$367m in deals at Water Week

PUB, local companies get their share of the pie, securing projects at inaugural event
Arti Mulchand & Liaw Wy-Cin, Straits Times 1 Jul 08;

GOVERNMENTS, utility providers and water companies inked over $367 million in deals during the recent Singapore International Water Week (SIWW).

Announcing this and giving his report card on the SIWW yesterday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said it was 'encouraging', especially for an inaugural event.

National water agency PUB's chief executive Khoo Teng Chye would not be drawn into comparing the figure with those from similar conferences, but said that with Asia growing so rapidly, the figure was only 'the tip of the iceberg'.

Among the deals struck for water-related projects, the three-year one between Singapore-based water and wastewater treatment company Ayser-Technische Corporation and Acuatico was the biggest, worth $272 million.

The two signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up a joint venture, which will, among other things, design, build and run private water infrastructure projects in Indonesia.

Local companies had their share of the pie. Home-grown tech start-up AridTec found distributors in more than 10 countries for its patent-pending technology, which extracts water from thin air. It expects to earn $16 million in the first year from this.

A Singapore consortium comprising PUB Consultants, CPG Consultants and Pico Art International also secured a deal to design the King Abdullah Water Centre in Saudi Arabia.

The PUB's Mr Khoo said that the key to the event's success lay in its providing a forum for policymakers and providers of technical solutions to come together.

More than 8,500 people attended SIWW and two other conferences held concurrently - the World Cities Summit and the East Asia Summit Conference on Liveable Cities.

SIWW, to be run on the theme 'Sustainable Water Solutions for Cities' till 2011, will be held here every year.

Beyond money changing hands, the event promises other tangible gains for the host country and the participants, said Dr Yaacob.

Singapore could reap new technology solutions going forward, including how to lower the cost of desalination. It could also look into bringing together private- and public-sector money and young people with ideas, he said.

There was also 'no harm' in looking at how the private sector can be more involved in managing the water supply here, he added, pointing to countries where the private sector played a much larger role in the provision of utilities.

Singapore's model of water management was a key take-away for foreign participants, Dr Yaacob said. Newater, now a source of potable water for industry, showed how reliability in water supply could be achieved, he added.

Proceedings from the Water Leaders Summit will be presented at the World Water Week in Stockholm next month and at the World Water Forum in Turkey in March next year.

Dr Yaacob admitted that an overpacked programme was among the teething problems faced in this maiden conference, but added that these would be ironed out by the next SIWW.

Echoing Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's words during a summit dialogue, he said: 'Forty years ago, we climbed on other people's backs. We have achieved something that we can be proud of.

'Perhaps now it's time for others to climb on our backs, to learn from us.'

Water Week nets $367m in deals, shows S’pore’s expertise in water management
Loh Chee Kong, Today Online 1 Jul 08;

THE recently-concluded Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) might have been flushwith $367 million worth of deals — including a $272-million joint venture between two Singapore companies to develop infrastructure in Indonesia — but the opportunity to showcase the Republic’s water management expertise was priceless.

Noting that the inaugural event was “obviously in line with our overall vision to grow Singapore into a global hydro hub”, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim told the media yesterday that the SIWW was conceived as a platform “for top leaders and practitioners to gather and discuss a whole series of issues across the entire value chain”.

Alluding to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s point last week on how Singapore has managed to meet its own water needs,Dr Yaacob added: “Forty years ago, we climbed on other people’s back ... perhaps now it’s time for others to climb on our back, to learn from us.”

And the delegates were impressed — not least by the event itself, which was described by a “top business leader” as the “best event ever” for its extensive networking opportunities across all levels of the industry, including policymakers and technology experts, according to Dr Yaacob.

He added: “For some of the people who have never been to Singapore, they were surprised that we’ve been able to close the loop between used water and potable water.”

But the flow of ideas and knowledge was not all a one-way street. “Certainly, on the technological front, we’ve learned a lot ... we are now looking very closely at some of the papers and ideas,” saidDr Yaacob, citing how Singapore could tap private sector funding to incubate water technologies.

On a personal note, the Minister was particularly intrigued by the robust discussion on the roles of the public and private sectors in the management of water, ahighly politicised resource that some argue would be better distributed by private companies.

