CCTV-2 Business | The State Council Office Highly Confirmed Underground WWTP’s Role in Mobilizing Existing Assets and Achieving Land Values

Recently, the State Council details measures for better use of existing infrastructure and assets to boost effective investment. It has made clear that construction of underground WWTPs according to local conditions will be advanced along with the integrated exploitation of underground and ground space to make better use of the existing assets. On June 15th, the Economic News reported on CWEG’s Beijing Tongzhou Hedong Resource Recycling Center for its exemplary role in using the existing assets to promote reconstruction projects.2:55

In the core area of the subcenter of Beijing, Hedong Resource Recycling Center of CWEG is under construction. Using the "Distributed Underground Reclaimed Water Ecosystem”, an open-air sewage plant was turned into an underground one and the overground part was built an ecological park, so as to neutralize the unpleasant odor and to reduce noise pollution.

Xin Haoyuan, Director of CWEG’s Beijing Tongzhou Hedong Resource Recycling Center

Accroding to Xin Haoyuan, the total investment of this project amounted to RMB 430 million. Using the underground sewage treatment technology, the overground part was built a landscape park, which will further promote the business development along with other infrastructure constructions nearby.

Hou Feng, Director of CWEG

There are 5,600 WWTPs nationwide, covering an area of 300,000 mu (approx. 20,000 ha.). If they can be rebuilt to underground ones in the next 5 to 8 years, the surrounding land can be put up to better use.

Han Zhifeng, Deputy Director of Department of Fixed Assets Investment of the National Development and Reform Commission

The funds raised from mobilizing existing assets can be used to expand reinvestment and to support enterprises and investors in fund raising so as to spur effective investment, ensure steady growth and maintain the overall economic market in the short term.

Zhang Zheng, Deputy Dean of Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management

From 1995 to the day, the national infrastructure investment has exceeded RMB 150 trillion, and at least trillions of assets have commercial values. The funds raised from mobilizing these assets can be used as equity capital and further boost new investment.

It’s not about simply putting the plant under the ground but using technologies to process the sewage to applicable standards according to the requirements of water environment and water resources utilization; and to promote environment when making use of the available spaces according to urban planning and demands to provide more public service products.

So far, nearly 200 underground plants have been built in China with 29 provinces involved in the construction of underground WWTP. The related policies introduced is of great significance to advance new and green constructions in cities.