WORKING PAPER NO. 6 REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJOR STRATEGIC FACILITIES

Purpose

1. One of the key study areas of the Hong Kong 2030 Study is the requirements of port and other major infrastructure facilities. Major infrastructure in Hong Kong including port and airport, highways and railway network, information technology and telecommunications system etc. will be looked into separately by other working papers. This paper attempts to discuss the future requirements of some major facilities of territorial significance, these include energy supply, water supply, solid waste disposal and sewage treatment, which are most concerned by the public and highly related to the sustainability issues of Hong Kong.

2. With the continuing population growth anticipated in the next thirty years, demand for the above major facilities will inevitably be increased. Hong Kong is constrained by the lack of land resource. It is necessary to be proactive and forward looking in formulating strategies in the landuse planning for the respective facilities so as to cope with the future needs.

Energy Supply

3. There are basically three main types of energy. The first type is the conventional energy obtained from combustion of fuel. The second type is nuclear energy, which produces power by nuclear fission and the final type is renewable energy, which comes from resources that are easily replenished such as the sun, wind, water and waste. Hong Kong has no indigenous energy resource such as coal, oil and natural gas. Hence, most of Hong Kong's energy relies very much on imported conventional fuel energy.

Electricity

4. In Hong Kong, electricity is supplied by the CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power) and the Hongkong Electric Company (HEC). The Government relies on private sector to provide electricity infrastructure in response to market demands. CLP Power supplies electricity to Kowloon and the New Territories, including Lantau, Cheung Chau and several outlying islands, whereas HEC supplies electricity to Hong Kong Island and the neighbouring islands of Ap Lei Chau and Lamma.

5. Hong Kong has a total installed electricity generating capacity of 11,568 MW (including 70% of the capacity of units 1 and 2 of the Guangdong Nuclear Power Station at Daya Bay and 50% of the Guangzhou Pumped Storage Power Station). The fuel mix for power generation is shown in the following table:

Table 1 : Fuel Mix for Power Generation

Source: Economic Services Bureau

6. The Hong Kong Government regulates the electricity-related activities of the two companies through separate Scheme of Control Agreements (SCA), which constitute the major element of the regulatory framework for the power sector in Hong Kong. They include rate-of-return regulation for the two utilities as well as price control and approval mechanisms. These agreements establish what costs the companies may pass on to consumers, the profits they may earn and effectively give the Government authority to approve the companies' expansion plans and investment proposals. The current fifteen year agreements will expire in 2008.

7. CLP Power generate electricity by three power stations, namely, Castle Peak, Black Point, and Penny's Bay. CLP Power also obtains power from Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station and Guangzhou Pumped Storage Power Station. It also receives natural gas from Hainan Island for the Black Point Power Station.

This subject paper is intended to be a research paper delving into different views and analyses from various sources. The views and analyses as contained in this paper are intended to stimulate public discussion and input to the planning process of the "HK2030 Study" and do not necessarily represent the views of the HKSARG.

Fuel Installed Capacity (%)

Coal 57.1

Oil 9.6

Natural Gas 16.2

Nuclear Energy 11.9

Pumped Storage 5.2

8. HEC generates and supplies electricity to Hong Kong Island, Ap Lei Chau and Lamma Island. Electricity is supplied from the power station at Lamma Island. At the end of 1998, the total installed capacity of the station was 3,305 MW. The company is in negotiation with Mainland China on a planned Shenzhen liquefied natural gas terminal which will be a main gas supplier to the power company station expansion.

Gas

9. Fuel gas is supplied for domestic, commercial and industrial uses. Two main types of fuel gas are available. Towngas, distributed by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), supplied by five companies.

10. Towngas is manufactured and distributed by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited. By the end of 2000, the transmission pipeline had increased to 122 km while distribution network reached 2,788 km. The principal uses of towngas are for cooking and water heating for domestic customers and catering and heat processing for commercial and industrial customers. Towngas is manufactured in plants at Tai Po and Ma Tau Kok, both using naphtha as a feedstock. They have output capacities of 8.4 and 2.2 million cubic metres per day respectively. The gas is supplied through an integrated distribution system to the customers.

