Agreement No. CE 78/2023 (GE)
Underground Quarrying at Sham Shui Kok, North Lantau
– Investigation, Design and Construction
LOCATION
Sham Shui Kok, North Lantau, Hong Kong
CLIENT
Civil Engineering & Development Department, The HKSAR Government
DURATION
June 2024 – Tentative April 2028 (Approximately 46 Months)
Our Role
The Project is to carry out the technical and financial studies, formulate the solutions, and prepare the design of quarrying and associated infrastructural works for subsequent commissioning and completion of Sham Shui Kok Underground Quarry (SSKUQ).
The principal works elements consist the following:
- Quarrying in the forms of cavern / tunnelling works with drill & blast method;
- Earthworks, removal of overburden, soil and surplus materials;
- Geotechnical works / structures (e.g. portal, tunnels, caverns, and permanent support for tunnels / caverns, etc.);
- Road works (e.g. new roads, widening of existing roads and footpaths, road drains and street furniture, etc.);
- Blasting related mitigation measures;
- Drainage infrastructural works (comprising surface drainage system, etc.);
- Noise mitigation measures and landscaping works;
- Water supply works;
- Fire safety installation works;
- Utilities diversion and installation works;
- Installation of ancillary facilities for quarry operation (i.e. concrete batching plants, site office, asphalt production plants and rock crushers); and
- Other infrastructural works.
Key Challenges
- With the progressive closure of local quarry sites, Hong Kong has become increasingly reliant on the import of aggregate over the last 30 years. This has had notable impacts on the supply chain of concrete, asphalt and other rock products. Therefore, it has an immense need for development of new quarry sites to meet local demand for construction market.
- Market research, review of the business case, formulation of the contract, procurement and implementation strategy, requirements on planning and land matters, and all necessary related statutory procedures are the key factors for success of the underground quarry-cum-cavern development, as the capital investment to establish the quarry infrastructure is substantial.
Our Solutions
- Conduct necessary preparatory work to confirm the underground quarry development scheme, and study various quarry options in particular to review the financial viability with provision of asphalt production plant, concrete batching plant and other facilities, etc. to optimize the efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
- Determine the optimum quarry option with due consideration of the site constraints in planning, technical, environmental, traffic and financial assessments.
- Prepare preliminary design for the preferred option taking into account the future land use of additional open space and caverns after quarry operation with application of AIS’s digital twins and MiC capabilities.
- Develop the innovative procurement and contract strategy to attract the operators’ buy-in, in order to move the project forward to the implementation stage.
Outcomes & Benefits
- Resolve overreliance on the import of aggregates and rock materials guaranteeing substantiable amount of the local rock supply to stabilise the construction materials market and related businesses.
- Provide sustainable solution to receive good quality construction spoil and turn this into aggregates, typically granitic rock from various tunnel and site formation projects, upcycling of construction spoil within the supply chain, ensuring that nothing goes to waste in the future.
- Promote ‘Green Quarry’ concept with full use of non-diesel plants and equipment for this quarry development to achieve the territory-wide social and environmental benefits.
- Free up valuable lands for other better use in North Lantau by relocating some of the existing facilities unpopular to the public to the additional open space and into the caverns.