In Singapore’s case, PUB, the national water agency, has been delivering water “efficiently and reliably” while outsourcing some of its projects to “build up the private sector capability”.

“We have managed the right balance, but there’s no harm in thinking it through again,” said Dr Yaacob.

Apart from thought-provoking discussions, the SIWW saw the conclusion of several notable deals, including a $24-million contract for United States-based Mormon Water to build a manufacturing plant here.

Following its successful maiden outing, SIWW will focus on infrastructure and technology next year, Dr Yaacob revealed.

While it will no longer beheld concurrently with the high-profile World Cities Summit, next year’s event will be organised alongside the Asia-Pacific Infrastructure Ministerial Forum and the International Water Association’s Leading Edge Technologies Conference.

US$270m worth of deals sealed in International Water Week
Channel NewsAsia 30 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: More than US$270 million worth of deals were signed during the first Singapore International Water Week, which ended on June 27.

There were 27 agreements in all, between governments, utilities providers and water companies.

Describing the figures as encouraging, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said the aim is to grow the meeting into a platform for global water solutions.

The meeting last week saw several firsts, among them the launch of a water fund to attract US$320 million in investments for Asian water projects.

This is expected to be boosted by the Asian Development Bank, which has pledged to help regional states boost investments in water security to US$20 billion.

Singapore water companies also won significant contracts. A consortium comprising PUB and CPG Consultants as well as Pico Art International secured a contract to design the King Abdullah Water Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dr Yaacob said interest in the inaugural meeting had been better than expected.

"We're holding this for the first time. Hopefully, more will realise that there's value in coming to Singapore. We were pleasantly surprised that more companies wanted to come on board for the exhibition... they see there is a scope for making business deals," he said.

For Singapore, the lessons gleaned from the conference were immeasurable.

Dr Yaacob said: "Going forward, we are looking for new technological solutions... how can we lower some of the energy costs in terms of desalination? We will mine the papers that have been presented and see whether there are new ideas of achieving some of these water solutions."

As it turned out, Singapore's NeWater technology was a talking point among overseas delegates.

The minister said: "I spoke to some of the ministers from the Middle East. Recycling is now on the top of their mind. For them, water is the new oil... They all ask about recycling.

"'How do you do it?' they asked. We told them briefly that you need an ecosystem, you need a demand, you need a technical system to help you recycle water. They are keen.

"So, for the average Singaporean, I think you have to feel proud that Singapore has been able to achieve something that we can share with the rest of the world."

All in, the five-day meeting attracted some 8,500 delegates and trade visitors.

The Singapore International Water Week will be an annual event. Work is underway to prepare for next year's meeting which will focus on the importance of infrastructure in water management and supply as well as environmental sustainability. - CNA/ir

International Water Week sees $367m of deals signed
Chew Xiang, Business Times 30 Jun 08;

ABOUT $367 million of deals were signed at the close of the first Singapore International Water Week last Friday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said yesterday.

Dr Yaacob called the event a success, saying that it had done its job of bringing companies and water authorities from around the world together in Singapore where they could share the country's water expertise.

About 27 deals were signed during the event. Dr Yaacob said that the important thing was to organise an event that people were willing to attend.

Michael Toh, general manager of Singapore International Water Week, said that the event was 'self-sustaining' - receipts from sponsorship and sale of exhibition space covered organising costs, though the numbers have not yet been tabulated.

Dr Yaacob said that the organisers received multiple requests for sponsorship and had to open extra exhibition space to meet high demand, which proved to be a 'happy problem'.

Some of the sessions conflicted, so scheduling is something that the organisers would look into, he said.

His ministry has learnt a lot from the cutting-edge technology exhibited during the week, he said. At the same time, Singapore's response to water scarcity went down well with foreign visitors keen to learn more about NEWater and Singapore's ability to reduce leakage.

Officials will now examine the information and papers produced for the event, Dr Yaacob said. 'If there is a good idea out there, we must learn from it definitely.'

Next year's event will focus on infrastructure and technology, he revealed, in conjunction with a leading edge conference on water and wastewater technology.