CLP
Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP) and Castle Peak Power Company Limited (CAPCO) are
responsible for providing a safe, highly reliable and environmentally-friendly
supply of electricity to over 80% of Hong Kong’s population at reasonable
cost. Within Hong Kong, CLP
operates three power stations, namely the Castle Peak Power Station (CPPS),
Black Point Power Station (BPPS) and Penny’s Bay Power Station (PBPS), all
owned by CAPCO, a joint venture between CLP and China Southern Power Grid
Company Limited, in which CLP holds a 70% interest.
CLP and CAPCO support the HKSAR Government’s
objective of improving air quality and environmental performance in Hong
Kong. Consistent with the HKSAR
Government’s medium-term strategy of increasing the use of natural gas for
local power generation, and reducing carbon intensity of local electricity
generation, provision for additional local gas-fired generation capacity is
considered by CLP and CAPCO to be the preferred choice.
In
addition, additional gas-fired generation capacity will provide sufficient
generation capacity to meet load demand which is vital to a reliable
electricity supply, and help maintain appropriate reserve margins to cater for
unplanned outages. In 2014 the peak
demand for electricity in CLP’s system reached 7,030 MW and this is forecast to
rise in the next several years. The
reserve capacity of CLP’s supply system has already declined to 26%, against
the range of 20-35% recommended by the International Energy Agency, and will
reduce further if electricity demand continues to grow as forecasted.
The purpose of CAPCO’s current proposal is to
consider the installation of up to two additional gas-fired generation units in
phases by CAPCO at the Black Point Power Station (BPPS) (hereafter referred to
as “the Project”). However, any
formal decision by CLP/CAPCO to proceed with building any additional gas-fired generation capacity
requires further analysis as such investment decision is dependent upon a host
of factors including the rate of demand growth, environmental requirements,
technical feasibility, the economic merits of the Project and HKSAR Government
approval. Accordingly, the
submission of and content described in this Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) Report does not amount to a commitment by or on
behalf of CLP and/or CAPCO to proceed with the Project.
The scope of the Project involves the
construction and operation of up to two 600 MW class additional gas-fired
generation units in phases at the BPPS to both increase gas-fired electricity
generating capacity and accommodate continuous growth in electricity
demand. Planning for such gas-fired
generation units is also consistent with the HKSAR Government’s strategy to
increase the use of natural gas for power generation.
Technically, CAPCO’s preference is to
adopt combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) configuration using natural gas as the
primary fuel. Such configuration is
aimed at reducing emissions as compared with coal-fired generation, thereby
providing a relatively clean source of electricity for Hong Kong.
The following elements of the Project
are classified as Designated Projects under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(EIAO) (Cap.
499):
·
Installation
of additional gas-fired generation unit(s) in phases at the BPPS (Schedule 2,
Part I, Item D.1 - Public utility electricity power plant); and
·
If
a second unit is to be installed, a dredging operation less than 100 m from the
BPPS seawater intake location would be required (Schedule 2, Part I, Item
C.12(b) - A dredging operation which is less than 100 m from a seawater intake
point).
The
purpose of this EIA study is to provide information on the nature and extent of
environmental impacts arising from the construction and operation of the
Project and associated works that will take place concurrently in accordance
with the requirements described in the EIA
Study Brief No. ESB-286/2015 (“the EIA
Study Brief”). This information
will contribute to decisions by the Director of Environmental Protection on:
·
The
overall acceptability of any adverse environmental consequences that are likely
to arise as a result of the Project;
·
The
conditions and requirements for the detailed design, construction and operation
of the Project to mitigate against adverse environmental consequences wherever
practicable; and
·
The
acceptability of residual impacts after the proposed mitigation measures are
implemented.
In
more detail, the specific objectives of the EIA study defined in the EIA Study Brief are as follow:
(i)
to describe the Project and
associated works together with the requirements and environmental benefits for
carrying out the Project;
(ii)
to identify and describe
elements of community and environment likely to be affected by the Project
and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project, including both the
natural and man-made environment and the associated environmental constraints;
(iii)
to identify and quantify
emission sources and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive
receivers and potential affected uses;
(iv)
to identify and quantify any
potential losses or damage to flora, fauna and natural habitats;
(v)
to identify any negative
impacts on cultural heritage resources and to propose measures to mitigate
these impacts;
(vi)
to propose the provision of
infrastructure or mitigation measures so as to minimise pollution,
environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of the
Project;
(vii)
to investigate the
feasibility, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation
measures;
(viii) to
identify, predict and evaluate the residual (ie after
practicable mitigation) environmental impacts and the cumulative effects
expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the Project
in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(ix)
to identify, assess and
specify methods, measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design,
construction and operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these
residual environmental impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to
acceptable levels;
(x)
to design and specify
environmental monitoring and audit requirements; and
(xi)
to identify any additional
studies necessary to implement the mitigation measures or monitoring and
proposals recommended in the EIA report.
The
detailed requirements of the EIA study are set out in Clause 3 of the EIA Study
Brief. The
specific scope for this EIA study is presented in Clause 3.2 of the EIA Study
Brief.
This
document, the EIA Report, is produced
in accordance with the requirements in the EIA
Study Brief and the Technical
Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process issued under the EIAO (EIAO-TM) for the Project to obtain an Environmental Permit (EP)
under the EIAO. The description presented herein has
been based on best available information compiled by CLP/CAPCO describing
relevant construction activities, operational details and baseline information
describing the conditions at the Project Site (as shown in Figure 1.1) and its surrounding environment.
During the EIA
study for this Project, CAPCO has been reaching out to potential stakeholders
to explain the Project and seek their views. These stakeholder engagement activities
included briefings and meetings with special interest groups. Since July 2015, CAPCO has arranged
meetings with special interest groups including members of District Councils,
advisory committees, academics, fishermen groups, green groups etc. Further details of the stakeholder
engagement activities undertaken are presented in Annex 1A.
The feedback and advice obtained from the stakeholder engagement
activities have been considered and incorporated where applicable as part of
the technical assessments under this EIA study.
Following
this introductory section, the remainder of this EIA Report is organised as follows:
Section
2 Presents the background and
history of the Project and provides information on the purpose, objectives and
benefit of the Project, and scenarios with and without the Project.
Section
3 Provides a description of the Project
highlighting the key design, construction and operational activities and the
timeline for implementing the Project.
This section forms the basis of the technical assessments presented in Sections 4 – 14 below.
Section
4 Presents the air quality
impact assessment.
Section
5 Presents the hazard to human
life assessment.
Section
6 Presents the noise impact
assessment.
Section
7 Presents the water quality
impact assessment.
Section
8 Presents the waste management
implications.
Section
9 Presents the land
contamination impact assessment.
Section
10 Presents the ecological impact
assessment.
Section
11 Presents the fisheries impact assessment.
Section
12 Presents the landscape and visual impact
assessment.
Section
13 Presents the cultural heritage impact
assessment.
Section
14 Presents the health impact assessment.
Section
15 Describes the environmental monitoring
and audit requirements.
Section
16 Presents the conclusion and summarises
the environmental outcomes of the EIA study.