HK$9b plan to keep Hong Kong taps running in a drought
Spectre of a drought drying up Hong Kong's mainland water source sees Development Bureau propose desalination plant
A HK$9.3 billion project to convert seawater into tap water is being rolled out to offset the risk of a severe drought in the Pearl River Delta drying up the city's main water source - Guangdong's East River, or Dongjiang.
A 10-hectare site on Joss House Bay, southeast of Tseung Kwan O, has been earmarked for the desalination plant. After completion of a first stage in 2020, it would be able to meet about five per cent of Hong Kong's needs - some 135,000 cubic metres of water a day. Eventually that output could be doubled.
In normal conditions, the plant could be used to serve the Tseung Kwan O district.
The cost of producing a cubic metre of fresh water at the new plant has been estimated at HK$12 to HK$13. In contrast, importing water from Guangdong costs HK$8.6 per cubic metre.
Officials maintained it was too early to say whether the project could lead to higher water bills for Hongkongers, adding that "ability to pay" would be taken into account in any discussion on tariff changes.
The Development Bureau will be seeking legislators' approval for a funding request of HK$154.6 million for initial design costs and site investigations, and officials are expected to brief lawmakers on the project at a Legislative Council development panel meeting next Tuesday.
Hong Kong consumed more than 930 million cubic metres of fresh water in 2013, and as much as 80 per cent of that is imported from the East River.