Singapore yesterday took a big step towards becoming self-sufficient in water as work began on its second and largest desalination plant.
The $890 million plant in Tuas, which begins operations in July 2013, will triple the Republic’s water desalination capacity.
That will bring Singapore closer to its goal of supplying 30 per cent of its water needs from desalination by 2061.
The Tuaspring plant is built by home-grown firm Hyflux, which also runs SingSpring in Tuas, Singapore’s first desalination plant which was completed in 2005.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan hailed the occasion as ‘yet another important and strategic milestone in Singapore’s water journey’.
The new plant will pump another 318,500 cubic m of water per day into the Republic’s national tap. That will add to the current 136,500 cubic m produced daily by the existing plant, which currently supplies 10 per cent of Singapore’s water needs.
Desalination is an obvious choice for Singapore, given that the city is surrounded by seawater, noted Dr Balakrishnan.
But the Government held back because the option was too costly in the early days of its invention, he pointed out. Over the years, however, it has become cheaper due to technology improvements.
He said: ‘Technology has made a major difference and in the past decade or two, it has certainly altered the strategic and economic landscape for us as far as our choices in water is concerned.’
The new facility uses a reverse osmosis process to remove the salt and other impurities in seawater.
Singapore’s water demand is expected to double by 2060. Then, 50 per cent of its needs will be met by Newater, 30 per cent from desalination and 20 per cent from local catchment areas, said Dr Balakrishnan.
Currently, up to 60 per cent of Singapore’s water is provided for by local catchment areas and imports from Malaysia, 10 per cent from seawater and 30 per cent from Newater.
Singapore, he said, was likely to build a third desalination plant to meet water needs. But he was quick to add that ‘we don’t want to overbuild either’.
‘There’s a cost… associated with building up the capacity, so we will do this judiciously and carefully… this is a long-term plan,’ he told reporters.
One innovative feature of the new plant is that it is co-located with a combined cycle gas turbine power plant, which will supply the power for the desalination process.
Hyflux chief executive Olivia Lum said this has enabled higher efficiency and savings on the costs of water production.
The ground-breaking ceremony was a key event at the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), an annual gathering of water experts and leaders from across the world.
But the highlight yesterday was a dialogue with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - a new segment at this year’s SIWW.
During the hour-long session attended by some 1,500 delegates, he took more than 10 questions, ranging from Singapore’s water management strategy to how the Republic can help other countries.
Outlining Singapore’s thinking on water issues, he said the Government started off with the approach that water is ‘not just an economic problem’, but a ‘strategic necessity’.
He went on to talk about how achieving self-sufficiency is important, with the first water agreement with Malaysia expiring soon, and the second one ending in 2061.
For instance, the Government was also quick to invest in technologies such as desalination, when it became affordable to do so. It has also explored other sources, such as Newater.
New approaches are also being tried out, Mr Lee said. This includes a variable salinity plant, a technology pioneered by national water agency PUB, which allows flexible treatment of both brackish and seawater according to salt content.
While there are ‘no magic solutions’ to solving water problems, Mr Lee said such efforts will be a big boost. He said: ‘By 2061, I’m confident that we’ll be able to be self-sufficient.’
Capping yesterday’s events, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew handed out the Water Prize to Dr James Barnard, 75, for his work in recycling used water.
This article originally appeared in The Straits Times.
