INCINERATOR AT TOH TUCK ROAD (Particulars)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for the Environment (a) how long the incinerator at Toh Tuck Road has been in operation; (b) how much refuse it is burning per day; (c) how much electricity it is generating; (d) whether there is any excess of electricity generated and how it is utilised; (e) how much refuse is still being dumped at the Tampines disposal ground; and (f) whether and when the Tampines disposal ground will be closed.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, the incinerator at Toh Tuck Road has been functioning since January this year at full capacity, that is, operating three furnaces, and it will be able to burn 1,200 tons of domestic refuse per day. It generates an average of 8.2 megawatts of electricity daily. It uses about 2 megawatts and the surplus of 6.2 megawatts is sold to the Public Utilities Board.

The quantity of refuse disposed at the Tampines disposal ground has been reduced from an average of 1,300 tons per day to 680 tons per day. The dumping ground will continue to be used because we collect daily an average of 2,400 tons of refuse. Out of the 2,400 tons of refuse, 1,200 tons are burnt. About 680 tons of refuse are now being disposed of at the Tampines ground and the rest at another dumping ground. The refuse will also have to be disposed when the incinerator is shut down for repair or maintenance.

I regret to inform the hon. Member that the Tampines disposal ground will therefore not be closed at all.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the fact that the present incinerator at Toh Tuck Road is able to produce 8.2 megawatts of electricity, with an excess of 6.2 megawatts which is sold to the PUB, will the Hon. Minister consider building one or two more incinerators so that the question of having to dispose of refuse at an uneconomic cost at the Tampines dumping ground can be resolved?

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, the most economic way of disposing refuse is to dump it at the dumping ground. But that is not our only consideration when we talk about the disposal of refuse. The question is whether dumping will inconvenience members of the public. We think that further large scale dumping of refuse at Tampines is undesirable. The Government has therefore spent about $90 million to build the incinerator. It is likely that its capacity will be expanded to save the residents of Tampines from further pollution.