Kowloon City Stories / Architecture

The gasholder of the Hong Kong & China Gas Co.

The gasholder of the Hong Kong & China Gas Co.

The industrial landmark in To Kwa Wan must be the only remaining gas holder on Ma Tau Kok Road, which was commissioned in 1956. Originally, there were two gas holders; one was demolished in 2015. The remaining gas holder can be seen as a collective memory of the old neighborhood in To Kwa Wan.

The gas company constructed the South plant in Ma Tau Kok as early as 1933. Operations ceased during World War II but resumed after the war, leading to the construction of the existing North Plant due to the rapid increase in population. The South plant ceased production in the 1990s, and  it was transformed into Grand Waterfront in 2007. Since the completion of the Tai Po plant in 1986, 98% of the local gas supply has come from Tai Po, with the remaining portion sourced from Ma Tau Kok. Interestingly, Ma Tau Kok has been supplying gas to residents on Hong Kong Island since 1958 through an underwater pipeline laid from the Ma Tau Kok plant.

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