Kwai Chung Incineration Plant () was one of four incineration plants in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. The plant was built on a of

reclaimed land Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...

along

Gin Drinkers Bay Gin Drinkers Bay or Gin Drinker's Bay, also colloquially known as Lap Sap Wan, was a bay in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong. The bay was reclaimed in the 1960s and became Kwai Fong and part of Kwai Hing. At the mouth of the bay stood the island of Pil ...

Kwai Chung Kwai Chung is an urban area within Tsuen Wan New Town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District District of Hong Kong. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a popula ...

, near

Pillar Island Pillar Island or Tsing Chau was an island in the Kwai Chung area of Hong Kong, sitting at the mouth of Gin Drinkers Bay, by the side of the Rambler Channel, opposite Tsing Yi Island. In the 1960s, the bay was reclaimed and Tsing Chau became a ...

and the

Rambler Channel Rambler Channel is a body of water in Hong Kong that separates Tsing Yi Island from Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung in the New Territories. The channel separates the two landmasses by 900 metres at its widest point. Historically, the channel was known ...

. The plant was opened in 1978 to process solid waste from Hong Kong to reduce the need to put waste into landfills.

History

The incinerator was built due to the shortage of land available for conventional landfills in Hong Kong. A contract to build the facility, contested by seven international companies, was awarded to

Clarke Chapman Clarke Chapman is a British engineering firm based in Gateshead, which was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded in 1864 in Gateshead by William Clarke (1831–1890). In 1865 Clarke took in a partne ...

- John Thompson of Gateshead, England, and signed on 29 November 1973. An official opening ceremony for the plant was held on 17 October 1978. Unlike older incinerators in Hong Kong, the Kwai Chung plant was fitted with an

electrostatic precipitator An electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is a filterless device that removes fine particles, like dust and smoke, from a flowing gas using the force of an induced electrostatic charge minimally impeding the flow of gases through the unit. In con ...

to reduce the pollution emitted. In addition, the 150-metre-tall chimney at Kwai Chung was taller than those at the Kennedy Town and Lai Chi Kok incinerators, so that pollutants would be dispersed at a higher altitude.

Cessation of operation

In 1989, the Hong Kong Government issued a white paper, ''Pollution in Hong Kong - A Time to Act''. After considering the effects of air pollution on the environment and public health, it was decided to cease using incineration to dispose of solid waste. This decision was later suspended and, as of 2008, the Hong Kong Government is considering constructing new incinerators. In May 1997, the Kwai Chung Incineration Plant ceased to operate, the last of Hong Kong's four plants to do so: * Lai Chi Kok Incineration Plant - commissioned 1969 and decommissioned 1991; now part of the expanded container port area * Kennedy Town Incineration Plant - commissioned 1967 and located next to Island West Transfer Station; decommissioned 1993 and now berthing facility * Mui Wo Incineration Plant - commissioned 1987 and decommissioned 1994; now site of Silvermine Bay Outdoor Recreation Camp

Demolition

Although the plant ceased operation in 1997, it was not completely demolished. The site was found to be contaminated with dioxin, furan, asbestos, heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons. Special procedures were required during demolition. Demolition of the building and chimney was initiated in 2007. The site cleanup preceded the demolition to clean up potential toxins and for future development of the site. As of 2017, the Hong Kong government was considering building a public columbarium on the site.

References

{{reflist Kwai Chung Incinerators Waste management in Hong Kong Former buildings and structures in Hong Kong 1978 establishments in Hong Kong 1997 disestablishments in Hong Kong

History

Cessation of operation

Demolition

See also

References