Miri sets up command centre as partof smart city initiative
Miri, May 29: Miri City is now embarking on the second phase of the Smart City Initiatives which will include the Miri City Command Centre, expansion of Safe Park and Safe City Initiatives and further digitisation of Miri City Council processes and documentation.Unveiling this, Miri City Council (MCC) mayor Adam Yii said Miri City is fortunate that it was selected as the pioneer city for the Smart City Initiatives by Sarawak government on Jan 30, 2020 and a total of 10 smart applications have been successfully implemented under Phase 1 of the Miri Smart City Initiatives so far. He said Miri City presently has a population of about 350,000, and a land size of about 5,200 sq km.“To put the land size in perspective, Miri City is about 7 times the size of Singapore since the land size of Singapore is about 734.3 sq km,” said Yii at the Kenyalang Smart City Summit organised by Imasa Dinasti Sdn Bhd, the developer of Kenyalang Smart City (KSC) Development. The event attracted over 50 local and international investors from the Middle East and Asia, including the Republic of China, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia with the purpose to learn more about Kenyalang Smart City Development and associated investment opportunities. “Miri City is in dire need of a proper convention centre in order to host bigger events. Therefore, the convention centre included in the Kenyalang Smart City Development Project is much welcomed,” said Yii.For the foreign guests, Yii who is also Pujut assemblyman, gave a short historical account of Miri City.Miri City came to existence basically when oil was found, developed and produced in 1910 by Shell with the first well drilled on top of the Canada Hill. The hill was named Canada Hill by the local people, because the first drillers working there were Canadians. Due to its historical significance, the Grand Old Lady and a petroleum museum were erected on the site. Miri from then on developed from a small fishing village to what it is now, and has been commonly known as the “oil town”. “Interestingly, Shell as an oil company also has its origin in Miri. Shell was a trading company before it became an oil company,” said Yii. During WWII, the first point of landing by the Imperial Japanese Army on the island of Borneo was also in Miri where the objective was to take over the oilfields of Miri. “And due to the presence of a sizable community of expatriates and their families working and living in Miri since the discovery of oil, Miri has a much more cosmopolitan character as compared to other places in Sarawak,” said Yii. Also present were Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Deputy MTCP Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting and other dignitaries. – DayakDaily
China’s largest green hydrogen refuelling station is selling H2 at a seventh of the cost of the fuel in California
Sany claims its integrated production and fuelling complex supplies hydrogen at cost parity with diesel The largest integrated green hydrogen production and refuelling complex in China is able to supply hydrogen at 35 yuan per kilo ($4.86/kg), near cost parity with diesel, according to reporting by the Chinese newspaper Hunan Daily. Unlike the vast majority of China’s hydrogen refuelling stations, engineering firm Sany’s filling spot in the city of Changsha, Hunan province, which entered into a testing phase this week, produces its own H2 onsite via alkaline electrolysers, thus avoiding transportation costs. The electrolysers are capable of producing up to 180kg an hour, but the pumps can only dispense two tonnes per day — enough to fill up more than 100 vehicles. By way of comparison, hydrogen fuel is being sold at the pump elsewhere in China for 75 yuan per kilo — which is still cheaper than in other countries. The largest H2 fuel market in the US, California, is currently seeing pump prices of $36/kg — more than seven times higher than the Changsha facility — while in Germany, Europe’s largest market, current per-kg prices are between €12.85 and €15.75 ($14-16.60). If the price of H2 fuel in China drops below 30 yuan per kilogram, such as via future technology upgrades, “hydrogen fuel vehicles are more competitive than diesel vehicles” even without subsidies, said Wang Zhimin, director of Sany Hydrogen Energy Hydrogenation Equipment Institute. While hydrogen is often highlighted as a way to decarbonise heavy, long-haul transport, the switch from existing trucks will depend on logistics firms committing to high upfront costs or renting from emerging pay-to-use schemes such as a programme run by Shell in Germany. However, because diesel is already a relatively expensive fossil fuel, particularly in markets with higher taxes, some green hydrogen investors have suggested that the cost gap is easier to bridge than with cheap natural gas or even grey H2, potentially making it an easier sell for use in road transport than by industrial offtakers. But others have pointed out that most of the pump price at hydrogen refuelling sites is not based on the price of the H2 molecule, but the capex of the filling station as well as extra costs from compression and maintenance. While Sany appears to be leveraging economies of scale, the 37-million-yuan station will not be open to the public but rather supply fuel-cell trucks used in company operations — which could limit its utilisation rate. Similarly, although the engineering firm uses solar panels to power the electrolysers, it is unclear whether the complex has another source of renewable electricity or uses grid power for production during night.
