Upgrading of Shek Wu Hui Effluent Polishing Plant

The existing Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works is under transformation into Shek Wu Hui Effluent Polishing Plant to increase its treatment capacity by two-fold almost within the existing footprint. At the same time, its sewage treatment level would be upgraded from secondary to tertiary to meet stringent discharge standards.

The existing Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works (SWHSTW), built in 1984, is the first large-scale secondary sewage treatment plant in Hong Kong and has been serving the Fanling and Sheung Shui areas for over 30 years. Commissioned by the Drainage Services Department, HKSAR Government, AECOM provides consultancy services for upgrading SWHSTW to become the largest tertiary sewage treatment plant in Hong Kong. It will also meet future development needs from population growth while increasing effluent quality to meet stringent discharge standards. After completion (scheduled for 2034), the improvement scheme of Shek Wu Hui Effluent Polishing Plant (SWHEPP) will double its capacity from 93,000 cubic metres (m³) to 190,000 m³ per day.

Transformation of a traditional facility to a green environmental campus for all

To integrate the plant with its nearby community, the public co-use areas inside the fully upgraded SWHEPP will be opened to public. These new recreational facilities include rooftops of some ancillary buildings, an ecology garden, communal gardening area, birdwatching point and an aesthetic riverside walkway connecting Sheung Shui, where the general public can learn about sustainable living concepts in these public spaces. With sustainability embedded throughout, a large portion of hard landscaped area will be constructed with recycled materials while over 40% of the total footprint will be greenery areas.

One of the first Government project applying Blockchain across contracts

A series of innovative technologies, smart site management systems, and hi-tech devices have been adopted during construction. SWHEPP is one of the first Government project in Hong Kong’s construction sector to apply blockchain technology to form a single platform for multiple construction contracts. This blockchain platform serves as the backbone for analyzing contract data such as construction site records, labor statistics, submissions, correspondence and NEC-related workflows among different contracts, which are highly traceable and transparent. It also provides a centralized platform to monitor cross-contract performance. Other innovative technologies being used under the SWHEPP project include Building Information Modelling (BIM) for asset management, Common Data Environment (CDE) for exchange of design information and interface management, Virtual Reality (VR) for safety training, smart safety helmets with collision warning system for safety monitoring, early concrete strength detection & sensors system, RFID for asset management  as well as the adoption of Digital Twin for plant operation and optimization etc.

SWHEPP Improvement Scheme will be divided into Main Works Stage 1 and Remaining Stages. Main Work Stage 1 is to cope the with sewage flow generated from the North District areas and their sewage network expansions. Remaining Stages will cope with the need of future development. Visit here for more project information.