Keppel to build Singapore desal plant

KEPPEL has been awarded a contract to build Singapore’s fourth desalination plant.

The contract, the value of which has not been disclosed, is to design, build, own and operate (DBOO) the plant. It is scheduled to begin operations in 2020, producing 30m gallons/d (137,000 m³/d) of fresh drinking water.

The variable salinity plant will be built in Marina East and will become the first in the country that is able to treat sea water along with fresh water from the Marina Reservoir. The plant will use reverse osmosis and advanced membrane technology, Keppel said in a financial filing.

The city state has limited land to collect water and having experienced droughts and water pollution has established a long term water strategy. It relies on four so-called ‘national taps’ for supplies. These are water from the local catchment; imported water; reclaimed water purified using advanced membrane technologies and ultra-violet disinfection – known as NEWater; and desalination.

Water demand in Singapore is currently around 430m gallons/d and is expected to double by 2060. NEWater and desalination, which currently accounts for 55% of supplies, is planned to meet 85% of this increased demand, according to the country’s national water agency, PUB.

A fifth desalination plant is planned to be built on the industrial hub that is Singapore’s Jurong Island. In 2016, PUB chose US contractor CH2M as a consultant to develop the project.