As impacts of climate change intensifies with more frequent occurrences worldwide, we must tackle the source of the problems to mitigate these impacts. The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has been encouraging the industry to actively adopt innovative thinking and technology to help build Hong Kong into a climate-resilient city and achieve carbon neutrality goals. To enhance Hong Kong’s fuel supply stability, CLP Power and HK Electric have collaborated to build a world-class offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Hong Kong. This project utilises a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), which converts LNG back into its gaseous state. The regasified natural gas is then transported to power plants of two power companies through subsea pipelines for electricity generation. This project, being the first of its kind in Hong Kong, promotes the use of natural gas as an important transitional fuel in power generation - plays a crucial role in implementing the long-term decarbonisation strategy outlined in the "Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2050” by supporting energy transition in Hong Kong.
The marine construction of the offshore LNG terminal began in late 2020. After over two years of construction, the terminal has officially begun its operation. Recently, Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of the CIC, together with representatives from the industry, visited the offshore LNG terminal located in the southwest waters of Hong Kong. The project team shared how they overcame numerous challenges in the offshore project which sets a remarkable milestone to Hong Kong's offshore construction work and energy transformation development.
Hand in Hand to Provide Stable Energy Supply
The limited land supply in Hong Kong makes it very difficult to build natural gas facilities in residential areas. Therefore, after comprehensive research, the project team set up the facilities in a remote location in the southwest waters of Hong Kong. This minimises the impact on residents while facilitates the transportation of natural gas with its proximity to the border, providing greater flexibility in natural gas procurement strategies. The construction of the offshore LNG terminal includes several key infrastructures such as a double berth jetty with LNG unloading equipment, FSRU vessel “Bauhinia Spirit” permanently moored at the terminal, which is the world’s largest FSRU vessel and has an LNG storage capacity of 263,000 cubic metres, and two subsea natural gas pipelines. These pipelines connect the terminal to the natural gas receiving stations at CLP Power's Black Point Power Station and HK Electric's Lamma Power Station. The scale of the project is significant, and the team overcame unprecedented engineering challenges and safety requirements. Furthermore, offshore maritime engineering is susceptible to environmental factors such as winds, waves, and weather conditions. Additionally, the remote location of the project requires the team to adapt to the new working condition. To facilitate work at the jetty, they stayed on the construction vessel, racing against time and weather to complete this forward-looking engineering feat.
In the early stages of the project, international borders were closed due to the pandemic, resulting in a halt in manpower allocation, component procurement, and transportation from both mainland China and around the world. This made the project difficult to progress. However, the project team demonstrated tremendous flexibility in construction, and reconsidered the locations of the fabrication yards, component procurement, and transportation routes within a short period of time, ensuring the project could be completed as earliest as possible.
During the visit, the project team also shared an anecdote about the construction of the subsea natural gas pipelines - while planning the two 45-kilometer and 18-kilometer pipelines, they encountered a major "obstacle" beneath the seabed. In the area designated for pipeline construction, numerous fibre optic cables have been built to facilitate communication. It made the construction of the natural gas pipelines even more challenging. Instead of using traditional pipeline laying pattern, the team displayed innovative thinking and adopted a zigzag pattern to bypass the existing fibre optic cables, overcoming another technical difficulty.
Construction Using Prefabricated Components to Turn “Impossible” Into “Possible
Offshore project is susceptible to environmental factors, and especially when the manufacturing facilities and ports were put under “closed‑loop management” during the pandemic, it is more desirable to use prefabricated components to control the quality of the terminal structure. Not only does it minimise offshore construction work, but it also expedites the whole work process. The LNG terminal was assembled by using a similar method as the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) approach, which follows the principle of "factory assembly followed by the on-site installation", and successfully overcame the challenges of offshore construction. The major components of the terminal have been assembled in the fabrication yard and then completed with fixtures, fittings, equipment, piping, marine loading arms, tower cranes, etc., before being delivered to the site for installation. In addition, factory acceptance tests for major equipment and control systems were also conducted in the fabrication yard so as to minimise rectification or replacement work on-site. The hook-up stage is therefore shortened.
Workers’ Participation Is Crucial in Ensuring Safety in the Offshore Project
As part of the assembly works still needs to be carried out on-site, the safety of the construction site is crucial in this offshore project. The project adopted rigorous safety regulations, with indicators and commitments, allowing workers and employees to work with peace of mind. In addition, the project team of the offshore LNG terminal project rigorously upholds the "Safety 360" safety guidelines. They cultivate a workplace safety culture that promotes mutual support and care. Each construction worker is provided with an "Are You Safe" helmet with easily understood safety labels. This encourages safety awareness in the team and reminds each other be mindful of their own and their colleagues' working environment, taking construction safety as their responsibility.
