The Kai Tak Development (KTD) is a huge development project spanning a total area of over 320 hectares covering the ex-airport and nearby areas with large demand for air-conditioning. The HKSAR Government takes the opportunity to implement the District Cooling System (DCS) which is the most energy efficient air-conditioning system in the new development.
The DCS at KTD is a large scale centralized air-conditioning system. It utilizes sea water to produce chilled water at the central plants and distributes the chilled water to consumer buildings in the KTD through underground water piping network.
The DCS at KTD comprises two central chiller plants, namely the North Plant and the South Plant cum seawater pump house, underground chilled water distribution piping network, seawater supply and discharge pipes and consumer substations located in the buildings to interface with the building’s own chilled water circulation systems.
The cooling capacity of the DCS is about 284 megawatt of refrigeration (MWr) for serving the non-domestic air-conditioned floor area of about 1.73 million m2, equivalent to a cooling supply for 40 nos. of 30-storey high commercial buildings. Upon completion of the project, about 40 kilometres of underground chilled water pipes would have been laid and there would be around 50 buildings in KTD connected to the DCS.
The project is being implemented in different phases to suit the development schedule of Kai Tak Development, namely Phase I, Phase II, Phase III (Package A), Phase III (Package B), Phase III (Package C) & Remaining Works under Phase III. Currently the Phase I, Phase II, Phase III (Package A), Phase III (Package B) & Phase III (Package C) Works are completed and the Remaining Works under Phase III were commenced in January 2019 for completion in December 2025.
Provision of district cooling services to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Ching Long Shopping Centre, Trade & Industry Tower (TI Tower), S.K.H. Holy Cross Primary School, Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department Headquarters, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, Kai Tak Station and Sung Wong Toi Station of the Shatin to Central Link, Cognitio College (Kowloon) and Kowloon East Regional Headquarters and Operational Base-cum-Nagau Tau Kok Divisional Police Station had been commenced progressively since February 2013.
DCS consumes 35 percent and 20 percent less electricity as compared to traditional air-cooled air-conditioning systems and individual water-cooled air-conditioning systems using cooling towers respectively. With its high energy efficiency, the implementation of DCS at KTD will achieve estimated annual saving of 85 million kilowatt-hour (kWh) in electricity consumption, with a corresponding reduction of 59,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum..
Apart from energy saving, DCS would also bring along the following benefits to the consumers:
(Cantonese V/O provided only)Witty Bear and Knowbot from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department will take you behind the scenes of the district cooling system. The virtual tour will be incorporated with aerial photography, 360-degree panoramic photos to give you an immersive experience, along with educational videos to allow visitors to easily understand the design and operating principles of this large-scale cooling system!
Come and explore the Kai Tak District Cooling System!
