New cable tunnel to meet power needs in Tuen Mun and Lantau
A new cable tunnel will be completed this year in anticipation of a surge in power use in Tuen Mun and Lantau Island next year when several major projects begin, including the construction of a bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau.
The 4.5km tunnel, between Castle Peak and Tuen Mun, is expected to start operation in the fourth quarter of this year, with two to three sets of cables installed.
Power supply to Tuen Mun and Lantau Island can double from the current level if a maximum of eight sets of cables are installed inside the tunnel.
Paul Poon Wai-yin, CLP Power's director of power systems, said the launch of large public works and private development projects starting next year would render the existing grid in the area inadequate.
Among the biggest projects planned in the area are the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, the second phase of Disneyland and the new township of Tung Chung.
'We are building this tunnel to meet the area's power needs in 2010,' Mr Poon said.
'As underground cables along major roads are already crowded, a cable tunnel will save us the trouble of digging again when additional cables are needed, and make maintenance much easier.'
He said the tunnel would help ensure stable electricity supply in Tuen Mun, Lantau Island and Tung Chung in the next 10 years.
The tunnel, with an inner diameter of 4.5 metres, will run through rocks and cost more than HK$100 million to design and build.
Planning began in 2003, while rock boring began in November 2007 and finished last November.
The west end of the tunnel connects to the coal-fired Castle Peak Power Station and the natural-gas-fired Lung Kwu Tan Power Station, while its east end connects to two substations in the Tuen Mun area.
An undersea cable links the grid in Tuen Mun with a substation at the airport. Such a tunnel could be used for 100 years, Mr Poon said.
