Construction of a cave to relocate sewage treatment plant and free up 28 hectares of land to start in Hong Kong later this year

Construction of a cave to house a relocated sewage treatment plant in Hong Kong will start this year to free up around 28 hectares of land for housing and other uses on the existing site.

Briefing the media on moving Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works, Director of Drainage Services Alice Pang said on Thursday the first phase, which included site preparation and building an access tunnel, was going on smoothly.

“With such a scale of work, we do face a lot of challenges,” Pang said, adding the department had engaged with residents to get their approval and the project had since been running very smoothly. 

The new facility will be the largest sewage treatment plant in an artificial cave in Asia. The main cavern, located at Nui Po Shan in A Kung Kok, covers about 14 hectares – roughly three quarters the size of the Victoria Park – or about half the size of the existing plant. The total length of all caverns and connecting tunnels is about 4.8km. 

A government-appointed task force had in 2018 recommended underground space development as one of eight options to boost the city’s land supply.

Pang said the caverns would provide a natural barrier for odours, which had been a concern for nearby residents.