PUB calls tender for second desalination plant

Channel NewsAsia 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE : National water agency PUB on Wednesday called an open tender for the second and largest desalination plant to be built at Tuas.

To be completed by 2013, the plant will add close to 320,000 cubic metres (70 mgd) of desalinated water a day to the nation's water supply.

Following the completion of the fifth and largest NEWater plant at Changi last month, the new desalination plant is Singapore's latest water supply infrastructure project.

Like the first reverse-osmosis desalination plant at Tuas, the second plant will be constructed under a Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) arrangement and utilise reverse osmosis technology.

PUB said increasing desalination capacity will further enhance the drought resilience of Singapore's water supply, and ensure reliability for Singapore's water users.

The successful bidder will enter into a 25-year water purchase agreement to supply desalinated water to PUB, commencing from mid 2013.

The water purchase agreement will set out the tariff structure, terms and conditions for the purchase of desalinated water.

The project is PUB's fourth DBOO project.

New water targets unveiled on Monday indicated desalination's bigger role in Singapore's water supply.

By 2060, Singapore plans to ramp up desalinated water capacity by almost 10 times so that the Fourth National Tap can meet at least 30 per cent of the water demand then. Water demand is expected to double to 760 mgd by 2060.

The tender for Singapore's second desalination plant will close on September 30. It is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2011.

There will be a project briefing and site show-around on July 15.

Potential bidders who would like to participate in this DBOO project can refer to the details available in Government Electronic Business (Gebiz). - CNA /ls

Big splash in the water tech sector
Major initiatives unveiled include tender for second desalination plant
Rachel Au-Yong Straits Times 1 Jul 10;

SINGAPORE International Water Week is making a big splash in the fast-growing water technology sector.

Several major initiatives were unveiled yesterday, including plans by consumer giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) to build a multi-million-dollar plant here to make water purification packets to help millions of needy people worldwide get fresh water.

Also, national water agency PUB put out to tender the building of Singapore's second water desalination plant. When completed by 2013, the larger plant will add 318,500 cubic metres of water a day to the nation's water supply.

Another key project is from Global Water Intelligence (GWI), an information service, which plans to set up a centre in Singapore to keep the burgeoning global water industry updated with vital data.

And five firms have been awarded a total of $6 million in research funds by a government agency to boost Singapore's status as a top water technology centre.

Hundreds of policymakers, industry leaders and other key players have gathered here this week for the event, which includes a vast range of activities.

Singapore aims to become a 'global hydro hub', drawing the biggest water companies here and pumping funds into water research. The environment and water sector is set to add $1.7 billion to economic output here and employ 11,000, mostly in skilled jobs, by 2015.

PUB said the new desalination plant will use a filtration method known as reverse osmosis to remove salt and other impurities from water.

Desalination - also known as Singapore's Fourth National Tap, along with catchment areas, water bought from Malaysia and Newater plants - is playing a bigger role here. Singapore plans to lift desalinated water capacity 10-fold to meet at least 30 per cent of demand by 2060. Water demand is expected to double to 3.4 billion cubic metres by then.

The tender will close on Sept 30 and is set to be awarded early next year. The successful bidder will enter into a 25-year water purchase deal to supply desalinated water to PUB, starting from mid-2013.

Looking further afield, P&G says PUR water packets to be made at its planned new Tuas plant, will provide 200 million purification packets a year to adults and children worldwide - able to produce up to two billion litres of fresh water.

The 'multi-million-dollar, non-profit investment' will employ nearly 50 Singapore staff, said P&G associate director for Asean external relations Anthony Rose.

The sachets have been used in disaster relief work, such as Haiti's recent earthquake, and in places lacking fresh water.

Singapore was chosen for the plant - due to start operations in 2012 - given its 'advanced technological base', as making the sachets requires precision, said the head of P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Programme, Dr Greg Allgood.

