XN000022-1976-07-27 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1976

LOK ON PAI DESALTING PLANT NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL

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THE LOK ON PAI DESALTING PLANT IS NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL AND HAS BEGUN CONTRIBUTING TO HONG KONG'S WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM.

MR. WU YU-NGONG, GOVERNMENT WATER ENGINEER (DESALTING) OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, SAID TODAY ACCEPTANCE TESTS ON EACH OF THE SIX DESALTING UNITS HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED AND THE EVAPORATORS WERE WORKING WELL.

+NO MAJOR PROBLEMS WERE ENCOUNTERED DURING THE TESTING PERIOD APART FROM SOME MINOR DIFFICULTIES WHICH ARE INEVITABLE IN A PROJECT OF SUCH MAGNITUDE AND COMPLEXITY, BUT THESE HAVE BEEN OVERCOME,+ HE SAID.

MR. WU SAID ONE OF THE SIX UNITS WAS NOW CONTRIBUTING 6.67 MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER DAILY TO THE SUPPLY SYSTEM.

SINCE ACCEPTANCE TESTS ON THE PLANT BEGAN IN MARCH LAST YEAR, HE SAID, THE DESALTER HAD CONTRIBUTED SOME 3,000 MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER TO THE RESERVOIRS.

+ THE TESTS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY RIGID BECAUSE, APART FROM BEING THE LARGEST DESALTER IN THE WORLD, THE LOK ON PAI PLANT REQUIRES HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROL GEAR AND WE HAD TO BE SURE THAT IT WAS UP TO THE HIGHEST OPERATIONAL STANDARDS, + HE SAID.

GIVING AN IDEA OF THE RIGOROUS PERFORMANCE TESTS REQUIRED, MR. WU SAID THESE MAINLY COMPRISED:

* A 24-HOUR CAPACITY-EFFICIENCY EVAPORATOR TEST RUN

* SIX MONTHS OF CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TO ENSURE LONG-TERM

OUTPUT IS REASONABLY MAINTAINED, AND

* A FINAL EFFICIENCY TEST TO SHOW THAT THE FUEL REQUIREMENT

HAS BEEN MET FOR THE COMPLETE PLANT AND ALL ITS MAJOR

COMPONENTS.

+THESE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE WATERWORKS OFFICE AND THE PLANT IS FULLY OPERATIONAL,+ HE SAID.

+AT THE MOMENT WE ARE RUNNING ONLY ONE UNIT BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE A HEALTHY STORAGE IN THE RESERVOIRS, BUT MORE UNITS CAN BE BROUGHT INTO SERVICE DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION, HE ADDED.

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WORKING AT FULL CAPACITY, HE SAID, THE PLANT COULD PRODUCE UP TO 40 MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER PER DAY.

MEANWHILE, THE WATERWORKS OFFICE REPORTED THAT AT 9 A.M. THIS (TUESDAY) MORNING THE TOTAL WATER IN STORE IN ALL RESERVOIRS AMOUNTED TO 54,772 MILLION GALLONS, REPRESENTING 81 PER CENT OF FULL STORAGE CAPACITY OF 67,300 MILLION GALLONS.

AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, THE TOTAL STORAGE STOOD AT 65,897 MILLION GALLONS,

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OF TODAY'S TOTAL STORAGE. PLOVER COVE RESERVOIR -- THE LARGEST IN HONG KONG HELD 42,023 MILLION GALLONS, COMPARED WITH 49,924 MILLION GALLONS ON THE SAME DAY LAST YEAR.

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