategies, targets and key actions that can help achieve that target. The bureau is working with the built environment sector to promote energy saving measures.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department's Energy Efficiency Office promotes efficient use of energy through legislation and public education. Its Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme requires prescribed products to bear energy labels informing consumers of the products' energy efficiency performance. Phase 3 of the scheme was launched in June, covering indoor televisions, electric storage water heaters, induction cookers, indoor air conditioners with both cooling and heating functions, refrigerators, compact fluorescent lamps, dehumidifiers and washing machines of more than 7kg but less than 10kg in washing capacity.

The government's district cooling system at the Kai Tak Development provides chilled water to non-domestic developments for air conditioning. It is being completed in phases and now provides chilled water to buildings including the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Trade and Industry Tower, schools and shopping centres. Upon full completion, the system would reduce annual electricity consumption by 85 million kilowatt-hours, equivalent to a carbon reduction of 60,000 tonnes, compared with conventional air-cooled air-conditioning systems.

Renewable Energy

The Paris Agreement highlights the need for wider promotion of renewable energy. New schools, educational buildings, open space and public parks are subject to the government's target for providing renewable energy. Existing government buildings undergoing major renovation must incorporate renewable energy technology where technically and financially practicable. Bureaus and departments can draw on a $1 billion fund to provide small

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