Swiss tech firm ABB wins US$30m Tuas Water Reclamation Plant contract

SWISS tech firm ABB has bagged a US$30 million contract from Singapore's national water agency PUB to deliver a site-wide plant monitoring and control system for the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant (WRP).

The Tuas WRP will receive used water flows from the western part of Singapore via two separate tunnels and apply membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology to treat and purify 650,000 cubic metres of domestic used water per day to generate NEWater.

A further 150,000 cubic metres of used industrial water per day will be treated and sent back to industries for reuse, ABB said in a press statement on Monday.

MBR is a filtration process where membranes are used to separate different substances.

Among other things, ABB will deploy process control systems across multiple facilities at the site. The overall system will integrate over 100,000 input/output signals from different assets including pumping stations and a wet weather facility into one control platform, providing visibility of operations across the plant network.

In addition, operators of the new system will be able to monitor ventilation and air conditioning systems to manage energy utilisation, ABB noted.

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Alarm monitoring and security systems will also be deployed to help ensure industrial control, including cyber security solutions that assess threats and test vulnerability.

Operators will be offered simulator training, and ABB service teams will provide continuous asset, system monitoring and preventative maintenance for a further eight years after construction is completed, ABB said.

Said Peter Terwiesch, president of ABB industrial automation: "Water demand in Singapore is currently about 430 million gallons a day, with homes consuming 45 per cent and industry taking up the rest.

"By 2060, the need for water is expected to almost double. To meet this demand, it is essential to close the water loop and ensure every drop is collected, treated and reused."