Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd (Keppel Infrastructure) and PUB, Singapore's national water agency, have unveiled the innovative design of the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant, Singapore's fourth desalination plant, at its groundbreaking ceremony conducted at the Marina Barrage.
The ceremony was officiated by Guest of Honour, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Masagos Zulkifli; Chairman of Keppel Corporation, Dr Lee Boon Yang; Permanent Secretary of Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Choi Shing Kwok; Chairman of PUB, Mr Chiang Chie Foo; CEO of Keppel Corporation Limited, Mr Loh Chin Hua; CE of PUB, Mr Ng Joo Hee; and CEO of Keppel Infrastructure, Dr Ong Tiong Guan.
The first of its kind in Singapore, the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant will be a large-scale dual-mode desalination plant in Singapore that can treat both seawater and freshwater. Depending on wet or dry weather conditions, water is channelled either from the Marina Reservoir or the sea to the plant, where it will be treated.
The plant also achieves multiple uses of land, with underground treatment facilities and 20,000 square metres (sqm) of open green space on the rooftop for community recreation.
Slated for completion by 2020, the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant will feature a sleek modern design that breaks away from that of conventional water treatment plants. Against the backdrop of Singapore's CBD skyline, the plant is set along the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network that bridges East Coast Park and Gardens by the Bay East. All of the plant's water treatment equipment will be located underground, topped off by a gently sloping green lawn as its roof.
The desalination plant will also incorporate environmentally friendly features such as rainwater harvesting. Rainwater collected will be used to irrigate the green roof and support the facility's water features and landscaping needs.
"Over the years, we have been making investments in desalination plants to bolster our water security. As a source independent of weather, desalinated water is capable of strengthening our water supply resilience, especially against prolonged dry spells and droughts. We aim to triple its capacity to meet up to 30% of our water needs by 2060," said Mr Ng Joo Hee, Chief Executive of PUB.
Desalinated water is a key pillar of Singapore's water supply, in addition to water from local catchments, imported water and NEWater (ultra-clean, high-grade reclaimed water). There are currently two desalination plants with a total capacity of 100 mgd, and another three plants in the pipeline. The Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant is one of them.
Dr Ong Tiong Guan commented, "We are pleased to unveil the design of the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant and mark another first in Singapore. Not only is this the first desalination plant in Singapore capable of treating both seawater and freshwater, the plant's design also blends seamlessly into the environment, allowing the public to enjoy the green space above the plant along with the surrounding greenery."
"By challenging conventional ideas of a desalination plant and re-imagining how an infrastructure facility should look and function, Keppel Infrastructure aims to demonstrate that engineering and design excellence can go hand-in-hand as we push for sustainable urbanisation."
Keppel Infrastructure, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Marina East Water Pte. Ltd., signed the 25-year Water Purchase Agreement with PUB for the Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant on 20 January 2017. The plant will be constructed under the Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) model and will produce 137,000 cubic metres (about 30 million gallons) of fresh drinking water per day.
The abovementioned transaction is not expected to have a material impact on the net tangible assets or earnings per share of Keppel Corporation Limited for the current financial year.
Keppel Infrastructure is a division of Keppel Corporation Limited, a leading company listed on the Singapore Exchange. It drives the Keppel Group's strategy to invest in, own and operate competitive energy and environmental infrastructure solutions and services. Keppel Seghers and Keppel Infrastructure Services are all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Keppel Infrastructure. Keppel Seghers is a leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, and provides consultancy, design and engineering, technology development and construction of large-scale environmental projects. Keppel Infrastructure Services houses the technical support and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) capabilities within the Keppel Infrastructure group. It operates energy and environmental related infrastructure facilities globally.