ENG-1992 — Page 426

THE ENVIRONMENT

During construction such measures include noise barriers and dust suppression. By mid 1993 the interception of polluted flows in storm water drains is expected to be in place. With- out this, the water quality in temporary embayments caused by the phasing of the reclamation to allow for the reprovisioning of market, ferry and dockyard services, would be poor.

Due to the sensitivity of West Kowloon, an environmental project office has been set up to monitor and audit the many contracts and projects that interface in the area. The office will be the focal point for advice and guidance on any necessary remedial measures to overcome unacceptable or unanticipated impacts. It will keep the public informed on the environmental performance of the projects.

Power generation

In response to the rising demand for electricity expected in the coming decades, the local power companies have submitted separate proposals to the government for increasing generation capacities. They propose to expand either on their existing sites or on additional land to be granted.

Hong Kong Electric Company Ltd. proposes to build two additional 350 megawatt coal- fired generating units at its Lamma Island site. An impact assessment for the expansion, completed in 1992, identified air quality as the key environmental issue.

Residents on Hong Kong Island would suffer increased air pollution, especially by harmful sulphur dioxide gas emitted when normal coal, containing sulphur, burns. To reduce the cumulative effects of air pollution from the new and existing units the company will install flue gas desulphurisation systems on its new units. It will also limit the sulphur content in the coal it uses.

The chosen flue gas desulphurisation system produces a large amount of solid gypsum as a waste for disposal. The pulverised fuel ash disposal strategy, which the company developed a few years ago in consultation with the government, includes lagoons that have been found to be environmentally acceptable. Subject to further clarification and decisions on the appropriate lagoon size, this part of the strategy will proceed in 1993.

China Light and Power Company Ltd. proposes a 6 000 megawatt facility to be built at a new site in addition to a gas turbine station at Penny's Bay and at its existing coal-fired facility at Castle Peak. An extensive site search study, for the 6 000 megawatt facility, incorporated an environment and planning factor as one of the major criteria for site selection. The study concluded that Black Point, at Tuen Mun, is the best location.

Several issues still needing resolution include adequate measures to reduce air pollutants and to mitigate the effects of the large volume of cooling water to be discharged into Deep Bay.

Rural issues

As a result of rapid developments within the territory, the amount of construction wastes arriving at the existing landfills in rural areas has increased dramatically in the past two or three years. There is an urgent need for a solution to maintain an adequate reserve of landfill capacity for domestic wastes before the commissioning of the new strategic landfills that are still under construction.

Extensions at three existing landfills, namely Pillar Point, Tseung Kwan O Stage I and Shuen Wan, are essential. Assessments have explored all possible means to reduce nuisance to adjacent land users. Studies that aim to restore certain old landfills are in progress.

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