The Water Supplies Department has awarded a $3.25 billion contract to China State-ATAL Joint Ventue - its largest ever - for Tai Po Water Treatment Works' expansion and ancillary raw and fresh water transfer facilities.
     The project will expand the facility's daily treatment capacity from 400,000 cubic metres to 800,000, and is due for completion in mid-2017.
     The contract includes upgrading existing facilities and building additional water treatment components at the Tai Po Water Treatment Works compound.
     Speaking at the contract-signing ceremony today, Director of Water Supplies Ma Lee-tak said upon the project's completion, Tai Po Water Treatment Works will be able to take up part of the existing Sha Tin Water Treatment Works' load in supplying fresh water to a large part of Kowloon and the Central & Western districts on Hong Kong Island, enhancing the water supply system's overall resilience, flexibility and reliability.
     To cope with the expansion project, another contract is scheduled to begin later this year to enlarge the existing Butterfly Valley Fresh Water Primary Service Reservoir's capacity from 40,000 cubic metres to 120,000. About 900 metres of associated fresh water mains will be laid in Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City.