Water & Wastewater Asia May/June 2019

6 | NEWS
Tuas in Singapore wins Global Water Award as
Desalination Plant of the Year
SINGAPORE’S TUAS DESALINATION PLANT
(TDP) – the first desalination plant that is
owned and operated by PUB, Singapore’s
National Water Agency, has won international
recognition for its use of ecologically
sustainable technologies in the treatment
process. Barely a year after it was opened in
June 2018, TDP was named Desalination Plant
of the Year at the 2019 Global Water Awards,
presented at the Global Water Summit in
London, United Kingdom.
The Global Water Awards (GWA), widely
acknowledged as one of the most coveted
awards, recognise the most important
achievements in the international water
industry which include improved operating
performance, innovative technology adoption
and sustainable financial models. The three
other shortlisted nominees in the Desalination
Plant of the Year category were namely, Barka
4 IWP in Oman, Djerba in Tunisia, and Galalah
in Egypt.
TDP marks a major milestone in Singapore’s
water sustainability journey. As Singapore’s
third desalination plant, the S$217 million
(US$153 million) facility is the country’s
most technologically advanced plant, setting
new industry benchmarks for its robust
pre-treatment processes, reliance on clean
energy, housed in a compact 3.5-hectare
facility.
inge GmbH was part of the TDP project as an ultrafiltration
supplier for pre-treatment
The Tuas Desalination Plant marks a major milestone in Singapore’s water sustainability journey
USE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
TO OPTIMISE OPERATIONS, SPACE
AND ENERGY
TDP boasts of many firsts. It is the first plant in
Singapore to combine Dissolved Air Flotation
and Ultrafiltration, to reduce membrane
fouling during the treatment of seawater.
This ensures higher quality of sea water for
the reverse osmosis process and reduces
the cleaning frequency of the membranes
to optimise cost and operating efficiencies.
Another first for TDP is its pursuit of clean
energy. To reduce its carbon footprint, more
than half of TDP’s roof surface, or 7,000sqm,
is covered with solar photovoltaic system.
This generates some 1.4 million kWh of clean
energy a year, equivalent to the energy needs
of more than 300 four-room flats a year, to
power part of the plant’s energy needs.
As the most compact and most spaceefficient
desalination plant in Singapore,
TDP produces up to 30 million gallons a day
of drinking water, equivalent to the water
demand of about 200,000 households.
“Seawater desalination has a starring role
in Singapore’s water future. And PUB’s Tuas
Desalination Plant provides a glimpse of
just how exciting this future is. Jam-packed
with the latest treatment technologies
on a very small footprint, it is not just
space-efficient, and also a fruition of PUB’s
relentless R&D over the last few years. We
are proud that the plant has been recognised
by our peers, and even prouder that it is
providing Singapore with high quality drinking
water and enduring water security every
day”, said Mr Ng Joo Hee, chief executive,
PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.
“We’d like to congratulate this year’s Global
Water Awards winners, who exemplify the
kinds of positive change and disruption that
will continue to drive the international water
sector to greater heights in the coming
years. Tuas Desalination Plant, the winner
of the Desalination Plant of the Year, sets
a new ecological benchmark and puts
the PUB at the forefront of desalination
plant development for decades to come in
the region,” said Mr Christopher Gasson,
publisher of Global Water Intelligence,
which established the awards in 2006.
Sharing TDP’s pride is inge GmbH, having been
a part of the project as an ultrafiltration supplier
for pre-treatment in order to prevent membrane
fouling, thus helping to double the lifespan of
RO membranes. This reference project in South
East Asia reinforces inge GmbH’s firm belief that
water treatment with In-to-Out ultrafiltration
is a superbly reliable, cost-effective, and
highly promising technology in many areas,
especially in the field of drinking water. WWA
Water & Wastewater Asia • May / June 2019