Tuas Power-ST Engineering Consortium and PUB open Singapore’s fifth desalination plant

Singapore, 17 April 2022 – The consortium of Tuas Power and ST Engineering, along with PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, have officially opened Singapore’s fifth desalination plant located on Jurong Island. Jurong Island Desalination Plant (JIDP) has a daily capacity of up to 137,000 cubic metres (about 30 million gallons) – the equivalent of 55 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water.

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat was the Guest of Honour at the ceremony, held at the start of the Singapore International Water Week 2022. Alongside him to open JIDP were Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, PUB Chief Executive Ng Joo Hee, Tuas Power President & CEO Jiang Hanbin and ST Engineering’s President for Marine Ng Sing Chan.

Constructed under the Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) model, JIDP will be operated by TP-STM Water Resources Pte Ltd – the Joint Venture company formed by the Tuas Power-ST Engineering consortium – for a 25-year period. Spanning over 3.7 hectares, which is about the size of five football fields, JIDP receives seawater from Tuas Power’s Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex (TMUC) for processing into potable water.

JIDP’s co-location with TMUC allows it to derive synergies in resources such as sharing of seawater intake and outfall structures, as well as energy from in-plant generation facilities. Due to the co-location, the plant is about 5% more energy efficient compared to conventional desalination plants, which translates to annual energy savings sufficient to power nearly 1,000 HDB households.

Building a full-fledged desalination plant on existing infrastructure called for innovative engineering solutions, from creating modular systems in different areas of the desalination process to the pre-fabrication of equipment such as the reverse osmosis units. The plant is also highly automated – a three-man team can run the entire plant’s operations from its control room. In addition, JIDP incorporates the latest proven water treatment equipment and membrane technologies such as dissolved air flotation, ultra-filtration, and reverse osmosis.

Mr Ng Joo Hee, Chief Executive of PUB, said: “Although seawater desalination is the most expensive way to produce water, due to the energy required, it is nevertheless an essential source of drinking water for Singapore. Desalination is immune to the vagaries of weather and always available, rain or not. The efficiencies that come from constructing JIDP, our fifth and newest desalination plant, next to Tuas Power’s existing TMUC make the energy-take for desalination that much more palatable. JIDP further diversifies our water production portfolio and its coming into operation enhances Singapore’s water security.”

"The design and construction of the JIDP has provided ST Engineering the opportunity to leverage our expertise in large scale engineering projects in the marine sector to deliver complex environmental engineering solutions. The result is an energy efficient, technologically advanced, less labour intensive and weather-resilient water source that meets Singapore's water needs." said Mr Ng Sing Chan, President, Marine, ST Engineering.

“Leveraging on TMUC’s existing infrastructure for seawater intake, the synergies between JIDP and TMUC have enabled operations to save approximately 5,000 Megawatt hours per year. That is almost 1,000 HDB households’ energy consumption annually, making JIDP one of the more energy efficient desalination plants in Singapore,” shared Mr Jiang Hanbin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tuas Power.

Desalinated water is one of Singapore’s Four National Taps, and a weather-resilient source that contributes to the nation’s long-term water supply sustainability. The other four desalination plants in Singapore are the Singspring (2005), Tuas South (2013), Tuas (2018) and Marina East (2020) plants.

• Opening officiated by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu
• Plant equipped to produce up to 137,000 cubic metres (30 million gallons) of potable water, strengthening Singapore’s water security
• About 5% more energy-efficient compared to other desalination plants due to co-location with existing power plant

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Tuas Power is a key provider of energy solutions and multi-utilities in Singapore. The company is a member of China Huaneng Group, one of the largest and most forward-looking power producers in China and the world.

Tuas Power has a licensed capacity of 2,670 MW, and is a leading power generation company in Singapore. It has five combined cycle plants and a steam plant in its power station in the Tuas industrial region, and develops efficient and environmentally responsible energy solutions through its retail arm.  Tuas Power also supplies utilities such as steam, high-grade industrial water, demineralised water and waste water treatment services in Tembusu, Jurong Island.

ST Engineering is a global technology, defence and engineering group with a diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defence and public security segments. The Group harnesses technology and innovation to solve real-world problems, enabling a more secure and sustainable world. Headquartered in Singapore, it has operations spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., serving customers in more than 100 countries.  ST Engineering reported revenue of $7.7b in FY2021 and ranks among the largest companies listed on the Singapore Exchange. It is a component stock of the FTSE Straits Times Index, MSCI Singapore, iEdge SG ESG Transparency Index and iEdge SG ESG Leaders Index.

About PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency 

PUB is a statutory board under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE). It is the national water agency, which manages Singapore's water supply, water catchment, and used water in an integrated way. From April 2020, PUB also took on the responsibility of protecting Singapore's coastline from sea-level rise as the national coastal protection agency.

PUB has ensured a diversified and sustainable supply of water for Singapore with the Four National Taps (local catchment water, imported water, NEWater, desalinated water). PUB leads and coordinates whole-of-government efforts to protect Singapore from the threat of rising seas and the holistic management of inland and coastal flood risks. 

PUB calls on everyone to play a part in conserving water, in keeping our waterways clean, and in caring for Singapore's precious water resources. If we all do our little bit, there will be enough water for all our needs – for commerce and industry, for living, for life.