Published : 29/06/2024
What needs to be done for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)?
In Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the Development Plan), mentions seven major tasks.
This series examines achievements across seven areas, spotlighting ecological development and civilisation construction in the GBA cities in this article.
Water Resources Allocation Project in the Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta Water Resources Allocation Project, starting from Liyuzhou, Shunde, Foshan on the mainstream of the West River in the west, and extending to the Gongming Reservoir in Shenzhen in the east, was fully commissioned on 30 January 2024.
It is an important water resources allocation project of the Comprehensive Plan for the Pearl River Basin (2012-2030), and also one of the country's 172 major water conservation and supply water conservancy projects.
The Development Plan proposes to carry out cooperation in the management of water resources, water environment, and water-related projects in the Pearl River Estuary region; to connect the Pearl River Delta water network and construct a region-wide green and ecological water network.
As a major water conservancy infrastructure in the GBA, after the Pearl River Delta project is commissioned, it can divert water from the West River system to the eastern part of the Pearl River Delta, solving the water shortage problem for domestic and industrial use in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Dongguan, and providing emergency backup water sources for places like Foshan and Hong Kong, benefiting over 32 million people.
In addition, it can gradually return ecological water use to the East River basin, further ensuring the water supply security of the GBA.
Guangzhou Lijiao sewage treatment plant
To construct a green and ecological water network, the Development Plan also mentions the need to strengthen the systematic treatment of heavily polluted rivers and promote the comprehensive environmental remediation of black and odorous water bodies in cities.
The Lijiao sewage treatment plant is located in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, covering an area of about 29 hectares, with a daily capacity to treat 750,000 tonnes of sewage.
The water quality meets the Class 1-A standard of the national "Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant".
The sewage treatment plant has three phases in total. Among them, Phase III is an underground sewage treatment plant, adopting the "build the plant underground, create a park on the ground" model.
It transfers the water treatment facilities to an underground space 17 metres deep to treat domestic sewage using methods such as full enclosure and biological deodorisation.
On the ground, recycled water is used to create landscapes such as ecological wetlands, waterfalls, and river channels, with a greening rate of 62%.
In addition to Phase III of the Lijiao sewage treatment plant, Guangzhou has 8 other underground sewage treatment plants.
The central urban area can treat 4.96 million tonnes of sewage daily, with the total capacity ranking first in the country.
This has helped to completely eliminate the black and odorous conditions in all 147 of the city's black and odorous water bodies, making it one of the first national demonstration cities for the treatment of black and odorous water bodies.
Tuen Mun T·PARK, Hong Kong
Located in Nim Wan, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, T·PARK, commissioned in 2016, integrates a sludge incinerator, a power generation system, and a seawater desalination plant, and is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world.
The Development Plan mentions promoting low-carbon pilot demonstrations, accelerating the construction of a green industrial system, and achieving peak carbon emissions.
T·PARK is Hong Kong's first integrated "waste-to-energy" facility.
The sludge incinerator in the park can reduce the volume of sludge by up to 90%, the thermal energy generated during the process can supply the daily operations of all facilities within the park, with the surplus electricity being exported to the public power grid; while the sewage treated by the seawater desalination plant can be used for irrigation and cleaning, achieving total zero sewage discharge.
As of 2021, T·PARK has generated over 200 million kWh of electricity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 760,000 tonnes, continuously supporting the nation in achieving the "dual carbon" goals.
Shenzhen Bao'an Energy Ecological Park
Located in the Bao'an District of Shenzhen, the Bao'an Energy Ecological Park covers an area of approximately 4,200 hectares.
Surrounded by lush trees and with a beautiful environment, it is in fact Shenzhen's largest waste incineration power plant.
The Development Plan proposes promoting the comprehensive conservation and recycling of resources and achieving circular links between production and living systems.
Within the Bao'an Energy Ecological Park, there are several waste treatment facilities for domestic waste, kitchen waste, and more, processing over 10,000 tonnes of domestic waste daily, which solves the daily waste disposal problem for approximately 7 million residents in areas such as Bao'an, Guangming, Longhua, and Futian.
Furthermore, the thermal energy generated from waste incineration produces 5.1 million kWh of electricity daily, equivalent to the power generated by burning 3,000 tonnes of standard coal, meeting the electricity needs of 450,000 households throughout the city.
Currently, Shenzhen's city-wide domestic waste recycling and resource utilisation rates have reached 48.8% and 87.7% respectively, with significant achievements in the construction of a "zero-waste city".
Read more: 7 Tasks of GBA｜Path of ecological civilisation construction (Part Ⅰ)