Waste-to-energy facility I·PARK1's first giant electrical and mechanical equipment module arrives in Hong Kong (with photo)

************************************************************************************
     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is building the I·PARK1, Hong Kong's first waste-to-energy (WtE) facility for treating municipal solid waste that is located on an artificial island in the sea off Shek Kwu Chau, with the first about 6 000 tonnes of electrical and mechanical equipment module for incineration boiler prefabricated in Zhuhai arriving in Hong Kong.

     The I·PARK1 contractor arranged to prefabricate the main electrical and mechanical equipment modules in Zhuhai using the Modular integrated Construction (MiC) approach in order to improve quality control and accelerate the progress with a view to completing the whole construction as soon as possible. The work comprises six incineration boiler modules and six flue gas treatment system modules, with a total weight of about 50 000 tonnes, equivalent to the steel structure weight of about five Eiffel Towers. The prefabricated modules will be transported to the artificial island for assembly and testing. The incineration boiler module arrived in Hong Kong weighs about 6 000 tonnes, which is the largest of its kind in the world. The remaining 11 electrical and mechanical equipment modules are scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong successively within this year.

     "A calm wind and wave condition in good weather was required for marine transportation as well as loading in and out of these giant modules, with fitting in local actual situation such as tidal level and close monitoring of any sudden change of weather in the vicinity. Hong Kong's geographic advantage and well-established marine transportation logistics in the Greater Bay Area, co-operation of project teams from Hong Kong and Zhuhai, as well as the full collaboration of various government departments in Hong Kong and relevant parties in the Greater Bay Area led to the successful cross-border delivery. It will be transported to the artificial island for assembly. The EPD will closely supervise the whole arrangement and provide advice to ensure that the construction of I·PARK1 is of high quality, safe and environmentally friendly," an EPD spokesman said.

     The EPD is building I·PARK1 at full speed for commissioning in 2025 to handle 3 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. The facility will recover energy from the process of incinerating municipal solid waste to generate power. It is estimated that about 480 million kilowatt hours of surplus electricity will be exported to the public power grid each year when the system comes into full operation, which is enough to power 100 000 households.

     Hong Kong will continue to develop WtE facilities, with a view to gradually replacing the disposal of nearly 11 000 tonnes of daily municipal solid waste in landfills. Apart from constructing I·PARK1, the EPD is also arranging to engage consultants to carry out studies on the environmental impact and technical feasibility in regard to the middle ash lagoon at Tsang Tsui in Tuen Mun for the site selection of I·PARK2. The department will also commence a comprehensive territory-wide site search in parallel to identify other potential sites suitable for developing other WtE facilities, in order to achieve the goals of "Zero Landfill" and carbon neutrality set out in the Waste Blueprint for Hong Kong 2035 and Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050.
 
Ends/Sunday, February 12, 2023
Issued at HKT 13:02
NNNN