PUB and Hyflux breaks ground for Singapore’s largest desalination project

The world’s second largest ultrafiltration pre-treatment membrane facility, incorporating Hyflux’s proprietary Kristal® ultrafiltration membranes, is equipped in the plant.

PUB, Singapore's national water agency, and Hyflux Ltd, a Singapore-based leading desalination solutions provider marked the ground-breaking for the country’s second and largest seawater reverse osmosis (“SWRO”) desalination plant, signifying the start of ground works at the 14-hectare site in Tuas on the western section of the island.

A co-located event of the Singapore International Water Week 2011, the ground-breaking ceremony took place at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Hall this evening. A video link to the actual site of desalination plant provided live feed to the more than 200 guests invited to the ceremony, according to a PUB report.

The guest-of-honour was Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources of Singapore.

The ground-breaking took place three months from the day PUB and Hyflux’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Tuaspring Pte Ltd, signed the Water Purchase Agreement to supply PUB with 70 million gallons of desalinated water a day over a 25-year period from 2013 to 2038. The desalination plant is constructed under a Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) model and is expected to commence operations in 2013.

PUB Chief Executive Khoo Teng Chye said, “This plant marks a significant milestone in Singapore’s journey towards water sustainability. Desalinated water is an important pillar of Singapore’s Four National Taps and it is set to play an even bigger role. Water demand is expected to double from its current levels by 2060 and we aim to ramp up desalination capacity to meet 30% of the water demand by then.”

“We are happy that we have come to this important milestone. I would like to thank all parties involved, including my staff, for all their hard work. I look forward to the completion of Singapore’s largest seawater desalination plant in two years’ time,” said Ms Olivia Lum, Hyflux’s Group President & CEO.

Named Tuaspring Desalination Plant, the plant will add another 70 million gallons (mgd) or 318,500 cubic metres of desalinated water per day to Singapore’s water supply.

The plant will feature the world’s second largest ultrafiltration pre-treatment membrane facility, incorporating Hyflux’s proprietary Kristal® ultrafiltration membranes. Following the pre-treatment process, the salt water will undergo a two-pass reverse osmosis treatment process to remove the salt from the water, leaving fresh pure water. This water then undergoes a post-treatment process for re-mineralisation before being delivered to PUB for distribution to households and industries in Singapore.

An on-site combined cycle gas turbine power plant will supply electricity to the desalination plant. Excess power will be sold to the power grid.

Hyflux also developed Singapore’s first desalination plant, SingSpring Desalination Plant, which is located within close proximity to the new Tuaspring Desalination Plant. SingSpring

Desalination Plant was also the first Public-Private-Partnership project to be embarked in Singapore, and Hyflux has been operating and maintaining the SingSpring Desalination Plant since its commercial operation in 2005.

Desalinated water is one of Singapore’s Four National Taps, along with local catchment water, imported water and NEWater, Singapore’s own brand of reclaimed water.