1 Two sites proposed for incinerator
Cheung Chi-fai, SCMP 30 January 2008

The site in Tsang Tsui, Tuen Mun, one of two possible locations the government has proposed for a waste-burning incinerator. Photo: Edward Wong

Tuen Mun, southern Lantau residents wary of hosting rubbish-burning power plant

The government is eyeing two sites, in Tuen Mun and off Lantau Island, for the location of a HK$4 billion waste-burning power station that officials claim is essential to lengthening the life of the city's shrinking landfills.

Officials said the two sites were picked from a list of six based on stringent criteria to minimise the impact. But nearby residents have vowed to oppose the plan. Under the waste-incineration plan announced yesterday, the facility would be located either in the ash lagoon at Tsang Tsui in Tuen Mun or on a 10-hectare reclaimed site in Shek Kwu Chau, an island off southern Lantau.

The Tuen Mun location is near both a huge landfill and the site of another proposed incinerator, to burn sludge from wastewater treatment. The Shek Kwu Chau site now houses a drug rehabilitation centre.

According to initial assessments, the Tuen Mun site seems to be the ideal location because of nearby infrastructure, its downwind location from the city centre, and closeness to the power grid - through which energy generated by incineration could be transferred with ease.

The island site also has advantages - its remoteness and sparse population, although the nearby ocean includes a fish nursery ground and dolphin habitat.

Officials said the incinerator would have an initial burning capacity of 3,000 tonnes a day, with room for further expansion. A pilot waste-separation facility would also be built on the site.

Environmental impact assessment and feasibility studies will be conducted in the coming two years to identify the most suitable site. Construction is expected to begin in 2011 and finish no later than 2015.

The proposed incinerator would cost about HK$4 billion to build and HK$250 million per year to operate. Officials would not say if they would recoup the costs by charging for household waste disposal.

Environment Secretary Edward Yau Tang-wah said incineration was essential if the lifespan of landfills - estimated to be four to eight more years - was to be extended. In 2006, half of the city's 6 million tonnes of waste were dumped in landfills.

"I hope local residents can engage in a rational and in-depth discussion about the impacts of the project," Mr Yau said, adding that modern incineration technology produced emissions that were almost completely free of toxins.

Clive Noffke, from the Green Lantau Association, said he was surprised by the chosen sites, since southern Lantau was a conservation area under a government plan. "South Lantau is not the place for industrialisation," he said, adding that the Tuen Mun site had the land required and all sorts of necessary infrastructure for the plant.

Lau Wai-ping, the indigenous head of Lung Kwu Tan village, which is just 2km away from Tsang Tsui, threatened to block the road leading to the site if the government chose it.

"Why should everything dirty go to Lung Kwu Tan?" he said. "The nearby landfill is already a disaster for us. We definitely can't take any more. If they think it is so safe and clean, why don't they put it in the urban area or the old incinerator sites?"

Friends of the Earth said they were worried that the city would depend heavily on incineration in the future, which would offset recycling efforts. They cited Singapore's experience of doubling its incineration capacity.

The Conservancy Association also said the government should increase recycling before pushing forward a "super incinerator".