LNG 'not the best transport fuel choice for Hong Kong'
Space constraints limiting land available for depots and refilling stations affects feasibility of using alternative fuel for public transport
Mainland oil giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) is working on plans to introduce liquefied natural gas for heavy vehicles in the city, yet the government concluded five years ago that the fuel had little future in Hong Kong.
The "Introducing Natural Gas/Liquefied Petroleum Gas Buses and Heavy Vehicles Feasibility Study Report" completed by the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Department in 2009 cited the difficulties of locating suitable and adequate numbers of filling stations in the city.
In particular, it said LNG storage depots and refilling stations would need to be built locally to ensure supply security during typhoons. But land availability was an issue and there was always competing land use.
While CNOOC says LNG could be the safest transport fuel given its lighter density and high rate of evaporation, the report says refilling stations should have at least 55 metres' clearance from the population to minimise risks.
Unlike the LNG refilling stations in Shenzhen, which have above-ground tanks, the report said Hong Kong's fuel tanks should be installed underground and have their capacity capped. The report also gauged the emission-reduction potential of gas-fuelled vehicles and believed that the potential was comparatively small, because of advancements made in diesel engines.
World Green Organisation chief executive William Yu Yuen-ping agreed that infrastructure, like fuel storage or refilling stations, was the universal headache for harnessing new energy.