11. LPG is supplied by Shell, Mobil, ESSO, Caltex and China Resources. It is imported into Hong Kong by sea and stored at five terminals on Tsing Yi before being distributed to some 770,000 customers. About 59% of total sales is supplied in cylinders by approximately 330 distributors. The Government has encouraged the installation of piped gas supply in new buildings to discourage further growth in the use of LPG cylinders in dwellings. The percentage of domestic dwellings now using cylinders fell to 27% in 2000. LPG is also being used as fuel for commercial vehicles.

Renewable Energy

12. Renewable energy means energy sources that produce usable energy without necessarily depleting resources. They include bio-fuel, solar, wind, hydropower as well as geothermal, tidal energy and waste-to-energy technology. Common types of renewable energy are bio-energy, solar, wind and hydropower. The following paragraphs describe briefly different types of renewable energy. Relevant pictures are illustrated in Attachment 1.

(A) Bio-energy

13. Bio-energy utilizes organic matter to provide heat, make fuel and generate electricity. Wood, the largest source of bio-energy, has been used to provide heat for thousands of years. Other types of organic components, such as plants, residue from agriculture or forestry, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes can now be used as an energy resource. In Hong Kong, landfill gas is one possible source of bio-energy. Landfill gas was first extracted at Shuen Wan Landfill in 1999 to provide process fuel to Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited for the production of town gas. Moreover, municipal waste-to-energy technology could also be developed as one possible supply of renewable energy.

(B) Solar Energy

14. Solar energy can be used to generate electricity, provide hot water, and to heat, cool, and light buildings. Photovoltaic (solar cell) systems convert sunlight directly into electricity. A solar or PV cell consists of semi-conducting material and absorbs the sunlight. PV arrays can be used to generate electricity for a single building or, in large number, for a power plant. A power plant can also use a concentrating solar power system, which uses the sun's heat to generate electricity. The sunlight is collected and focused with mirrors to create a high-intensity heat source. This heat source produces steam or mechanical power to run a generator that creates electricity. Many large commercial buildings can use solar collectors to provide more than just hot water. Solar process heating systems can be used to heat these buildings. A solar ventilation system can be used in cold climates to preheat air as it enters a building. And the heat from a solar collector can even be used to provide energy for cooling a building.

(C) Wind

15. Wind turbines capture the wind's energy with two or three propeller-like blades, which are mounted on a rotor, to generate electricity. The turbines sit high atop towers, taking advantage of the stronger and less turbulent wind at 30 metres or more aboveground. Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications, or they can be connected to a utility power grid or even combined with a photovoltaic (solar cell) system. Stand-alone turbines are typically used for water pumping or communications. However, homeowners and farmers in windy areas can also use turbines to generate electricity. For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of turbines are usually built close together to form a wind farm. Several electricity providers today use wind farms to supply power to their customers. In Hong Kong, a green group is planning to conduct trial schemes on Po Toi Island and Lamma Island to examine the potential of developing wind energy.

(D) Hydropower

16. Flowing water carries energy that can be captured and turned into electricity. This is called hydropower. The most common type of hydropower plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which, in turn, activates a generator to produce electricity. But hydropower does not necessarily require a large dam. Some hydropower plants just use a small canal to channel the river water through a turbine.

17. Another type of hydropower plant, called a pumped storage plant, can even store energy. The energy is sent from a power grid into the electric machines. The machines then spin the turbines backward, which causes the machines to function as water pumps to pump water from a river or lower reservoir to an upper reservoir, where the energy is stored. To use the energy, the water is released from the upper reservoir back down into the river or lower reservoir. This spins the turbines forward, driving the machines as generators to produce electricity.

Future Electricity Demand

18. Demand of electricity supply has been increasing. The trend of electricity consumptions is shown in Table 2 below. To cater for future demand of electricity, the Government approved proposals from HKE and CLP Power to expand their generation capacities. The HKE will provide additional generation capacities at its Lamma Power Station. The first phase will be operational in 2004. For CLP Power, units 7 and 8 generators will be installed at Black Point Power Station in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

Table 2 : Electricity Consumptions (Terajoule, otherwise stated)

Source: Electrical and Mechanical Services Department * Due to data limitations, energy data of miscellaneous commercial/public services cannot be separated into specific end-use typesand so all their energy data relevant to this table are also included under this heading regardless of their end-use types.

