The Hong Kong government has accepted the tender submitted by Veolia Environnement (Veolia Water and Veolia Environmental Services) to design, build and operate a sludge treatment plant in the western part of the New Territories of Hong Kong. The plant will treat the sewage sludge generated by Hong Kong’s eleven sewage treatment plants.
The plant will have a treatment capacity of 2,000 metric tons per day and eventually will produce over 20 MW of electricity. Construction will take 37 months and will be carried out by a consortium of Veolia Water (60%) and Leighton Asia (40%). Consolidated projected revenue will be €414 million for Veolia Environnement for the construction phase. Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, the technological subsidiary of Veolia Water, will carry out the project design and a significant portion of the works.
Operation of the plant, under a 15-year contract, will be jointly undertaken by Veolia Water and Veolia Environmental Services, and will generate a projected average consolidated annual revenue of €20 million.
The main structures and equipment of the plant will include steam-producing incinerator boiler furnaces, turbines to convert the steam into electricity and flue gas treatment lines that comply with emissions standards.
As the plant is outside the urban area, a seawater desalination plant will be used to produce up to 600 cu meters per day of potable water to supply its needs. In addition, the wastewater produced will be recycled on-site using advanced processes that will help protect the environment.
At full capacity, the energy generated from the plant will exceed its needs, and any surplus electricity can be exported to the power grid for external use. The site will be completely autonomous for its water and electricity needs.
As the Hong Kong government wants the plant to be permanently open to the public, Veolia Environnement opted for an attractive architectural design provided by French architecture firm Vasconi.
The plant design incorporates a guided tour for visitors that will allow them to learn about the plant installations and the sludge treatment process. Electric buses operated by Veolia Transport will take visitors to the plant’s environmental education center. From there, they can take a guided tour to a special gallery and a landscaped ecological garden displaying Hong Kong’s biodiversity, or visit spas, a coffee shop with sea views and a conference room.
In the center, the administrative building envelops the flue gas stacks and the top floor houses an observation deck with views of Deep Bay and Shenzhen.
“We are very happy to be working with the Hong Kong government to take up the challenge of dealing with the sludge from the territory’s eleven sewage treatment plants,” said Antoine Frérot, CEO of Veolia Environnement. “They produce up to 800 metric tons of sludge a day at the moment, rising to 2,000 metric tons in the future. This project is the perfect illustration of our expertise as a player in sustainable development serving our clients.”
Source: Veolia Environnement
