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Sustainable water supply strategy in Singapore
In its bid to achieve diversity and sustainability of water supply, Singapore has, through its national water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB), embarked on The Four National Taps water supply strategy, namely catchment water, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.
Singapore’s drive towards water recycling as its third National Tap started in February 2003 with the opening of the first two NEWater plants in Bedok and Kranji. In January 2004, another milestone in the NEWater initiative was accomplished with the commissioning of the third NEWater Factory at Selatar Water Reclamation Plant. The total capacity of the three NEWater factories is 110,400m³/day or 24 million gallons per day (mgd) - Bedok 7mgd, Kranji 12mgd, Seletar 5mgd.
What is NEWater?
NEWater is treated, used water that has undergone stringent purification and treatment process using advanced dual-membrane (microfiltration and reverse osmosis) and ultraviolet technologies.
Since 2003, NEWater has been used for water fabrication processes, non-potable applications in manufacturing processes as well as air-con cooling towers in commercial buildings. This has freed up a large amount of potable water for other purposes.
NEWater is currently blended with reservoir water and then undergo conventional water treatment to produce drinking water.
The Keppel Seghers plant, the largest in Asia
Developed by Keppel Integrated Engineering (KIE), the environment technology and engineering arm of Keppel Corporation, the Keppel Seghers Ulu Pandan NEWater Plant is Singapore’s fourth and largest NEWater plant with a capacity to produce 148,000m³ of NEWater a day, supplying over half of Singapore’s NEWater needs and more than 10% of Singapore’s total daily water demand.
The plant is larger than the combined capacities of the existing NEWater factories in operation at Bedok, Kranji and Seletar. It is also the largest waste water recycling plant in Asia and one of the largest in the world.
Public-Private-Partnership
Awarded by PUB in early 2005 to design, build, own and operate the plant for 20 years under the Public Private-Partnership initiative, the plant will be able to meet the demand from the industrial and commercial sectors in the western and central regions of Singapore.
The effluent feedwater comes from both the South Works and Liquid Treatment Module of the Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant and is conveyed by gravity pipes into the plant.
In case of emergency or if the feedwater quality is out of specifications, an alternative feedwater will be supplied by PUB coming from the Pandan reservoir or a potable water resource.
The NEWater will be delivered to PUB distribution pipeline network going to Kent Ridge Service Reservoir and to industrial consumers at Jurong, Tuas, Tuas Extension Areas and Jurong Island.
Ensuring the highest water quality
To ensure that the NEWater produced at Ulu Pandan consistently meets PUB’s requirements, a comprehensive monitoring and audit systems will be in place. This includes linking the plant’s key on-line water quality monitoring system to PUB’s monitoring room.
The NEWater will also be sampled and analysed regularly by an accredited laboratory. In addition, audits will be conducted periodically by PUB to ensure that the plant’s operation meets the required standards.
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