Strategic Planning Implications

Does Hong Kong need new Power Station ?

19. Hong Kong relies heavily on fossil fuels. Power generation using these fuels produces air pollution emissions and greenhouse gases which have an adverse impact on our environment. To combat global warming and local/regional air pollution problems, Hong Kong should encourage more on the use of natural gas for electricity generation to cater for its industrial, commercial and residential uses. Depending on the population growth and the level of economic activities, it is still early at this stage to say sites for new power stations will be required in the future but we need to bear in mind that it is not easy to find suitable new sites due to limited land resource in Hong Kong.

How to develop renewable energy sources ?

20. In the future, Hong Kong should actively develop, utilize, and commit cleaner and renewable energy resources considering the increasing population and growing demand for better quality of life. Such development would also be in line with government policies on innovation and technology, as well as the principle of sustainable development. As mentioned in paragraph 12, there are different kinds of renewable energy sources. Hong Kong may not be able to develop all these renewable energy sources. However, some geographical factors, such as abundant sunshine and strong winds, do offer us potential for developing solar energy and wind energy. Future development may also introduce cleaner fuel options (e.g. Liquefied natural gas) which will give opportunity to reduce air pollution emissions arising from existing fuel combustion sources (e.g. power plants). At present, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has commissioned a consultancy study on 'Potential Applications of Renewable Energy in Hong Kong'. It aims to evaluate the different new and renewable technologies and to identify those suitable for local applications in the short and long term. The study will help us to formulate a new energy policy to reduce pollution arising from energy use and to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Subject to the findings of the study, reservation of land for related facilities such as wind farm may be required.

21. In other advanced countries (e.g. EU, Australia), there is a definitive commitment of certain percentage of electricity to be

Year Space Conditioning

Lighting & Refrigeration

Industrial Process/

Equipment

Cooking Hot Water Others* Total Consumptions

Average Consumption Rate (MW)

1988 22,369 17,417 15,284 3,240 2,383 14,939 75,632 2,398

1989 24,420 18,331 15,378 3,378 2,422 16,661 80,590 2,555

1990 27,253 19,333 15,210 3,697 2,608 17,699 85,800 2,721

1991 29,070 20,529 15,537 3,804 2,760 19,440 91,140 2,890

1992 30,097 21,569 15,103 4,094 2,965 20,325 94,153 2,986

1993 32,444 22,648 14,666 4,368 3,093 22,591 99,810 3,165

1994 35,125 23,324 13,813 4,519 3,210 25,072 105,054 3,331

1995 35,990 23,919 13,099 4,356 3,235 26,878 107,477 3,408

1996 36,698 24,541 12,825 4,410 3,290 32,115 113,879 3,611

1997 37,146 25,470 12,409 4,510 3,361 33,178 116,074 3,681

1998 40,396 26,259 12,422 4,947 3,495 37,928 125,447 3,978

generated by renewable energy. Should there be any change in the energy policy, suitable amendments to permitted uses in land use zonings would probably be required to cater for the future needs of renewable energy. There are also emerging markets for electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and bio-fuelled vehicles. Basic infrastructures to support these technologies will be explored when there is a demand in the future market.

Water Supply

22. In Hong Kong there are 17 reservoirs, 20 treatment works, 140 pumping stations, 151 service reservoirs, a network of about 5,200 km of water mains, and more than 300 km of catchwaters and tunnels. The present total reservoir and water treatment capacities are 586 million m3 and 4.5 million m3 per day respectively.

23. Local water supply in Hong Kong is derived from protected upland water gathering grounds where pollution arising from human activities is very low. About a third of the total land area (though mostly hilly land not suitable for development) in Hong Kong has been designated as water gathering grounds.

