WSD awards design, build and operate contract for first stage of Tseung Kwan O Desalination Plant

• The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (December 11) awarded the "Design, Build and Operate" contract for the first stage of the proposed desalination plant at Tseung Kwan O to AJC Joint Venture, comprised of Acciona Agua SA, Jardine Engineering Corporation Limited and China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited, following a tender process.

The lead participant of the AJC Joint Venture is a Spanish desalination contractor Acciona Agua SA, which is well-experienced in the design, construction and operation of desalination plants in various parts of the world, such as Spain, Australia and the Middle East.

"The proposed desalination plant will provide Hong Kong with a strategic water resource which is not susceptible to the impact of climate change," said the spokesman for the WSD. "The desalination plant will adopt the technology of reverse osmosis, which has been confirmed with a previous pilot study to be effective in producing potable water complying with the Hong Kong Drinking Water Standards under local conditions."

The contract is worth about $9,018.9 million. The design and construction will commence this month, and the desalination plant is expected to commence operation in 2023 with a water production capacity of 135 000 cubic metres per day. The contractual operation period is 10 years with a provision for extension by five years.