NEFIN and Alliance Construction Materials Limited have announced the completion of their solar power projects in two of Alliance's concrete batching plants in Tsing Yi and Yuen Long, Hong Kong. The systems will generate 76,170 kWh of electricity annually. From December, the electricity output is able to offset a total of 39 t of CO2 per year – which is considered equivalent to planting extra 647 trees in Hong Kong.

Alliance, a joint venture of CK Infrastructure Holdings Limited (CKI) and HeidelbergCement Group, provides concrete and aggregates solutions to support a diverse range of construction projects around Hong Kong. With its primary ‘green’ objectives of protecting the climate, preserving resources and reducing emissions, Alliance adopts stringent carbon reduction measures in its operation, including concrete batching plants, aggregates depots and logistics chain.

Vincent Yu, CEO of Alliance said, “Consolidating green innovation in traditional practices established by decades of industrial development is not an easy task. As we pride ourselves on being a pioneer to enable a circular economy, we are keen to explore new approaches to lower our carbon footprint.

“This solar power project is one of our many green initiatives to make a difference. By setting long term decarbonisation target, deploying conservation measures in entire manufacturing and delivery process, as well as developing low carbon concrete products, we strive to minimise our environmental impact and support the construction industry to build a greener Hong Kong.”

NEFIN Group is a regional renowned solar developer and investor with experience in solar system deployment, founded by a core management team of DuPont Solar Business, legal experts, and investment bankers. The group offers consulting services such as due diligence, feasibility studies, and lender-technical advice on top of project development, system design, engineering, and asset management.

“Many enterprises are beginning to focus on environmental sustainability, but are hesitant to proceed due to a lot of considerations,” explained Glenn Lim, CEO of NEFIN. “For example, when companies think about developing their own solar power projects, they may think that it is not feasible if the area of their facilities is not large. This is where partnering with the right solutions provider can make the difference. NEFIN tailor-makes bespoke solutions to suit each company's considerations.  

“We believe that everyone plays an important role in embracing carbon neutrality. In this collaboration, Alliance is a role model to its industry and the society as they decide to adopt renewable energy on their facilities even where there maybe space constraints. Our team is able to design a solar PV system that maximises the rooftop space of Alliance’s plants and satisfy Alliance's requirements.”

According to both partners, the implementation of this solar project took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The unprecedented situation has created challenges to both teams. Due to the social distancing restrictions, certain points of the construction process were delayed. With the co-operation and understanding between Alliance and NEFIN, the solar PV systems were completed on time within 2020.

The two partners said they will continue to work together to monitor the electricity output of the two pilot plants, and also explore the opportunity to promote renewable energy to the other production facilities to enhance efficiency and strive towards carbon neutrality.

Images: Alliance Construction Materials