Major Supply from Guangdong

24. The supply of water from Guangdong is now the major single source of supply for Hong Kong. It has a history dated back to 1960 when a scheme was formulated for receiving a supply of only 22.7 million m3. To meet Hong Kong's increasing demand, progressive increase in the yearly supply was made with the Guangdong Authorities. In 2000, Hong Kong received 706 million m3 of raw water from Guangdong, representing an annual growth rate of 9% since 1960. In the past few years, supply from Guangdong accounts for nearly 80% of Hong Kong's total demand. The water resource statistics are shown in the following table.

Table 3 : Water Resources

Source : Water Supplies Department *Average annual rainfall - 2214mm

25. The source of water from Guangdong is Dongjiang (東江). Water is extracted from the river at a point some 83km north of Hong Kong and is then pumped over a series of dams built across the Shima River (石馬河), one of its tributaries. It eventually discharges into the Shenzhen Reservoir before being fed by closed culvert across the boarder at Muk Wu to Hong Kong. Attachment 2 shows the raw water supply sources of Hong Kong.

26. Agreement signed between the Hong Kong Government and Guangdong authorities stated that the Dongjiang water supplied to Hong Kong should conform with the Environmental Quality Standard of Surface Water GB3838-83 Class II standard published by the People's Republic of China. The raw water after purification by Hong Kong's treatment works is suitable for drinking. The water quality monitoring system at Muk Wu Pumping Station where Dongjiang water is received and is further monitored at treatment works allow the treatment processes at treatment works to be operated optimally to ensure that the treated water quality compiles with the WHO's Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality and is safe for consumption.

Water Treatment

Year * Rainfall (mm)

(Resources) Catchment

Yield (Mm3)

(Resources) Supply from Guangdong

(Mm3)

(Resources) Catchment

Yield (%)

(Resources) Supply from Guangdong

(%)

1989 1,945 247 610 29 71

1990 2,047 221 590 27 73

1991 1,639 180 701 20 80

1992 2,679 364 663 35 65

1993 2,344 360 627 36 64

1994 2,726 277 683 29 71

1995 2,754 302 690 30 70

1996 2,249 188 720 21 79

1997 3,343 224 698 24 76

1998 2,565 238 760 24 76

1999 2,129 106 738 13 87

2000 2,752 261 706 27 73

27. Raw water comes either directly from Guangdong or from one of the storage reservoirs in Hong Kong by gravity or via pumps. It then goes through large diameter pipelines and tunnels to the treatment works. In the treatment works the water first passes through the clarifiers which are used for settlement, forming the first stage of the water treatment process. To enable large quantities of water to be treated efficiently in a compact plant, sulphate of alumina (alum) is added to the incoming water to allow the suspended solids to coagulate into large particles which settle on the floor of the clarifiers in the form of sludge. The sludge is collected, thickened and treated and disposed of. The water goes from the clarifiers to the filtration plant where the finer suspended matters are removed. The filtered water is then corrected for pH by adding hydrated lime, disinfected with chlorine and fluoridated with a fluoride compound. After completion of the entire process, the treated water is ready for distribution to consumers.

Future Water Demand

28. Success in providing an adequate supply of water to meet the water demand of the population and industries is hinged on the assessment of a realistic water demand projection which is based primarily on population growth and the level of economic activtes. From 1970 to 1990, water demand has been on an upward trend at an average rate of 6% each year. The rapid increase was due to population growth, extension of supply to more remote areas, increase in per capita consumption due to improved living standard and the booming economy.

29. However, since 1990, the rate of growth of the overall water demand has dropped to about 0.6% each year. The reduced growth rate was mostly due to the significant decrease in industrial water consumption probably as a result of the relocation of industries outside Hong Kong. In 2000, the average daily demand of fresh water is 2.5 million m3. The following table shows the water consumptions in the past ten years. It is expected that with the imposition of more stringent pollution control policy and the availability of cheaper labour elsewhere, more industries, particularly water-intensive industries, will be relocating their production lines outside Hong Kong. The average annual water demand growth rate in the period from 2001 to 2020 is forecast to be below 0.5%.

Table 4 : Water Consumptions

Source : Water Supplies Department

Strategic Planning Implications

Should Hong Kong expand water gathering ground ?

30. The total water gathering grounds now comprise about one third of the land area of Hong Kong though most of the areas are hilly and not suitable for development purposes. There is very limited scope for the development of further areas as water gathering grounds because of the limited land resources of Hong Kong and the competition of land for other uses. Also, it is very difficult to find suitable sites for additional impounding reservoirs.

