Singapore to go ahead with 5th desalination plant on Jurong Island: Masagos (Amended)

SINGAPORE will be building a fifth desalination plant, on Jurong Island, in order to reduce its dependence on weather for water supply as climate change brings about changes in weather patterns.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Masagos Zulkifli, announced this at the Singapore International Water Week on Tuesday.

Mr Masagos had in April said in Parliament that national water agency PUB was exploring the feasibility of such an idea.

PUB has recently awarded a consultancy services tender to study the development of the plant, he told participants at the closing session of the Water Leaders' Summit.

The plant, which will have a capacity to produce 30 million gallons a day, will be co-located with an existing utility facility to reap potential synergies.

Singapore currently has two existing desalination plants producing 100 million gallons a day. This meets almost a quarter of current water demand.

Two more, in Tuas and Marina East, will be built by 2019.

On Tuesday, PUB also launched a Singapore Water Academy, to train local and international water engineers and technicians.

To be located at WaterHub, it will also partner Surbana Jurong, an urban and infrastructure development consultancy, and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, a government agency, to train their staff and develop programmes for their emerging market clients.

Amendment note: An earlier version of the story referred to Singapore Cooperation Enterprise as a company. This has been revised to reflect that SCE is a government agency.