Once used as an offshore firing range and later scarred by intensive fish trawling, a stretch of windswept water 8km east of Clear Water Bay peninsula close to the East Ninepin group of islands is set to become Hong Kong's largest commercial wind farm.
British renewable energy firm Wind Prospect and electricity utility ally CLP Holdings plan to secure approval to kick-start a feasibility study in the second quarter of this year on the wind project, which could begin operation in 2010.
Backed by an increasing demand for renewable energy in Hong Kong, the partnership yesterday submitted a detailed plan for the project, which would have 150 megawatts of generating capacity.
While this would account for only a fraction of CLP's output of 6,908MW and the number of households benefiting would be just 73,500 out of two million customers, the project would mark a leap forward in developing sustainable energy for the city.
According to the proposal obtained by the South China Morning Post, the alliance will spend one to two years on an environmental impact study on the 50 offshore wind turbines, each with a three to five MW capacity.
It will also investigate the viability of laying a submarine power cable to Tseung Kwan O to connect the wind farm to CLP's power grid serving Kowloon, the New Territories and Lantau.
Wind Prospect said the location was chosen because it had a long history of use as a firing range and had been heavily trawled for years. The waters off East Ninepin had also been used as a dumping ground for mud.