How to ensure good quality of Dongjiang water ?

31. It is no doubt that the importation of raw water supply from Guangdong Province will continue to be a major fresh water resource for Hong Kong. With the expansion of the Guangdong water supply system to a total capacity of 1,100 million m3 per year, Hong Kong's water demand has been secured for many years to come. However, with the continual industrial development in the Pearl River Delta Region, in particular, in the proximity to the Dongjiang water gathering ground, water quality has been becoming a concern to us. Close liason with the Mainland authority is necessary to ensure that the quality of raw water would

Calendar Year

Fresh Water Daily Average (Mm3/day)

Fresh Water Daily Average Growth Rate (%)

Salt Water Daily Average (Mm3/day)

Fresh Water Annual Consumption (Mm3)

1989 2.32 4.9 0.31 845

1990 2.39 3.3 0.33 873

1991 2.42 1.2 0.34 884

1992 2.43 0.4 0.35 889

1993 2.51 3.2 0.35 915

1994 2.53 0.8 0.39 923

1995 2.52 -0.4 0.43 919

1996 2.54 0.7 0.51 928

1997 2.50 -1.3 0.54 914

1998 2.51 0.2 0.55 916

1999 2.50 -0.4 0.58 911

2000 2.52 1.2 0.63 924

not deteriorate.

Apart from Dongjiang water, are there other water sources outside Hong Kong ?

32. There has been suggestion by Chinese scholars that Hong Kong can import raw water from Xijiang (西江)on the western bank of the Pearl River Delta area by water pipes built alongside the proposed Lindingyang Bridge. This idea probably merits further consideration in the very long term.

Does Hong Kong need desalting plants ?

33. As mentioned above, we rely mainly on the importation of raw water from Guangdong Province. Thus, the quantity of water that is available will depend very much on the rainfall in the region. The remote but possible event that there is a prolonged drought in Southeast China cannot be precluded. If this really happens, raw water supply to Hong Kong will be affected. In view of this, we should continue to expand our seawater flushing system to reduce the usage of fresh water and should explore other water source. With the advancement of technology in the past decade, it is known that the cost of desalination is becoming competitive. Should we prove that the latest best available desalination technology is economically viable in Hong Kong and that this option will be pursued, reservation of land for the construction of desalting plants would be required. A feasibility study on development of desalination facilities in Hong Kong is being carried out by the Water Supplies Department.

Solid Waste Disposal

34. Domestic waste and construction and demolition (C&D) material are the major components summing up to more than 80% of solid waste. The remaining waste is commercial and industrial (C&I) waste. In general, C&D and most C&I waste are collected by private waste collectors whereas municipal solid waste (MSW) including domestic waste and commercial waste is collected by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for the public. In 2000, the total amount of waste disposed of at landfills is about 6.5 million tones, of which 42% is domestic waste, 42% is C&D waste, 10% is commercial and industrial waste, and 6% is special waste.

C&D Material

35. Those surplus materials arising from any land excavation or formation, civil/building construction, roadwork, building renovation or demolition activities are called Construction and Demolition (C&D) materials. It includes various types of reusable materials such as building debris, rubble, earth and concrete. In 2000, about 37,500 tonnes of C&D materials was generated every day. Large quantity of C&D material is expected to be generated in the coming years. Local construction activities produce on average about 14 million tonnes of C&D materials per year. However, 69 million tones of inert C&D materials mainly from housing and infrastructure projects would be produced between mid 2002 and end 2005.

36. C&D materials could be divided into two categories, namely inert C&D materials and C&D wastes. About 80% of the C&D materials are useful inert materials including rocks, concrete, asphalt, rubbles, bricks, stones and earth, also called public fill and suitable for reuse in reclamation work. Some of them can also be recycled. In 2000, about 30,000 tonnes of public fill was transported to public filling areas for reclamation use each day.

37. The remaining 20% are mainly C&D waste contains mainly bamboo, timber, plastic, vegetation, packaging waste and other organic material are often mixed and contaminated, and are disposed of at landfills. Approximately 7,500 tonnes of C&D waste was disposed of at landfills every day in 2000.