The GWI information office will be set up at PUB's WaterHub at Toh Guan Road East. 'We have been watching the opportunity in the water sector drift eastwards, and the global financial crisis has accelerated this,' said managing director Christopher Gasson in a statement yesterday.

The WaterHub is home to other renowned water-related organisations and research institutes such as the International Water Association, Optiqua Technologies and Nitto Denko.

The latest research grants were awarded by the Environment and Water Industry Programme Office, a division of PUB. The recipients - two local firms and three international firms with a strong presence here - had responded to a call for proposals on industry-led research.

One of the firms, industrial giant Siemens, will be developing a low-cost membrane which relies on the heat energy produced by waste matter to aid in the water distillation and filtration process.

The other successful firms are local firms Ultra-Flo and Natflow, as well as OptoTech and DHI Water & Environment. The latter won two grants.

Ultra-Flo will focus on affordable drinking water production by developing an energy-saving, efficient desalting membrane. Natflow aims to channel waste energy from a building's cooling and heating to desalinate wastewater.

PUB will also team up with international manufacturer ITT Corp to establish a joint research programme to develop energy-efficient water and wastewater treatment solutions, in a memorandum of understanding signed yesterday.

PUB calls tender for second desalination plant
To be completed by 2013, it'll add 70m gallons daily to fresh water supply
Uma Shankari Business Times 1 Jul 10;

(SINGAPORE) National water agency PUB is calling an open tender for Singapore's second - and larger - desalination plant to be built at Tuas.

The plant, which will be completed by 2013, will add 318,500 cubic metres - or 70 million gallons - of fresh water daily to the nation's supply.

Market watchers reckon the contract for the plant could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The tender launch comes as Singapore aims to boost its desalination capacity almost 10 times by 2060 to be water self-sufficient by the time the country's water agreement with Malaysia expires in 2061.

New long-term goals call for desalinated water (water reclaimed from the sea) to meet at least 30 per cent of water demand by 2060; at present, just 10 per cent of water demand is met by desalinated water.

The new desalination plant is Singapore's latest water supply infrastructure project since the fifth and largest Newater plant at Changi was completed last month.

PUB also intends to build a sixth Newater plant, at Tuas, by 2030. It aims to triple Newater capacity so it can meet half of water demand by 2060.

Market interest in the tender for the second desalination plant is expected to be keen. Sembcorp - which designed, built and now operates the $180 million fifth Newater plant - has already confirmed its interest.

'Sembcorp has 145 million imperial gallons per day of desalination capacity in operation and under development in the Middle East, and owns and runs the world's largest hybrid desalination plant in the UAE,' a spokesman told BT. 'With our strong track record in desalination, we are certainly interested in bidding for this project.'

Singapore's first desalination plant - the $200 million SingSpring plant at Tuas - was awarded to a Hyflux consortium in 2003. This plant has now been operating for close to five years and produces 136,000 cubic metres - or 30 million gallons - of fresh water daily. The project was PUB's first public-private partnership project.

Like the first desalination plant, the second will also be constructed under a design, build, own and operate arrangement, and use reverse osmosis technology.

PUB has adopted a 'best sourcing' approach to expand the water supply in a cost-competitive manner since 2005, said the agency's director for best sourcing Koh Boon Aik.

'These projects have been highly successful, ensuring high-quality and reliable water supply on the most cost-effective basis as they tap the private sector's capacity and flexibility to innovate,' said Mr Koh. The public-private partnerships have also helped water companies build a track record in Singapore so they can eventually export the expertise they gain here, he added.

The successful bidder for the new desalination plant will enter into a 25-year agreement to supply fresh water to PUB from mid-2013. The agreement will set out the tariff structure and terms and conditions for the purchase of desalinated water.

The tender closes on Sept 30 and is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2011.

Separately, PUB said yesterday that six water companies will each receive about $1 million to carry out R&D to improve their offerings. Of the six companies, two are based in Singapore and the others are strongly represented by offices here.