China's largest-ever development project of its two Antarctic
research stations will make them more energy efficient and
environmentally friendly, said an official with the State Oceanic
Administration on Tuesday.
"We have given full consideration to energy and environmental
issues since we started the planning phase of the expansion
project," said Wei Wenliang, Party Secretary of the
administration's Polar Research Office.
A total of 189 construction workers left from Shanghai on
Tuesday to begin the biggest expansion of the two permanent
Antarctic stations -- Changcheng (Great Wall) and Zhongshan Later,
on November 12, one hundred eighty eight members of the country's
24th scientific expedition team will depart for the station.
The expansion plans include improved day-lighting and thermal
insulation. Heating facilities will be installed or altered to
improve efficiency.
Wei said that rooms for researchers to stay in during the summer
and winter will be in separate divisions and some of the rooms will
be closed during wintertime to save energy.
"All the materials we consume are shipped from home, so making
energy efficient buildings means both lower operating costs and a
direct cut on pollution," Wei said.
The Changcheng Station was founded in 1985 and the Zhongshan
Station in 1989. Both are located within the outer regions of the
Antarctica coastline. Wei said earlier that because of
technological limitations in the 1980s, construction materials for
the two stations were not satisfactory and parts of the buildings
have corroded.
The workers, all from the China Railway Construction Engineering
Group (CRCEG), will construct 10 projects within two to three
years, including a space observation station, a garage, a
warehouse, garbage and sewage disposal systems, a boiler house, a
high-frequency radar room and an oil tank.
State of the art information technology will be applied in the
new facilities, with satellite TV, local area network and the
Internet all in place to help information exchanges.
Penguins near Antarctic research
stations
To protect the Antarctic environment, the group has built
advanced sewage treatment systems and garbage burning facilities.
Non-degradable and solid waste is shipped back home for
treatment.
Strict environmental protection rules were also imposed on
China's scientific exploration ship "Xuelong", or "Snow Dragon",
and dumping garbage in the ocean is forbidden.
China's third research station on Antarctica will be built at
the highest point of the Polar icecap, which peaks at 4,300 meters
above sea level, a point known as Dome A. This will be China's
first research station in the inland area of Antarctica.
(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2007)