Municipal Solid Waste

38. The management strategy for municipal solid waste is based upon strategic landfills located in the New Territories and a network of refuse transfer stations located near the urban area where most of the waste originates. Currently, three strategic landfills and seven refuse transfer stations are in operation.

39. Everyday, thousands of tonnes of garbage from business, industry and residences need to be disposed of. Three strategic landfills namely West New Territories (WENT) Landfill, South East New Territories (SENT) Landfill and North East New Territories (NENT) Landfill, are the key disposal sites for Hong Kong. These landfills have been taken the benefit of advancement in landfill technology to respond to the more demanding environmental requirements and to provide much needed capacity for waste disposal in Hong Kong.

40. Waste collection in major urban center of population is delivered to the refuse transfer station (RTS) where the waste is compacted and containerized in purposely built containers for onward transportation to the strategic landfills. This method of transporting waste in bulk has reduced the overall transportation cost and greatly reduced the traffic and environmental nuisance associated with a large number of small refuse collection vehicles moving on the road. The territorial waste management facilities are shown in Attachment 3.

Future Demand and Landfill Capacity

41. When the Waste Disposal Plan was launched in 1989, it was forecast that daily waste to be disposal of at landfills would rise from 12,500 in 1989 to 14,000 tonnes in 1997 and 16,700 tonnes by 2001. However, Hong Kong was already disposing of 16,000 tonnes of waste at landfills every day in 1997. On this trend, instead of lasting until 2020, the landfills will be full in 2015 to 2018, even if there are adequate outlets for C&D materials.

Waste Recovery & Recycling

42. Regarding disposal of C&D materials, the policy of C&D materials management strategy is to maximize the reuse and recycling of inert C&D materials so as to reduce its disposal at landfills. Also it aims to avoid, minimize, recycle and dispose of waste. The target is to reduce the generation of C&D waste and hence its intake at landfills, and so to reuse and recycle as much C&D materials as possible. One of the initiatives is to recycle hard material into aggregates for reuse.

43. In 2000, 1.76 million tones of materials have been diverted from our landfills for recycling. Over 85% of recovered materials is exported for further processing. The availability of berths at strategic locations is important for the recycling trade, which is operating at a low profit margin. Landuse planning should also consider granting suitable land for the recycling trade to sustain our efforts to minimize the amount of waste requiring disposal

44. At present, about 34% of MSW generated in Hong Kong is recovered. Most of the recovered materials are exported. Only a small portion is recycled locally. The major recyclable materials are paper, ferrous metals, plastics and non-ferrous metals. The remaining are glass bottles, wood, rubber tyres and textiles. As recycling activities in Hong Kong are dominantly market driven, the extent of recycling may be reflected by market values of different types of recyclable materials.

Strategic Planning Implications

How to dispose of the large amount of C&D material ?

45. Although 80%, (30,000 tonnes per day (tpd)) of the C&D material were beneficially reused as public fill for forming land at the public filling areas, the remaining 20% (7,500 tpd) need to be disposed of at the landfills and this quantity equals to 42% of the total waste intake of the three strategic landfills (18,000 tpd).

46. In recent years, public concerns and objections have often delayed, reduced or stopped the implementation of planned reclamation projects in particular within the Victoria Harbour limits. This in turn causes disruptions to the provision of Public Filling Areas and reduces the outlet capacity. If worst comes to the worst, all public fill would be diverted to the landfills. It would occupy the valuable landfill spaces and further shorten the life span of the landfills. The long-term arrangements to accommodate inert C&D materials and dredged mud are now being considered under a consultancy study commissioned by Civil Engineering Department.

What new disposal facilities are required in Hong Kong ?

47. In the future, it is necessary to develop new waste treatment and disposal facilities to supplement the existing strategic landfills, whose capacity to accept solid waste for final disposal is progressively used up. At this moment, extension of the existing landfills sites, identification of potential new waste disposal sites, development of waste-to-energy incinerators and sludge treatment facilities are being considered. A consultancy study on the extension of existing landfills and identification of potential new waste disposal sites is being carried out by the Environmental Protection Department.

