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November 28th, 2013:

WMW: Thai fuel cell deal for plasma gasification waste to energy firm

Nov 28th, 2013
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Waste management companies using plasma gasification technology are expanding their business and technological portfolio with the growing deployment of the technology around the world – that is, except for Hong Kong. From Ben Messenger, editor of Waste Management World:

London based Waste2Tricity, which plan to implement use plasma gasification waste to energy technology in facilities which utilise fuel cells, has acquired the exclusive rights for AFC Energy (AIM: AFC) hydrogen fuel cells for deployment in Thailand’s waste to energy sector.

Artist's impression of a fuel cell bank. (WMW)

The company said that it already owns the deployment rights for the UK and has secured the right of first refusal for additional territories including Europe and North America.

Waste2Tricity International (Thailand) (W2T has entered into the licence agreement with AFC Energy, making the company the exclusive Thai agent for AFC’s fuel cells for waste gasification applications.

According to the company, deployment of the commercial fuel cell will enable it to establish the technology in the Thai market.

Married to Alter NRG’s Westinghouse plasma gasification technology as the front end conversion, Waste2Tricity claimed that AFC Energy fuel cells create a commercial model that will substantially outperform any other proposal.

Paying for feedstock

The company further claimed that the model will allow it offer payment for waste feedstock, instead of requiring suppliers to pay a gate fee.

This, said that Waste2Tricity, will create a paradigm shift in the Thai waste to energy market, enabling it to establish market dominance with projects similar to the waste to the energy plant currently being built by Air Products in Tees Valley, UK.

“This is the beginning of our thrust into the burgeoning waste-to-energy market in Thailand,” explained Piangkwan Thummukgool, director of Waste2Tricity and project director of the Thailand programme.

“We will be accelerating our programme with the leading technologies for waste conversion and looking to create a hydrogen opportunity for the AFC Energy fuel cells,” he added.

Waste2tricity is projecting the potential deployment of over 230 MW’s of fuel cells in the three projects currently in negotiation, with more in the pipeline.

The deal with AFC was said to be worth some £1.2 million.

4 Nov 2013

Mingpao: Electric vehicles in HK numbers 552; 147 owned by Government

Nov 28th, 2013
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Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing says that as of October 2013, there are 552 electric vehicles on the roads of Hong Kong, more than twice the number in 2011. 147 of the vehicles are part of the vehicle fleet of the SAR government, who has slated for an addition of another 74 vehicles by early 2014.

Mr. Wong was responding in writing to queries from Legco member Chan Hak-kan Gary. The government, in an effort to promote the development of the electric vehicle market, introduced electric vehicles into its fleet across various departments, but electric vehicles have yet to become popular in Hong Kong.

Mr. Wong also said that feedback from government departments regarding electric vehicles have been positive. There is, however, a lack of available models on the market for special purposes vehicles such as waste collection vehicles, street cleaning vehicles, ambulances etc., which limits the number of electric vehicles in the fleet of government vehicles.

Electric vehicle, part of the HK government's fleet of vehicles; pictured with a charging station. (EPD)

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