According to the Environmental Protection Department, the I. PARK 1 incineration facility will start foundation and other civil engineering works on the artificial island from September 2021 and will be put into service as early as next year. The construction period of I. PARK 2 is about 54 months. Both facilities will take 4 to 5 years to build.
In comparison, Shenzhen is one of the first cities in the mainland to achieve full incineration of domestic waste, and currently has five domestic waste incineration facilities in operation. Engineering sector legislator Lo Wai-kwok told Ta Kung Pao that Shenzhen already has several similar facilities in operation, with a total daily processing capacity of 18,000 tons, and no garbage needs to be landfilled. As the first facility in Hong Kong is still under construction, not even one ton of garbage has been incinerated, and he hopes the government will speed up the construction progress.
Legislative Council member Elizabeth Quat told a reporter from Ta Kung Pao that the government has been working hard to speed up the construction of waste incineration facilities. The fact that the construction period of I. PARK 2 facilities was brought forward by two years is already a great progress. In the future, they are considering adding economic incentives to the engineering contracts. She estimated that they would provide monetary rewards to encourage contractors to speed up construction, but the specific form and direction have yet to be announced by the government. \Ta Kung Pao reporter Wang Yamao