How to promote waste reduction and recycling ?

48. Apart from developing new waste treatment and disposal facilities, serious consideration should be given to reduce the amount of waste produced through education and promotion by suitable waste reduction policy. Our waste management strategy is to promote waste reduction, separation and recycling through public education and publicity. At present, Environmental Protection Department has commissioned a consultancy study to formulate strategy for development of material reduction and recycling facilities, which is now at the final study stage.

Sewage Treatment

49. In Hong Kong more than 2 million m3 of sewage is produced each day. About 95% of the population is now served by the public sewerage system. The remaining 5% is located in some remote areas that are not connected to the public sewers. They have their own self-supporting sewage treatment system.

50. This public sewerage system includes a sewerage network of about 1,421 km in total length and a total of 61 sewage treatment plants treating sewage from residential, commercial and industrial premises in the territory prior to disposal to the sea for dilution and dispersion through submarine outfalls.

51. To cope with the continuous growth of population and to improve the water quality of the Victoria Harbour, the Administration decided to implement the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) (formerly known as the Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme

(SSDS)). HATS aims to abate the pollution problem of Victoria Harbour and ensure that the Hong Kong community enjoys a better quality of life.

52. At the regional/district level, 16 Sewerage Master Plans are being implemented in phases across the territory to provide new sewage infrastructure to match the development needs of the territory.

Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS)

53. The concept of the HATS is to upgrade the existing preliminary treatment works (PTWs) around the Victoria Harbour and to collect the screened sewage from these PTWs mainly via deep, tunneled interceptions for delivery to one or more centralized treatment facilities before discharge to the sea. Deep tunnels have been selected because of the complexity and the impact of laying large diameter sewers near the ground surface in urban areas congested with MTR tunnels, public utilities, basements of buildings, housing foundations and underground traffic.

54. Therefore, HATS comprises a deep tunnel network underneath the urban areas around the Victoria Harbour for collection and transfer of sewage, a centralized sewage treatment plant at Stonecutters Island for providing chemical treatment, a disinfection treatment facility at Lamma Island, and a long oceanic outfall for disposal of the effluent to the southern waters of the territory. Laying trunk sewers in congested urban areas to intercept the sewage discharge from the vast catchment will inevitably clash with interweaving layers of public utilities and adjoining blocks of building foundation.

HATS Sage I

55. HATS Stage I consists of a 23.6 km long deep tunnel conveyance systems which will convey sewage collected from northeastern areas of Hong Kong Island and the whole urban area of Kowloon, Tsuen Wan and Kwai Ching to Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works where the sewage will be chemically treated using ferric chloride to purify the sewage. After treatment, the effluent will be disposed via a 1.7 km submarine outfall to the western approaches of the Victoria Harbour.

56. The deep tunnel conveyance system and the Stage I outfall, which are 2.2m to 5.0m in diameter, are excavated with the extensive use of tunnel boring machines at depths between 76m and 150m below sea level. Upon completion of the Stage I works by the end of 2001, 70% of sewage discharging into the harbour will be intercepted and treated prior to disposal.

Future Stages of HATS

57. Considering the rate of progress with the tunneling work for Stage I of the HATS and the continuing public questions on a number of aspects of the system, including the adequacy of the treatment to be provided and its cost effectiveness, the Administration commissioned an Independent Review Panel (IRP) in April 2000 to re-examine, in the light of the experience gained in Stage I, the subsequent stages of HATS to see whether the currently proposed scheme remains the most cost effective and environmentally friendly solution to abate the pollution in Victoria Harbour.

