Tuas Power-ST Marine consortium to build 5th desalination plant

Channel NewsAsia 27 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE: Singapore's fifth desalination plant will be built on Jurong Island by Tuas Power-Singapore Technologies Marine (TP-STM) consortium, national water agency PUB said on Wednesday (Sep 27).

The consortium will form a concession company to enter into a Water Purchase Agreement with PUB by October, the agency said.

The new desalination plant, expected to be operational by 2020, will add 30 million gallons or about 137,000 cubic metres of water a day to Singapore's water supply.

"The seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant will be co-located with Tuas Power’s existing Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex to derive synergies in resources such as seawater intake and outfall structures, and energy from the in-plant generation facilities," PUB said.

PUB shortlisted four potential applicants for the project in February who had suitable land and facilities on Jurong Island that "demonstrated synergies".

Eight bids were submitted by three of the applicants, namely TP-STM, Keppel Infrastructure Holdings and Sembcorp Utilities – SUEZ International Consortium.

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TP-STM offered the most competitive tariff among the three bidders, a first-year price of S$0.91, PUB said. It will supply desalinated water to PUB over a 25-year period from 2020 to 2045.

“Desalinated water is a key part of Singapore’s water supply portfolio. As a weather-independent source, it strengthens the reliability of our water supply against droughts," said Mr Young Joo Chye, PUB’s director of engineering development and procurement.

"This fifth plant is part of our plans to expand desalination capacity to meet up to 30 per cent of our future water needs in the long term.”

Two desalination plants are in operation and desalination currently meets up to 25 per cent of Singapore’s water demand. A third desalination plant is expected to be completed in Tuas by 2017, and the fourth in Marina East by 2020.


Consortium picked to build fifth desalination plant
Today Online 28 Sep 17;

SINGAPORE — National water agency the Public Utilities Board (PUB)has chosen Tuas Power–Singapore Technologies Marine Consortium as the preferred bidder to build Singapore’s fifth desalination plant, to be located on Jurong Island.

Of the four applicants invited to submit their proposals for the plant, the consortium quoted the most competitive first-year price of S$0.91 per cubic metre, the agency said in a press release yesterday. The consortium will form a concession company to enter into a Water Purchase Agreement with the PUB by next month.

The plant is expected to begin operations in 2020 — along with the fourth desalination plant in Marina East — and will supply desalinated water to the PUB from 2020 to 2045.

This is expected to add 30 million gallons daily, or about 137,000 cubic metres of water a day, to the nation’s water supply.

Mr Young Joo Chye, PUB’s director of engineering development and procurement, said: “Desalinated water is a key part of Singapore’s water supply portfolio. As a weather-independent source, it strengthens the reliability of our water supply against droughts. This fifth plant is part of our plans to expand desalination capacity to meet up to 30 per cent of our future water needs in the long term.”

Desalinated water, or treated sea water, has been one of the four sources of the water supply here since 2005, and it now meets up to 25 per cent of demand.

The others sources are reservoirs, imported water from Malaysia, and NEWater (treated waste water).

SingSpring Desalination Plant in Tuas, which opened in 2005, was the PUB’s first project with a private partner for a desalination plant. The second Tuaspring Desalination Plant, also in Tuas, opened in 2013. A third desalination plant is expected to be completed in Tuas by the end of this year.

In June, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, the Environment and Water Resources Minister, said that Singapore’s demand for water is expected to more than double by 2060. The authorities will be boosting the capacities of NEWater and desalination water so that both can meet higher demand by then.