58. In its final report released on 30 November 2000, the IRP recommended that consideration should be given to upgrading the treatment level to tertiary standard, and EIA work be undertaken to establish whether effluent treated to this standard could be discharged into the harbour area, removing the need for a long oceanic outfall. To achieve this, the IRP proposed four alternative treatment and discharge options (see Attachment 4), all involving the use of Biological Aerated Filters (BAF) technology for treatment, deep tunnels for the sewage transfer system, and short outfalls for disposal. To follow up on the IRP report, the Government will-

i. invite manufacturers to conduct tests of compact treatment technology in Hong Kong; 2. review the design flows for the system and carry out trials to see if the operation of the existing treatment process at

Stonecutters Island can be further enhanced, to confirm whether land reserved for more chemical treatment plant can be released for tertiary treatment;

3. carry out an assessment of the water quality impacts of the IRP proposals and determine if disinfection and nitrogen removal are needed to meet requirements for harbour water quality, so that the full requirements for treatment facilities can be established;

4. determine the engineering feasibility of fitting all needed treatment into the sites proposed by the IRP and requirements for longer term flexibility;

5. examine in more detail the financial and programme implications of the IRP options and the suggestion of using Design, Build, Operate contracts; and

6. establish a group chaired by Secretary for the Environment and Food to monitor and inform the community on the progress of the various studies.

Strategic Planning Implications

What actions are required to cater for the planned population ?

59. In pace with the growth of population, a territory-wide sewerage rehabilitation and improvement programme based upon 16

Sewerage Master Plans is being reviewed in line with planned populations. Moreover, it is necessary to complete the remaining stages of HATS in order to bring long-term improvement to water quality in the Harbour.

60. Future developments would need to take into consideration the existing and planned capacity of the sewerage infrastructure, and the feasibility and time required for additional sewage treatment facilities. Despite the limited land resources, suitable land would need to be identified and provided to facilitate timely implementation of the sewerage infrastructures.

PLANNING DEPARTMENT AUGUST 2001

References

1. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN), U.S. Department of Energy http://www.eren.doe.gov/ 2. Ir. Dr. The Hon Raymond Ho Chung-tai http://www.raymondhochungtai.org.hk 3. Environmental Protection Department http://www.info.gov.hk/epd 4. Economic Services Bureau http://www.info.gov.hk/esb 5. Drainage Services Department http://www.info.gov.hk/dsd 6. Water Supplies Department http://www.info.gov.hk/wsd 7. http://www.info.gov.hk/ssds.review 8. http://info.gov.hk/cleanharbour/ 9. http://www.nrel.gov/data/pix

Attachments

Attachment 1 : Relevant pictures of renewable energy Attachment 2 : Plan of raw water supply sources of HK Attachment 3 : Plan of waste management facilities in HK Attachment 4 : The IRP proposed four alternative treatment and discharge options

Picture 1 : Waste to electricity power plant in Massachusetts. It converts 2000 tonnes of garbage to electricity every day.

Picture 2 : Electric-vehicle recharging station in South Florida powered by a grid-connected photovoltaics array mounted on the roof.

Picture 3 : A wind farm in California for electricity generation

Attachment 1

Picture 4 : In United States of America, hydropower generates 10% of energy.

Attachment 2

Attachment 3

Attachment 4

Option A

Centralized CEPT treatment of all Stage I and Stage III/IV flows at Stonecutters Island (SCI) Centralized biological treatment upgrade of CEPT effluent by BiologicalAerated Filters (BAF) at SCI for all Stage I and Stage III/IV flows Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at SCI outfall

Option B

CEPT treatment of all Stage I flows, including eastern Hong Kong Island (HKI), at SCI Biological treatment upgrade of CEPT effluent by BAF at SCI for all Stage I flows Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at SCI outfall Separate treatment of Stage III/IV flows at Lamma Quarry in a new CEPT+BAF plant Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at a new short Lamma outfall

Option C

CEPT treatment of all Stage I and Stage III flows at SCI Biological treatment upgrade of CEPT effluent by BAF at SCI for all Stage I and Stage III flows Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at SCI outfall S t t t t f St IV fl t

Separate treatment of Stage IV flows at a new compact and enclosed CEPT+BAF plant located on the southwest side of HKI Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at a new, short outfall adjacent to the new plant

Option D

CEPT treatment of all Stage I flows, including eastern HKI, at SCI Biological treatment upgrade of CEPT effluent by BAF at SCI for all Stage I flows Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at SCI outfall Separate treatment of Stage III and Stage IV flows at two new compact and enclosed CEPT+BAF plants at HKI, one located on the north side (for Stage III) and the other on the southwest side (for Stage IV) Effluent discharged, disinfected if necessary, at new short outfalls adjacent to the two new plants